scholarly journals Assessment of surface water management institutions: a case of public irrigation schemes in northern Algeria

Water Policy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amine Oulmane ◽  
Abdelhadi Kechar ◽  
Ahmed Benmihoub ◽  
M. Amine Benmehaia
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Large Irrigation

Abstract The pressure on water resources that Algeria encounters is due to the scarcity and the water demand increase by different sectors of activity. This induces managers to reconsider the traditional supply management approach. The new water policies aim to adopt water demand management by improving the efficiency of its use in the agricultural sector, which consumes more than 59% of freshwater withdrawals. Economic, regulatory, and voluntary instruments have been adopted for better governance of water resources. This study aims to (i) define institutional arrangements on the exploitation of surface water in large irrigation schemes in Algeria and (ii) assess the effectiveness of the current water management instruments. Findings from farmers’ and water distribution agencies’ surveys suggest that objectives expected by the application of the different economic instruments are far from being achieved. Moreover, the absence of effective executive agencies for the implementation of regulations suggests that an improvement in the performance of public administration is necessary to achieve better governance of irrigation water in Algeria. At the local level, and despite a lack of farmers’ will to formally engage in a collective of farmers, they organize themselves around informal arrangements to overcome the challenges associated with water scarcity.

scholarly journals Integrated Water Resources Management in the Maltese Islands

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Sapiano
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Freshwater Resources ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Management Measures

The Maltese islands present a case of extreme natural freshwater resources unavailability where available resources are not sufficient to sustainably meet the national water demand. This due to the islands’ semi-arid climatic conditions and small land-mass which preclude the formation of surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes. In fact, the island’s fragile groundwater bodies are the only naturally renewable freshwater systems available for the development of water supply resources. Furthermore, the islands high population density results in a high specific demand for water to address the requirements of the population, their economic activities and water dependent ecosystems. In order to address these challenging conditions Malta has developed an integrated water management framework based on the conjunctive use of water supply augmentation and water demand management measures. Under this framework, Malta promotes the application of Non Conventional Water Resources such as the desalination of sea-water and the reclamation of wastewaters to supplement natural freshwater resources. The application of Non Conventional Water Resources enables national water demands to be met, whilst ensuring the sustainable use of natural freshwater resources. Water Demand Management measures ensure that water use is kept at highly efficient levels, thereby reducing the need for the production of water from these additional alternative resources. The development of this water management framework is outlined in Malta’s 2nd River Basin Management Plan. It therefore supports the achievement of the EU’s Water Framework Directive’s environmental objectives in the Malta River Basin District. Its integrated context also supports Malta’s adaptation efforts to climate change, whose impacts are expected to further exacerbate the water challenges facing the island. Malta’s water management experience highlights the importance of the development and implementation of integrated water management frameworks. The effective protection of natural freshwater resources such as the islands’ groundwater resources cannot be ensured if these are addressed in isolation but can only be achieved through the application of such integrated frameworks which addresses the sustainability and security of water supply on a national basis.

scholarly journals Water demand management – shifting urban water management towards sustainability

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kayaga ◽  
I. Smout ◽  
H. Al-Maskati
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
High Rate ◽  
World Population ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Water Demand Management

Whereas the world population is increasing at a high rate, especially in urban areas, water resources have not only remained constant, but are being polluted at a high rate, which inevitably results in fresh water scarcity. Current urban water management concepts and practices cannot adequately respond to these changes. There is need for water professionals to change the way they manage water resources in urban areas if we are to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. In addition to consideration of supply-side options, we need to apply water demand management (WDM) tools both on the utility and end-user sides. This paper describes the basic concepts of WDM, provides a case study of their application in Bahrain, and briefly introduces the five-year EU-funded SWTCH Project that aims at creating a paradigm shift in urban water management practices.

scholarly journals Assessment of Surface Water Resources in Great Ruaha River Sub-Basin Tanzania: Application of WEAP Model for Water Allocation and Utilization Impacts Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-46
Author(s):  
Rose Gervas ◽  
Deogratias M.M. Mulungu ◽  
Joel K. Nobert
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Reference Scenario ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Weap Model ◽  
Surface Water Resources

The Great Ruaha River (GRR) sub-basin is one of the most important waterways in Tanzania as it supports important economic activities. The sub-basin is progressively faced with an inevitable situation of increasing water demand among competing users while the quantity and quality of water is diminishing. The focus of this study was to assess allocation of existing (2012) and future (up to 2025) quantities of surface water in the GRR sub-basin with consideration of priorities given in the Tanzania Water Resources Management Act, 2009 in the order: domestic, environment, agriculture, livestock and non-domestic. Simulation of water allocation scenarios of irrigation expansion (IE) and implementation of environmental flow requirements (EWD) and their impacts on met demands was done by using WEAP model. Results showed that under current and future conditions, available streamflows are sufficient for the first two water use priorities. Implementation of EWD and IE scenarios will change demands in comparison with reference scenario by 80%, -38% and 45% and shortages by 147%, 123% and 13% in Little Ruaha, Ndembera and Kisigo catchments respectively. To eliminate water shortages, construction of reservoirs, use of alternative supply sources (especially in agriculture) and water demand management measures are recommended.

