Spatio-Temporal Mapping of Water Consumption at Public Institutions: Case of the United Arab Emirates University

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces water scarcity. Yet, the UAE is one of the highest countries in the per capita water consumption. The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is one of the biggest public institutions in the country. On average, the water costs the university annually around two million dirhams. In this study, indoor water consumption at the UAEU is assessed for the period 2016&ndash;2017. Geographic Information System (GIS) is utilized to answer where water is highly consumed within the university (hot spots), when (time), who consume it, why (causes), and how to minimize consumption. It assembles diverse data reside at various departments to gain a better knowledge about the broad patterns of water consumption in the university. The assumption made here is that water consumption is directly proportional to population density and less during winter. The highest water consumption is found at the College of Information Technology (CIT) and this is due to its size and heterogeneity of its activities. The relationship between water consumption and number of students is modeled using least square. The results indicated low correlation between water consumption and number of students. This may be due to the centralized usage of buildings and movement of students between buildings. Temporal variation showed sharp decrease during July of 2016 and 2017 irrespective of the building type/size and this is associated with summer holidays. The hypothesis of activity-driven consumption showed that the highest water consumption is found at residential buildings due to the longer stay time at hostels. The library showed consistent low water consumption. It is interesting to deduce the library usage while investigating water consumption, but it is a lesson that water consumption could be used as a proxy to reveal number of users at buildings. The water consumption at UAEU is benchmarked with other institutes in UAE and abroad. The result from this study identified sites with the highest water consumption and this could be used to adapt water conservation techniques at these sites. A survey was conducted to understand the students’ water consumption behavior, know their willingness to use water conservation methods, and measure their awareness level related to water issues in UAE. The results revealed that half of the respondents are not aware of the water issues. Majority of respondents prefer to drink bottled water than tap water. Majority of respondents are not willing to use grey water or urinals as ways to conserve water due to the lack of knowledge and some physiological reasons. Yet, they are willing to take course designed to teach them how to conserve water and to participate in competitions that reward them for having lower water consumption at hostels.</p>

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Pattern of Water Use at the United Arab Emirates University

Water ◽

10.3390/w11122652 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2652 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. M. Yagoub ◽

Tareefa S. AlSumaiti ◽

Latifa Ebrahim ◽

Yaqein Ahmed ◽

Rauda Abdulla

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

United Arab Emirates ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

The United States ◽

Least Squares Regression ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

United Arab Emirates University ◽

Academic Buildings ◽

Diverse Data

In this study, indoor water use at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was assessed for three years (2016, 2017, and 2018). A geographic information system (GIS) was employed to determine where water use is high within the university, when and why water is used, who uses it, and how to minimize its usage. Diverse data were employed to elucidate the broad patterns of university water use. It was assumed that water use is directly proportional to the number of students and is lower during winter. The relationship between water use and number of students in academic buildings was modeled using least squares regression. The results indicate a low correlation between water use and the number of students, possibly due to the centralized usage of academic buildings and movement of students between them. The hypothesis of activity-driven consumption indicated that most water use occurred in residential buildings (47.5%), averaging 81.7 L per person per day (LPD). This value is lower than the metrics for dormitories in the United States (121 LPD) and Europe (143 LPD). A survey of 412 students revealed that half the respondents were not aware of water issues. Most of them (87%) preferred to drink bottled water and were not willing to use gray water for flushing (56%) or urinals (60%). The findings of this study will improve the understanding of university water use which will facilitate the development of effective water conservation policies and the establishment of such practices among the next generation.

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How Trust and Risk Perception Affect Household Water Use

10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.164 ◽

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.

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Perceptions and Consumption of Bottled Water at the University of the Basque Country: Showcasing Tap Water as the Real Alternative towards a Water-Sustainable University

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10103431 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 3431 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

José Díez ◽

Iñaki Antigüedad ◽

Elena Agirre ◽

Arantza Rico

Keyword(s):

Water Consumption ◽

Tap Water ◽

Basque Country ◽

Bottled Water ◽

Mixed Methods Approach ◽

Water Accessibility ◽

Restaurant Managers ◽

Exploratory Survey ◽

Water Container ◽

The University

This paper examines the beliefs and environmental attitudes of university individuals towards bottled and tap water use and examines tap and bottled water availability and sales volumes at the University of the Basque Country. The research employed a mixed methods approach including (i) an exploratory survey to document environmental beliefs and behaviors towards bottled and tap water; (ii) written questionnaires addressed to faculty administrators to inquire about accessibility to tap water and, (iii) personal interviews with restaurant managers to inquire about sales volumes of bottled water. Respondents to our survey predominately drink tap water and no health or taste issues associated with its consumption are perceived among respondents reporting to drink two or fewer bottles per week. These results imply that in our context, there are positive perceptions towards tap water and pro-environmental behavior regarding water consumption. However, respondents also claimed to use reused plastic water bottles as the most common tap water container. Moreover, there was widespread presence of bottled water sales at university premises, confirming the ubiquity of this commodity worldwide. Collectively, both survey and sales volume analyses suggest that a greater shift in sustainable behavior is needed in our community. Regarding measures and policies to promote tap water accessibility, considerable differences were found within and between campuses. These findings should help to inform university managers and support sustainability goals where bottled water consumption could be minimized or even eliminated.

