scholarly journals Sustainable Water Use Practices: Understanding and Awareness of Masters Level Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10499
Author(s):  
Dexter V. L. Hunt ◽  
Zeerak Shahab
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
User Behavior ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Water Use Practices

Present water consumption in the UK is unsustainable, with increasing societal and environmental pressures driving water stress. Personal use of water is a significant contributor to water demand and considering the number of universities and students in the UK the water use practices therein cannot be ignored. Therefore, this paper aims to deepen the theme of water consumption in the United Kingdom from the point of view of use practices for students. The originality in this research lies in better understanding whether UK Masters level students have a basic awareness of personal water consumption and water pricing and whether they have a preferred approach to reducing their water consumption—through a behavioral change, or through adoption of technologies. Through use of a questionnaire approach applied to five cohorts (2017 to 2021) of Masters level students, the level of understanding and awareness towards their own domestic water use both now and in the future was demonstrated. Key findings suggest that Masters students underestimated their water use by 76% compared to the average UK national range and that there was an overall preference to adopt water saving technologies rather than changing user behavior (40% vs. 27%). The study concludes that it is important to approach water conservation from an SPT perspective in order to achieve meaningful change in water use practices. Qualitative and quantitative research is analyzed in light of theoretical models (i.e., Social Practice and Attitude Behavior Framework ABC) in order to make recommendations for greater societal prominence for this issue through media and education.

scholarly journals Water Use Behavior in a Multicultural Urban Area in Sweden

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8603
Author(s):  
Atefeh Dadvar ◽  
Krushna Mahapatra ◽  
Jörgen Forss
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
User Behavior ◽  
World Population ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Individual Measurement ◽  
Visualization System ◽  
Use Behavior

The increasing world population and climate change are major concerns for the supply of water needs. Understanding user behavior facilitates the development of effective strategies of domestic water management. This research applied a questionnaire survey and data analysis methods to analyze the water consumption behavior of tenants in a multicultural urban area, dominated by immigrants of different ethnic origins, in the city of Växjö in Sweden. Results showed that the majority of the studied participants perceived themselves to be environmentally friendly. They reported to be engaged in water conservation activities quite often, but analysis showed that they did not have accurate perceptions of their water consumption. Positive attitudes towards water conservation and self-reported water conservation activities significantly but negatively influenced respondents’ actual water consumption, i.e., water consumption was higher. Subjective norms did not have a significant influence. The results also revealed that individual measurement and debit positively influenced, i.e., reduced, actual water consumption. Therefore, water management systems should include an individual measurement and debit system combined with a visualization system to enable tenants to monitor the quantity and cost of their water consumption.

Household water use: a Portuguese field study

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 193-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Vieira ◽  
M. do C. Almeida ◽  
J.M. Baptista ◽  
R. Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Definition Of

Household water use structure can vary significantly depending on several factors like personal habits, socio-economic, cultural and climatic conditions. In the absence of Portuguese data on domestic water consumption, a field study was carried out in order to obtain information that could help support the definition of water conservation measures within the scope of the Portuguese National Program for the Efficient Use of Water. The paper describes the methodology and results obtained in this study, which involved approximately 100 participants that made a characterization of their appliances and detailed recordings of all water uses. Results allowed for the determination of average values of usage duration and frequency for each appliance, total volume consumed per water appliance and per capita water consumption. In terms of consumption structure, it was found that showering and bathing were the main components (36±13%) followed by taps (29±10%) and toilet flushing (21±7%).

scholarly journals Analysis and Comprehensive Evaluation of Water Use Efficiency in China

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenge Zhang ◽  
Xianzeng Du ◽  
Anqi Huang ◽  
Huijuan Yin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Projection Direction ◽  
Domestic Water Consumption ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Per Capita

Proper water use requires its monitoring and evaluation. An indexes system of overall water use efficiency is constructed here that covers water consumption per 10,000 yuan GDP, the coefficient of effective utilization of irrigation water, the water consumption per 10,000 yuan of industrial value added, domestic water consumption per capita of residents, and the proportion of water function zone in key rivers and lakes complying with water-quality standards and is applied to 31 provinces in China. Efficiency is first evaluated by a projection pursuit cluster model. Multidimensional efficiency data are transformed into a low-dimensional subspace, and the accelerating genetic algorithm then optimizes the projection direction, which determines the overall efficiency index. The index reveals great variety in regional water use, with Tianjin, Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong showing highest efficiency. Shanxi, Liaoning, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Henan, Shanxi, and Gansu also use water with high efficiency. Medium efficiency occurs in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Hainan, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Low efficiency is found for Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. Tibet is the least efficient. The optimal projection direction is a* = (0.3533, 0.7014, 0.4538, 0.3315, 0.1217), and the degree of influence of agricultural irrigation efficiency, water consumption per industrial profit, water used per gross domestic product (GDP), domestic water consumption per capita of residents, and environmental water quality on the result has decreased in turn. This may aid decision making to improve overall water use efficiency across China.

scholarly journals Can Water Rights Trading Scheme Promote Regional Water Conservation in China? Evidence from a Time-Varying DID Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Fang ◽  
Fengping Wu
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Trading Scheme ◽  
Regional Water

Using the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 1998 to 2017, we adopt a time-varying difference-in-differences (time-varying DID) model to estimate the impact of water rights trading scheme on regional water consumption. The results show that water rights trading can significantly promote water conservation in the pilot regions by 3.1% compared to that in the non-pilot regions, and a series of robustness tests show consistent results. Policy effects are mainly driven by improving water-use efficiency and adjusting water structure; that is, by transferring water resources from the agricultural sector to the other sectors, agricultural water efficiency is improved and water conflict among sectors is alleviated; thus, water saving is achieved. In addition, by constructing two indexes of regional water pressure and tradable water resources, our heterogeneity analysis shows that water rights trading performs better in areas with high water pressure and large tradable water resources. Under the high pressure of large water use and low water endowment, water rights trading will evidently reduce water consumption more so than in the low-pressure regions, and with water rights trading, it is hard to achieve a policy effect in regions without sufficient tradable water resources. This paper provides important policy implications for China for further promoting the water rights trading scheme in the field of resource conservation.