Water-demand management: assessing impacts of climate and other changes on water usage in Central Arizona

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Netra B. Chhetri
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Water Demand Management ◽  
Central Arizona

Planning for sustainable water management in the arid region of the southwestern USA is challenging mostly due to only partial understanding of factors converging around water supply and demand. Some of the factors that prompt concern about the adequacy of water resources are: (a) a growing urban population seeking a range of services, including the need to preserve and enhance aquatic ecosystems; (b) dwindling water storage due to multi-year drought conditions; and (c) the prospect of human-induced climate changes and its consequences in the hydrologic system of the region. This study analyzes the potential for water saving in the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) of Central Arizona, which includes the city of Phoenix, one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. Based on an extensive literature review and secondary data analysis, this paper investigates multiple factors that place increasing strain on current water resources, and attempts to extend this analysis to 2025. Outdoor water use within the residential landscape is the most important factor that strains water resources in Phoenix AMA. Any gain in efficiency through agricultural water demand management would not only improve the availability of water for other uses in the AMA, but would facilitate adaptation of the agricultural system to climate and other ongoing changes.

scholarly journals Sustainable Water Management in Iraq (Kurdistan) as a Challenge for Governmental Responsibility

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood Yousuf ◽  
Nada Rapantova ◽  
Jalal Younis
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
State Of Water ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Local Water ◽  
The Eu

During the last few decades, a critical scarcity of water has occurred in the Middle East due to climate change and the mismanagement of water resources. The situation is complicated by the absence of an effective legislative framework at the local level as well as by the incapability and disrepute of the local water authorities. Most Iraqi citizens depend on the surface waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have their sources in upstream neighbouring countries. Water crises concerning the shared waters urgently require a solution at the international level. Unfortunately, Iraq has faced several wars in a row (1980–2003), which has prevented the country from establishing its institutions. The rapid increase in the population of the transboundary countries on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the high demands on agriculture, are accelerating water exploitation. In this paper, the present state of water management in Iraq from the viewpoint of the legislative framework, water balance, and transboundary issues will be discussed, with special attention to Kurdistan. Many legislative documents have been established or amended by the Iraqi and Kurdistan parliaments since 2003. In 2015, the Kurdistan Government Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, in cooperation with the EU, issued a guide for environmental legislation related to all environmental components such as air, water, and soil. The recommendations on actions needed in the water management in Kurdistan will be presented; they are inspired by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) implemented in EU member states.

Urban water demand assessment for sustainable water resources management, under climate change and socioeconomic changes

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelos Alamanos ◽  
Stamatis Sfyris ◽  
Chrysostomos Fafoutis ◽  
Nikitas Mylopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Abstract The relationship between water abstraction and water availability has turned into a major stress factor in the urban exploitation of water resources. The situation is expected to be sharpened in the future due to the intensity of extreme meteorological phenomena, and socio-economic changes affecting water demand. In the city of Volos, Greece, the number of water counters has been tripled during the last four decades. This study attempts to simulate the city's network, supply system and water demand through a forecasting model. The forecast was examined under several situations, based on climate change and socio-economic observations of the city, using meteorological, water pricing, users' income, level of education, family members, floor and residence size variables. The most interesting outputs are: (a) the impact of each variable in the water consumption and (b) water balance under four management scenarios, indicating the future water management conditions of the broader area, including demand and supply management. The results proved that rational water management can lead to remarkable water conservation. The simulation of real scenarios and future situations in the city's water demand and balance, is the innovative element of the study, making it capable of supporting the local water utility.

A New Way of Understanding Rebound Phenomenon in Agriculture Water Demand Using A Global Sensitivity Analysis Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ghoreishi ◽  
Razi Sheikholeslami ◽  
Saman Razavi ◽  
Amin Elshorbagy
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Total Contribution ◽  
Global Sensitivity ◽  
Rebound Phenomenon

