scholarly journals The Impact of Metal Mining on Global Water Stress and Regional Carrying Capacities—A GIS-Based Water Impact Assessment

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Simon Meißner
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Metal Mining ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Available Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regional Water

The consumption of freshwater in mining accounts for only a small proportion of the total water use at global and even national scales. However, at regional and local scales, mining may result in significant impacts on freshwater resources, particularly when water consumption surpasses the carrying capacities defined by the amount of available water and also considering environmental water requirements. By applying a geographic information system (GIS), a comprehensive water footprint accounting and water scarcity assessment of bauxite, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, uranium and zinc as well as gold, palladium, platinum and silver was conducted to quantify the influence of mining and refining of metal production on regional water availability and water stress. The observation includes the water consumption and impacts on water stress of almost 2800 mining operations at different production stages, e.g., preprocessed ore, concentrate and refined metal. Based on a brief study of mining activities in 147 major river basins, it can be indicated that mining’s contribution to regional water stress varies significantly in each basin. While in most regions mining predominantly results in very low water stress, not surpassing 0.1% of the basins’ available water, there are also exceptional cases where the natural water availability is completely exceeded by the freshwater consumption of the mining sector during the entire year. Thus, this GIS-based approach provides precise information to deepen the understanding of the global mining industry’s influence on regional carrying capacities and water stress.

scholarly journals How downstream sub-basins depend on upstream inflows to avoid scarcity: typology and global analysis of transboundary rivers

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2795-2809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafsa Ahmed Munia ◽  
Joseph H. A. Guillaume ◽  
Naho Mirumachi ◽  
Yoshihide Wada ◽  
Matti Kummu
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Available Water

Abstract. Countries sharing river basins are often dependent upon water originating outside their boundaries; meaning that without that upstream water, water scarcity may occur with flow-on implications for water use and management. We develop a formalisation of this concept drawing on ideas about the transition between regimes from resilience literature, using water stress and water shortage as indicators of water scarcity. In our analytical framework, dependency occurs if water from upstream is needed to avoid scarcity. This can be diagnosed by comparing different types of water availability on which a sub-basin relies, in particular local runoff and upstream inflows. At the same time, possible upstream water withdrawals reduce available water downstream, influencing the latter water availability. By developing a framework of scarcity and dependency, we contribute to the understanding of transitions between system regimes. We apply our analytical framework to global transboundary river basins at the scale of sub-basin areas (SBAs). Our results show that 1175 million people live under water stress (42 % of the total transboundary population). Surprisingly, the majority (1150 million) of these currently suffer from stress only due to their own excessive water use and possible water from upstream does not have impact on the stress status – i.e. they are not yet dependent on upstream water to avoid stress – but could still impact on the intensity of the stress. At the same time, 386 million people (14 %) live in SBAs that can avoid stress owing to available water from upstream and have thus upstream dependency. In the case of water shortage, 306 million people (11 %) live in SBAs dependent on upstream water to avoid possible shortage. The identification of transitions between system regimes sheds light on how SBAs may be affected in the future, potentially contributing to further refined analysis of inter- and intrabasin hydro-political power relations and strategic planning of management practices in transboundary basins.

scholarly journals Water Footprint Assessment and Water-Energy-Food Nexus for Domestic and Institutional Sectors in Klang Valley, Malaysia: a Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.35) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
Nurul Azmah Safie ◽  
M.A. Malek ◽  
Z. Z. Noor
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Green Water ◽  
World Population ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Reliable Technique ◽  
Klang Valley

Change in climate, increasing world population and industrialization have placed considerable stress on water availability at certain places. Water Footprint accounting is a reliable technique that can be used for a better water management. This study focuses on establishing a doable methodology on water footprint accounting and assessment for direct water consumption from domestic and institutional sectors located in an urbanized environment such as Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur. It includes investigation of Water Footprint at domestic household, schools, colleges, terminals and offices in Klang Valley. The value of water consumption, water production and water pollution will be determined using Hoekstra’s approach for green water, blue water and grey water. In addition, findings from this study will be linked to two other elements namely energy and food. This link is named as Water-Energy-Food Nexus. This study will establish the quantity and criteria of Water-Energy-Food Nexus specifically tailored to domestic and institutional sectors in Klang Valley.

scholarly journals Water consumption from hydropower plants – review of published estimates and an assessment of the concept

