scholarly journals Potentials and limits of urban rainwater harvesting in the Middle East

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 10369-10396 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lange ◽  
S. Husary ◽  
A. Gunkel ◽  
D. Bastian ◽  
T. Grodek
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Palestinian Authority ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Jordan River Basin ◽  
Regional Estimates

Abstract. In the Middle East, water is scarce and population growth causes a rapid rise of urban centers. Since many towns of the Palestinian Authority (PA) suffer from water shortage, the use of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as an alternative to conventional water supply has gained increasing interest among water resources planners. This study quantifies actual volumes of urban RWH to be expected from highly variable Mediterranean rainfall. A one-parameter model uses measured potential evaporation and high resolution rainfall data as input to calculate RWH volumes from rooftops inside Ramallah, a traditional Arab town. While during average seasons a 87% runoff harvest (480 from 550 mm of rainfall) can be expected, this value decreases to about 75% (190 from 250 mm of rainfall) during drought seasons. A survey comprising more than 500 questionnaires suggests that approximately 40% of the houses are equipped with RWH systems from which one third are out of use. Although water quality is perceived to be favourable, only 3% of the active RWH systems are actually used for drinking and only 18% for domestic purposes. All active RWH systems investigated may harvest approximately 16 × 103 m3 of rooftop runoff during an average season and 6 × 103 m3 during droughts. When these numbers are extrapolated to all houses in Ramallah, theoretical maximum potentials increase to approximately 298 × 103 m3 during average seasons and 118 × 103 m3 during droughts. A part of this potential can easily be exhausted by rehabilitation of installed RWH systems. Also, the use of collected water for drinking should be advocated. This should go along with regular checks of water quality and regulations concerning adequate water storage and treatment/disinfection procedures where necessary. Regional estimates for the entire Lower Jordan River Basin yielded RWH potentials of 20 × 106 m3 during the average season 2002/2003 but only 3 × 106 m3 during the drought season 1998/1999. Thus, urban RWH is a relatively small contribution to overcome water scarcity in the region and decreases significantly during droughts. Yet it is a sustainable water resource, which is available on spot for everybody. Due to population growth and ongoing urbanization it will be more important in future.

scholarly journals Potentials and limits of urban rainwater harvesting in the Middle East

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 715-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lange ◽  
S. Husary ◽  
A. Gunkel ◽  
D. Bastian ◽  
T. Grodek
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Palestinian Authority ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Regional Estimates ◽  
Emergency Water Supply

Abstract. In the Middle East, water is scarce and population growth causes a rapid rise of urban centers. Since many towns of the Palestinian Authority (PA) suffer from water shortage, the use of rainwater harvesting (RWH) as an alternative to conventional water supply has gained increasing interest among water resources planners. This study quantifies actual volumes of urban RWH to be expected from highly variable Mediterranean rainfall. A one-parameter model uses measured potential evaporation and high resolution rainfall data as input to calculate RWH volumes from rooftops inside Ramallah, a traditional Arab town. While during average seasons a 87% runoff harvest (480 from 550 mm of rainfall) can be expected, this value decreases to about 75% (190 from 250 mm of rainfall) during drought seasons. A survey comprising more than 500 questionnaires suggests that approximately 40% of the houses are equipped with RWH systems from which one third are out of use. Although water quality is perceived to be favourable, only 3% of the active RWH systems are actually used for drinking and only 18% for domestic purposes. All active RWH systems investigated may harvest approximately 16 × 103 m3 of rooftop runoff during an average season and 6 × 103 m3 during droughts. When these numbers are extrapolated to all houses in Ramallah, theoretical maximum potentials increase to approximately 298 × 103 m3 during average seasons and 118 × 103 m3 during droughts. A part of this potential can easily be exhausted by rehabilitation of installed RWH systems. The use of RWH for emergency water supply should be advocated, although care is needed because of hygienic risks. Regional estimates for the entire Lower Jordan River Basin yielded RWH potentials of 20 × 106 m3 during the average season 2002/2003 but only 3 × 106 m3 during the drought season 1998/1999. Thus, urban RWH is a relatively small contribution to overcome water scarcity in the region and decreases significantly during droughts. Yet it is a sustainable water resource, which is available on spot for everybody. Due to population growth and ongoing urbanization it will be more important in future.