<p>Effective use of water resources has been identified as a means to improve resilience to drought, particularly in the agricultural sector. In recent decades, the idea of shifting to more efficient irrigation systems (e.g., sprinkler irrigation systems) has received increasing attention to reduce the amount of water loss by traditional irrigation systems (e.g., flood irrigation systems), requiring considerable capital investments. However, there are indications that such investments do not lead to a reduction in water use in the long-run, which may even increase paradoxically; a phenomenon known as the rebound phenomenon or Jevon’s paradox. One of the fundamental information gaps concerns an explicit evaluation of coevolutionary dynamics and the interactions among socio-economic factors in the rebound phenomenon in agriculture, which calls for the application of systems-based methodologies such as global sensitivity (GSA) analysis methods to look at time-dynamical aspects of the coevolutionary dynamics between various factors influencing rebound phenomenon. In this study, we use a previously calibrated and validated Agent-Based Agricultural Water Demand (ABAD) model applied to the Bow River Basin in Alberta, Canada - home  to extensive irrigated farmlands with a history of drought experience. We perform a time dependent variance-based GSA on the ABAD model to examine the direct impact of factors as well as their joint influence due to interactions on rebound phenomenon. The overall findings show that the economic factors are the most important elements, which has an upward trend in the simulation time, in the rebound phenomenon. This finding is supported by the local observation as the net income of irrigated land has an upward trend in this time period. In addition, although the individual effect of the factor representing the social interaction among farmers is less important compared to the irrigation expansion factor, its total-order effect (i.e., the total contribution of a single factor including interactions with all other factors) becomes more important indicating the significant interactions among model factors. This analysis provides a deeper understanding of the coevolutionary dynamics of the rebound phenomenon and paves the way for better management of water resources.</p>

Methodological proposal for conceptualization and classification of interactions between groundwater and surface water

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-642
Author(s):  
Bruno J. Ballesteros-Navarro ◽  
Elisabeth Díaz-Losada ◽  
José A. Domínguez-Sánchez ◽  
Juan Grima-Olmedo
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Systematic Classification ◽  
Conditioning Factors ◽  
Management Plans

Abstract Water management plans require comprehensive knowledge of physical processes and principles controlling water resources. These mechanisms, subject to limitations, can interact in complex ways, which makes it challenging to design guidelines to achieve optimum water resources use, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. The relationship between rivers and aquifers defines different forms of interaction between superficial water and groundwater. These processes have great relevance in inland water management and protection against pollution, as well as dependent ecosystems. Under the current legislative framework in Europe, i.e., the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) and the Groundwater Directive 2006/118/EC, calculation of flow direction and exchange rates between groundwater bodies and associated surface systems are key aspects of river basin management plans. This paper examines conditioning factors of exchange processes, related basic physical principles, and criteria for establishing different conceptual models, providing a typology for systematic classification of groundwater–surface water interactions.

An Agent Based Hydro Informatics Approach for the Engagement of Farmers in Irrigation Water Management in Saudi Arabia

2016 ◽  
pp. 404-423
Author(s):  
Tagelsir Mohamed Gasmelseid
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Software Agents ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Government

The use of software agent systems and technologies to simulate water resources management scenarios and improve the engagement of stakeholders in policy making is gaining paramount importance. Such importance originates from two main concerns or change agents. Firstly, the context of water management is becoming highly complicated due to the intensity of connections with other systems, the diversity of stakeholders and the multiplicity (and sometime conflicting) objectives of decision partners. Moreover, the domain used for capitalizing on water management issues is becoming planetary (as it is the case of shared basins) rather than being local (watershed, watercourse, scheme, etc.). As a result, the concern is not limited to the optimization of the utility matrix of stakeholders but additional attention is required to incorporate many emerging issues such as the maintenance of financial sustainability, functional mainstreaming and improving engagement to promote reconciliation and change of water use behaviors. Secondly, the recent technological developments have improved the processing capacity of hardware, software functionalities and the accessibility of telecommunication platforms. Such developments have been reflected in the improvement of the capacities of decision makers to address complex problem domains. Software agents' technologies possess the qualities that make them useful for the provision of decision support in water management domains. As it is the case of irrigated agriculture, software agents' technology can be used for the design of farm surface irrigation systems, the improvement of irrigation systems management and the enhancement of the involvement of farmers in the processes of integrated water management. This paper is concerned with the use of agent based systems to facilitate the engagement of farmers in Al Ahsaa area in the management of water resources. The government of the Kingdom is adopting a demand management approach for the management of irrigation water by discouraging the cultivation of water-consuming crops such as wheat and dates. Improving the ability of farmers to analyze alternative cropping patterns significantly affects their water use behavior.

A Multi-Objective Decision-Making Model for Water Demand Management Based on ET Indicator

2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 2955-2962
Author(s):  
Fan Lu ◽  
Ming Na Wang ◽  
Dong Dong Zhang ◽  
Zhi Guo Gan ◽  
Bai Sha Weng
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Water Demand Management ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Economy System

This paper aims at comprehensively considering the mutual coupling between available water resources and water consumption in (i) a regional social economy system; (ii) a macro-economy system; and (iii) an ecological environmental system. The main focus is to investigate the impact of controlling the total amount of ET and to be able to utilize water resources efficiently. An analytic model for multi-objective decision making of water demand management based on ET indicator is developed in order to research the strategies and corresponding water demand schemes that are relevant to future objectives for economic development, agricultural development, ET regulation and control, water engineering investment, and water environment management of Beijing. Various scenarios examined in the study indicate the validity of the proposed method in analyzing water demand administrative decisions.

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