How Trust and Risk Perception Affect Household Water Use

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Yu Wang ◽  
Xiaofeng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Household Water

Household water use accounts for an important portion of water consumption. Notably, different households may behave differently regarding how water is used in everyday life. Trust and risk perception are two significant psychological factors that influence water use behavior in households. Since trust and risk perception are malleable and subject to construction, they are useful for developing effective demand management strategies and water conservation policies. The concepts of trust and risk perception are multidimensional and interconnected. Risk perception varies across social groups and is often shaped by subjective feelings toward a variety of activities, events, and technologies. Risk perception is also mediated by trust, which involves a positive expectation of an individual, an organization, and/or an institution that derives from complex processes, characteristics, and competence. Likewise, different social groups’ trust in various entities involved in household water use is subject to the significant and far-reaching impact of risk perception. The complexity of the two notions poses challenges to the measurement and exploration of their effects on household water use. In many cases, risk perception and trust can influence people’s acceptance of water sources (e.g., tap water, bottled water, recycled water, and desalinated water) and their conservation behavior (e.g., installing water-saving technologies and reducing water consumption) in household water use. Trust can affect household water use indirectly through its influence on risk perception. Moreover, trust and risk perception in household water use are neither given nor fixed; rather, they are dynamically determined by external, internal, and informational factors. A coherent, stable, transparent, and fair social and institutional structure is conducive to building trust. However, trust and risk perception differ among groups with diverse household and/or individual demographic, economic, social, and cultural characteristics. Direct information from personal experiences and, more importantly, indirect information from one’s social network, as well as from mass media and social media, play an increasingly important role in the formation and evolution of trust and risk perception, bringing a profound impact on household water use in an era of information. Future directions lie in new dynamics of risk perception and trust in the era of information explosion, the coevolution mechanism of risk perception and trust in household water use, the nuanced impacts of different types of risks (e.g., controllable and uncontrollable) on household water use, and the interactive relations of risk perception and trust across geographical contexts.

Study on Domestic Water Price and Water Saving Consciousness in Beibei District, Chongqing

2013 ◽  
Vol 448-453 ◽  
pp. 1015-1018
Author(s):  
Jun Ying Jin ◽  
Lu Yang ◽  
Wei Hua Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Water Price ◽  
Water Resource Development ◽  
Monthly Income ◽  
Social Investigation ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Maximum Water

Water price is a better economic lever which may keep suitable water resource development. This study mainly focused on domestic water use and water-saving consciousness from the view of local residents and students through social investigation in Beibei district, Chongqing, and discussed the maximum water price accepted by people through analysis the ratio of monthly water consumption to monthly income, meanwhile, the awareness of saving water was analyzed. The results show that the maximum water price afforded by the residents is 0.56US$/m3.

scholarly journals Modifications for water management guidance based on an assessment of swimming pool water consumption of an operational facility in the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 965-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lowell Lewis ◽  
John Chew ◽  
Iain Woodley ◽  
Jeni Colbourne ◽  
Katherine Pond
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Swimming Pool ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Consumption Data ◽  
Management Guidance ◽  
Swimming Pool Water ◽  
The Uk

Water use is a significant operational cost factor for large swimming pool facilities, however it has been overshadowed by the recent focus on energy consumption and carbon emissions. Currently, it is difficult for operators to make decisions in relation to water efficiency due to the lack of information about the relationship between pool operation and water use. This study has started to address this issue by reviewing water use at a fully operational facility. The analysis of the consumption data has led to a proposal for a new water performance indicator, the water exchange deficit. Modifications to the method of estimating water consumption have also been proposed to enable enhanced water management guidance to be developed.

scholarly journals Persistent Droughts and Water Scarcity: Households’ Perceptions and Practices in Makhanda, South Africa

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
Avela Pamla ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Sheunesu Ruwanza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Household Surveys ◽  
Municipal Planning ◽  
Municipal Authority ◽  
Water Use Practices

Households in many cities worldwide consume substantial amounts of water, but increasing aridity will result in serious water supply challenges in the future. In South Africa, droughts are now a common phenomenon, with severe implications on water supply for urban households. Developing interventions to minimise the impacts of drought requires understanding of users’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use practices, and participation in water conservation practices. Using household surveys across different income groups (low, medium, and high) in Makhanda, South Africa, this study investigates households’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use, and conservation practices as a basis for designing pathways for sustainable water use practices. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of households were aware of water scarcity and attributed it to poor municipal planning rather than drought and wasteful use practices. Households reported good water use behaviour, but wasteful practices (e.g., regular flushing of toilets) were evident. Gender, age, education, and environmental awareness influenced water use practices, but the relationships were generally weak. Households participated in water conservation measures but felt the local municipal authority lagged in addressing water supply challenges. The implications of the study are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document