scholarly journals Review on Main Issues Causing Deterioration of Water Quality and Water Scarcity: Case Study of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Kapuku Bwapwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Waste Discharge ◽  
Water Quality Deterioration ◽  
Growing Population

Water shortage in South Africa is a mixture of many factors: limited and highly polluted watercourses, low rainfall, fast growing population and high evaporation rates. Many studies on watercourses have shown a decline on quality due to the ongoing pollution caused by urbanization, mining, industry, power generation, afforestation and agriculture. Given the current forecasts based on population growth versus the country’s limited water resources, it is unlikely to keep existing patterns regarding the use of water and the discharge of wastes. Predictions are also indicating that pollutants will continue to accumulate in freshwater resources independently of the population growth in South Africa. Issues associated with water quality can turn out to be worsened with environmental devastating consequences. For instance, in the agricultural sector it may lead to a drop in yields and quality for fruits and crops followed by soil contamination. It can harmfully affect the population and aquatic health. Furthermore, water quality deterioration can affect the costs related to purification processes resulting in an increased price of clean water. Human induced activities causing salinization, eutrophication, acidification, presence of pathogens in watercourses, inappropriate waste discharge practices and sewage spills are major causes influencing or deteriorating water quality in South Africa. 

scholarly journals Assessment of rainwater harvesting for domestic water supply in palestinian rural areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 06012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidal Mahmoud ◽  
William Hogland ◽  
Michael Sokolov ◽  
Vasily Rud ◽  
Nikita Myazin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Domestic Water Supply

Rainwater harvesting in Palestine is a principal water resource that had been adopted since ancient times. However, the system had not been subjected to a thorough assessment. This paper aims at assessing the feasibility of rainwater harvesting for domestic water supply in Palestinian rural areas with special emphasis on socio-cultural and financial aspects as well as harvested water quality. Different methods were used to collect necessary data from a case study village, including literature review, observations, questionnaires and water quality measurement of freshly fallen and harvested rainwater samples. Moreover, domestic water demand and water supply from such a system were compared, and economic feasibility of applying this system was checked. The results revealed that harvested rainwater is a viable resource that can contribute considerably to minimizing water shortage.

PENGARUH PERUBAHAN JUMLAH PENDUDUK TERHADAP KUALITAS AIR DI INDONESIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-215
Author(s):  
Nur Afiyah Maizunati ◽  
Mohamad Zaenal Arifin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Water Quality Index ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Growth Control ◽  
Fixed Effect Model ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Effect Model ◽  
The Social

Ongoing population growth and urbanization can cause pressure on water systems, especially in urban areas. Several previous studies have found evidence of an influence between population and water quality. However, the phenomenon in Indonesia is slightly different, because although population growth has decreased trend, but the acquisition of water quality index still fluctuate in several years. This study aims to determine the significance influence of population on water quality in Indonesia. Data analysis is done through regression of panel data of 33 provinces with fixed effect model, The results showed that the population has a negative influence on water quality in Indonesia. An increase on population by 1,000 people tends to lower the water quality index by an average of 1.13 points (cateris paribus). Population growth control becomes absolute and priority in Indonesia. However, these efforts need to be accompanied by continuous improvement of competence and welfare, so that the social awareness and economic capacity of each population are increased in order to achieve a better maintenance on the quality of the environment.

scholarly journals Comparing Wetland Ecosystems Service Provision under Different Management Approaches: Two Cases Study of Tianfu Wetland and Nansha Wetland in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8710
Author(s):  
Yuchao Zhang ◽  
Steven Loiselle ◽  
Yimo Zhang ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Xia Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Wetland Management ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Fundamental Information ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Study Sites