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3983-4000 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. Bakken ◽  
Å. Killingtveit ◽  
K. Engeland ◽  
K. Alfredsen ◽  
A. Harby
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Calculation Method ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Power Production ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
Hydropower Plants ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Since the report from IPCC on renewable energy (IPCC, 2012) was published; more studies on water consumption from hydropower have become available. The newly published studies do not, however, contribute to a more consistent picture on what the "true" water consumption from hydropower plants is. The dominant calculation method is the gross evaporation from the reservoirs divided by the annual power production, which appears to be an over-simplistic calculation method that possibly produces a biased picture of the water consumption of hydropower plants. This review paper shows that the water footprint of hydropower is used synonymously with water consumption, based on gross evaporation rates. This paper also documents and discusses several methodological problems when applying this simplified approach (gross evaporation divided by annual power production) for the estimation of water consumption from hydropower projects. A number of short-comings are identified, including the lack of clarity regarding the setting of proper system boundaries in space and time. The methodology of attributing the water losses to the various uses in multi-purpose reservoirs is not developed. Furthermore, a correct and fair methodology for handling water consumption in reservoirs based on natural lakes is needed, as it appears meaningless that all the evaporation losses from a close-to-natural lake should be attributed to the hydropower production. It also appears problematic that the concept is not related to the impact the water consumption will have on the local water resources, as high water consumption values might not be problematic per se. Finally, it appears to be a paradox that a reservoir might be accorded a very high water consumption/footprint and still be the most feasible measure to improve the availability of water in a region. We argue that reservoirs are not always the problem; rather they may contribute to the solution of the problems of water scarcity. The authors consider that an improved conceptual framework is needed in order to calculate the water footprint from hydropower projects in a more reasonable way.

scholarly journals The effects of country-level population policy for enhancing adaptation to climate change

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4429-4440 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. K. Gunasekara ◽  
S. Kazama ◽  
D. Yamazaki ◽  
T. Oki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Population Policy ◽  
High Water ◽  
Policy Scenario ◽  
Fertility Reduction ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Population Reduction ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The effectiveness of population policy in reducing the combined impacts of population change and climate change on water resources is explored. One no-policy scenario and two scenarios with population policy assumptions are employed in combination with water availability under the SRES scenarios A1b, B1 and A2 for the impact analysis. The population data used are from the World Bank. The river discharges per grid of horizontal resolution 0.5° are obtained from the Total Runoff Integrating Pathways (TRIP) of the University of Tokyo, Japan. Unlike the population scenarios utilized in the SRES emission scenarios and the newest representative concentration pathways, the scenarios employed in this research are based, even after 2050, on country-level rather than regional-level growth assumptions. Our analysis implies that the heterogeneous pattern of population changes across the world is the dominant driver of water stress, irrespective of future greenhouse gas emissions, with highest impacts occurring in the already water-stressed low latitudes. In 2100, Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia are under extreme water stress under all scenarios. The sensitivity analysis reveals that a small reduction in populations over the region could relieve a large number of people from high water stress, while a further increase in population from the assumed levels (SC1) might not increase the number of people under high water stress considerably. Most of the population increase towards 2100 occurs in the already water-stressed lower latitudes. Therefore, population reduction policies are recommended for this region as a method of adaptation to the future water stress conditions. Population reduction policies will facilitate more control over their future development pathways, even if these countries were not able to contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts due to economic constraints. However, for the European region, the population living in water-stressed regions is almost 20 times lower than that in the lower latitudes. For countries with high population momentum, the population policy scenario with fertility-reduction assumptions gained a maximum of 6.1 times the water availability in Niger and 5.3 times that in Uganda compared with the no-policy scenario. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries represent 24.5% of the global population in the no-policy scenario, and the scenario with fertility-reduction assumptions reduces it to 8.7% by 2100. This scenario is also effective in reducing the area under extreme water stress in these countries. However, the policy scenario with assumptions of population stabilization at the replacement fertility rate increases the water stress in high-latitude countries. Nevertheless, the impact is low due to the high per capita water availability in the region. This research is expected to widen the understanding of the combined impacts of climate change in the future and of the strategies needed to enhance the space for adaptation.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of Water Resources in Beijing

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1999
Author(s):  
Haijiao Yu ◽  
Zihan Yang ◽  
Bo Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Water System ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Entropy Method ◽  
Water Resource System ◽  
Regional Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Regional Water

A sustainability assessment of water resources is essential for maintaining regional sustainable development. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of changes in the sustainability of the water resource system in Beijing from 2008 to 2018 was conducted on the basis of the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. To reflect the impacts of humans on the water consumption and pollution of water resources, the water footprint was considered. In addition, key factors that affect the sustainability of water resources were filtered by the modified entropy method. The results indicated that all drivers, pressures, states, impacts, and responses demonstrated increasing tendencies. As a result, a remarkable improvement in the sustainability of the water system, which was mitigated from an alert state to a good state, was achieved due to the comprehensive effect of the indexes. From these results, we inferred that the sustainability of regional water resources could only be achieved through a comprehensive consideration of regional social, economic, and environmental water systems and climate change. Therefore, formulating medium- and long-term urban, economic, and water development plans and adjusting medium- and short-term water utilization programs could contribute to the sustainable utilization of regional water resources.