The largest blue-green infrastructures in industrialized, urbanized and developed regions in China are often multiuse wetlands, located just outside growing urban centers. These areas have multiple development pressures while providing environmental, economic, and social benefits to the local and regional populations. Given the limited information available about the tradeoffs in ecosystem services with respect to competing wetland uses, wetland managers and provincial decision makers face challenges in regulating the use of these important landscapes. In the present study, measurements made by citizen scientists were used to support a comparative study of water quality and wetland functions in two large multiuse wetlands, comparing areas of natural wetland vegetation, tourism-based wetland management and wetland agriculture. The study sites, the Nansha and Tianfu wetlands, are located in two of the most urbanized areas of China: the lower Yangtze River and Pearl River catchments, respectively. Our results indicated that the capacity of wetlands to mitigate water quality is closely related to the quality of the surrounding waters and hydrological conditions. Agricultural areas in both wetlands provided the lowest sediment and nutrient retention. The results show that the delivery of supporting ecosystem services is strongly influenced by the location and use of the wetland. Furthermore, we show that citizen scientist-acquired data can provide fundamental information on quantifying these ecosystem services, providing needed information to wetland park managers and provincial wetland administrators.

scholarly journals Reduction of Microbial Contamination in Drinking Water using Flocculant Settling

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 34-37
Author(s):  
Arshad Ali ◽  
Hashim Nissar Hasim ◽  
Ashfaq Ahmad ◽  
Intikhab Ahmad Qureashi
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Microbial Contamination ◽  
Industrial Effluent ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Treatment Technique ◽  
Reliable Technique ◽  
Energy And Environment ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment

Pakistan is subjected to rapid water shortage due to different social and environmental problems. Moreover, the drinking water is being contaminated at an alarming rate that is mostly due to the discharge of untreated domestic and industrial effluent and agricultural run-off. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the water quality problems of the subject area and to determine a cost effective treatment technique. The main objective was to determine the removal efficiency of microbial contamination using flocculant settling. The main pollutants identified by conducting water quality tests are arsenic, fluoride, nitrates and microbial contamination. The maximum concentration of arsenic, fluoride, nitrates and microbial contamination were observed as 12ppb, 2.2mg/L, 26mg/L and 84 colonies/100mL, respectively. During discrete settling tests performed in a 12cft column, it was noticed that the removal of microbial contamination corresponding to a detention time of 225min is 26.7% only. While working on different coagulants, it was observed that the optimum alum, lime and magnesium dosage for the removal of microbial contamination is 31.5mg/L, 10.5mg/L and 27mg/L respectively. The final results of the study suggest that the use of lime as a coagulant to improve the quality of water in terms of microbial contamination is an effective and reliable technique, both in terms of its treatability performance and cost-effectiveness, which was noticed to be 77.7%.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v8i0.4909Hydro Nepal: Journal of Water, Energy and Environment Issue No. 8, 2011 JanuaryPage: 34-37Uploaded date: 17 June, 2011

scholarly journals The Impact of Urbanization on Water Quality: Case Study on the Alto Atoyac Basin in Puebla, Mexico

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Andrés Estrada-Rivera ◽  
Alfonso Díaz Fonseca ◽  
Samuel Treviño Mora ◽  
Wendy Argelia García Suastegui ◽  
Edith Chávez Bravo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Population growth, poorly planned industrial development and uncontrolled production processes have left a significant footprint of environmental deterioration in the Alto Atoyac watershed. In this study, we propose using the integrated pollution index (PI) to characterize the temporary variations in surface water quality during the rapid urbanization process in the municipalities of San Martín Texmelucán (SMT) and Tepetitla de Lardizabal (TL), in the states of Puebla and Tlaxcala, between 1985 and 2020. We assessed the correlation between the population growth rate and the water quality parameters according to the Water Quality Index (ICA). The contribution of each polluting substance to the PI was determined. The industry database was created and the increase in population and industry, and their densities, were estimated. The results indicated that the temporal pattern of surface water quality is determined by the level of urbanization. The water integrated pollution index (WPI) increased with the passage of time in all the localities: SLG 0.0 to 25.0; SMTL 25.0 to 29.0; SRT 4.0 to 29.0; VA 6.0 to 30.0; T 3.5 to 24.0 and SMA 4.0 to 27.0 from 2010 to 2020, respectively. The correlation coefficients between the five parameters (BOD5, COD, CF, TU and TSS) in the six localities were positive with the population. The values that showed a higher correlation with the population were: SLG (FC 0.86), SMTL (BOD5 0.61, COD 0.89, TSS 0.64) and SRT (TU 0.83), corresponding to highly polluted localities, which generates complex and severe environmental implications due to the unsustainable management of water resources. Achieving the sustainability of water in the watershed is a challenge that should be shared between society and state. This type of research can be a useful tool in making environmental management decisions.

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