The sustainable industrial water cycle - a review of the economics and approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Andrews ◽  
P. Berardo ◽  
D. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Industrial Water ◽  
The Impact

Studies suggest that only 31% of Europe is thought to have a water supply that is either plentiful or sufficient to meet demands until 2015, and water stress indexes show a number of countries with traditionally wet climates such as Belgium and Bulgaria, under significant water stress. Therefore, there is both a desire and a need to reduce the consumption of water over much of Europe. For industry, often economics determine the viability of water recycling, which does not necessarily fall under the standards currently being set for the major water reuse schemes. While the additional annual recycling capacity in Western Europe is set to increase by 10%, much of the Global market is focussed on major reuse facilities based on the municipal sector. Within the industrial sector there are opportunities to achieve major changes in the water cycle which can have a significant impact on total water consumption. The impact on regional water consumption by industries efforts can be massive, as industry accounts for 50% of the water consumption in Western Europe. When benchmarked data across industry sectors is analysed, we find that industries ranging from paper mills, dairy, beverage, ceramic and electronics have opportunities to reduce their water consumption by around 50%. But what are the mechanisms that drive actions in the industry water cycle, and how great can the impact be? This paper explores industrial water costs across Europe, and the drivers leading to reduced water consumption. As operators of water and wastewater facilities for many industrial customers across Europe, Ondeo Industrial Solutions examine the raw water costs and the viability of recycle schemes. Economics is not the only driver towards the reduction in water consumption on industrial sites. There are political and legislative drivers that can often override the economics such as the European PPC (Pollution Prevention and Control) directive that can often lead to a programme of water consumption reductions.

scholarly journals A Multi-Reservoir Study of the Impact of Uncertainty in Pool Evaporation Estimates on Water-Availability Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Phillips ◽  
Nigel Kaye ◽  
John Saylor
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Return Period ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Savannah River ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
The Impact

Quantifying evaporative loss from reservoirs plays a critical role in sound water-availability management plans and in reservoir management. Various methods are used to quantify reservoir evaporation; however, each method carries a degree of uncertainty that propagates to model predictions of available water within a reservoir or a reservoir network. Herein, we explore the impact of uncertainty in reservoir evaporation on model outputs of historical and future water availability throughout the five major reservoirs in the Savannah River Basin in South Carolina, USA, using four different evaporation methods. Variability in the total available water is evaluated using the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 2006 Drought Contingency Plan hydrologic model of the Savannah River Basin, which incorporates recent water-management plans and reservoir controls. Results indicate that, during droughts, reservoir evaporation plays a large role in water-availability predictions, and uncertainty in evaporative losses produces significant uncertainty in modeled water availability for extreme events. For example, the return period for an event in which the availability of water in Lake Hartwell was reduced to 50% of full pool capacity varied from 38.2 years to 53.4 years, depending on the choice of evaporation parameterization. This is a variation of 40% in the return period, depending on the choice of evaporation method.

scholarly journals Virtual nitrogen and phosphorus flow associated with interprovincial crop trade and its effect on grey water stress in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dandan Ren ◽  
Wenfeng Liu ◽  
Hong Yang ◽  
La Zhuo ◽  
Yindong Tong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Southern China ◽  
National Level ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Grey Water ◽  
P Loss ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The grey water footprint (GWF) is defined as freshwater requirements for diluting pollutants in receiving water bodies. It is widely used to measure the impact of pollutant loads on water resources. GWF can be transferred from one area to another through trade. Although pollution flow has previously been investigated at the national level, there has been no explicit study on the extent to which crop trade affects GWF across regions and the associated changes in grey water stress (GWS). This study analyzes pollution flow associated with interprovincial crop trade based on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loss intensity of three major crops, namely, maize, rice and wheat, which is simulated by a grid-based crop model for the period 2008–2012, and evaluates the spatial patterns of GWS across China. The results indicate that the integrated national GWF for N and P was 1,271 billion m3 yr-1, with maize, rice, and wheat contributing 39%, 37%, and 24%, respectively. Through interprovincial crop trade, southern China outsourced substantial N and P losses to the north, leading to a 30% GWS increase in northern China and 66% GWS mitigation in southern China. Specifically, Jilin, Henan, and Heilongjiang Provinces in the north showed increases in GWS by 161%, 114%, and 55%, respectively, while Fujian, Shanghai, and Zhejiang in the south had GWS reductions of 83%, 85%, and 80%, respectively. It was found that the interprovincial crop trade led to reduced national GWF and GWS. Insights into GWF and GWS can form the basis for policy developments on N and P pollution mitigation across regions in China.

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