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Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Mathematics Research, Vol. 11, No. 1

Journal of Mathematics Research ◽

10.5539/jmr.v11n1p144 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 144

Author(s):

Sophia Wang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Arab Emirates ◽

State University ◽

National Academy Of Sciences ◽

University Of Houston ◽

United Arab Emirates University ◽

Science And Education ◽

Mathematics Research ◽

The University

Journal of Mathematics Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. Many authors, regardless of whether Journal of Mathematics Research publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Reviewers for Volume 11, Number 1   Chung-Chuan Chen, National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan Cibele Cristina Trinca Watanabe, Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), Brazil Cinzia Bisi, Ferrara University, Italy Enrico Jabara, Universita di Ca Foscari, Italy Gener Santiago Subia, NUeva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Philippines Guy Biyogmam, Georgia College & State University, USA Hayat REZGUI, Ecole normale Supérieure de Kouba, Algeria Kuldeep Narain Mathur, University Utara Malaysia, Malaysia Liwei Shi, China University of Political Science and Law, China Luca Di Persio, University of Verona, Italy Mohammad A. AlQudah, German Jordanian University, Jordan N. V. Ramana Murty, Andhra Loyola College, India Neha Hooda, New Jersey City University, United States Omur Deveci, Kafkas University, Turkey Rami Ahmad El-Nabulsi, Athens Institute for Education and Research, Greece Rosalio G. Artes, Jr., Mindanao State University, Philippines Rovshan Bandaliyev, National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Sanjib Kumar Datta, University of Kalyani, India Sergiy Koshkin, University of Houston Downtown, USA Sreedhara Rao Gunakala, The University of The West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago Xiaofei Zhao, Texas A&M University, United States Xingbo WANG, Foshan University, China Yaqin Feng, Ohio University, USA Youssef El-Khatib, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates   Sophia Wang On behalf of, The Editorial Board of Journal of Mathematics Research Canadian Center of Science and Education

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Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Mathematics Research, Vol. 11, No. 1

Journal of Mathematics Research ◽

10.5539/jmr.v11n1p129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 129

Author(s):

Sophia Wang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Arab Emirates ◽

State University ◽

National Academy Of Sciences ◽

University Of Houston ◽

United Arab Emirates University ◽

Science And Education ◽

Mathematics Research ◽

The University

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Barriers to Adoption of Water-Saving Habits in Residential Buildings in Hong Kong

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11072036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 2036

Author(s):

Ying Zhao ◽

Yani Bao ◽

Wai Lee

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Fresh Water ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Water Saving ◽

Water Users ◽

The World ◽

The Government ◽

Questionnaire Surveys

The fresh water supply is finite, but the fresh water demand is infinite. A sustainable supply of fresh water is emerging as one of the most critical resource issues in the world. Hong Kong is one of the highest per capita fresh water users in the world. This has led to many government initiatives to promote water-saving habits in Hong Kong. However, after almost a decade of efforts, there has been no obvious reduction in consumption. Little has been done to identify the reason for this. Through the use of questionnaire surveys, site measurements, and controlled experiments, the aim of this study is to investigate the level of adoption of different water-saving habits, the most influential water-saving habits, and the barriers to the adoption of water-saving habits in residential buildings in Hong Kong. It was found that if the policies are targeted to break the identified barriers, then there is a potential for reducing the total domestic fresh water consumption in Hong Kong by 14.7%. It was also found that the knowledge of water scarcity and good water use habits are not the barriers to the adoption of water-saving habits in Hong Kong households. Rather, the government should draw public’s attention to the environmental impact of water usage and the high fresh water consumption level of Hong Kong people to break the knowledge barrier and should re-examine the water tariff to break the motivation barrier. The results of this study provide useful information for decision makers in the context of water conservation in Hong Kong as well as elsewhere in the world.

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Assessment of radiation dose hazards caused by radon and its progenies in tap water by the human dosimetric model

Journal of Water and Health ◽

10.2166/wh.2021.113 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jinlong Yong ◽

Qian Liu ◽

Baoshan Wu ◽

Youhua Hu ◽

Guangwen Feng

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Radon Concentration ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Tap Water ◽

Concentration Limit ◽

Radon Exposure ◽

Average Value ◽

Different Temperatures ◽

Water Bath Heating

Abstract Radon is readily soluble in water, and radon exposure caused by household water consumption may pose a threat to public health. In this study, the radon concentration in the tap water of residential buildings was measured, and the average value was 543.33 mBq L−1, which was in line with the radon concentration limit recommended by USEPA (11.11 Bq L−1) and EURATOM (100 Bq L−1), and also within the range of the results of radon concentration measurements in tap water in other countries or regions. Through water bath heating at different temperatures, the radon retention curves of multiple groups of samples at different temperatures were fitted and analyzed. The results showed that the radon retention continued to decrease between 25 and 70 °C, remained stable between 70 and 85 °C, and then continued to decline slowly. Combined with the measurement results, the effective doses of α- and β-particles emitted by 222Rn and its progenies to residents respiratory and alimentary tissues and organs were calculated using the computational model provided by ICRP under two typical water scenarios of shower and drinking water, and the results show that radon exposure caused by normal water consumption will not pose a serious threat to public health.

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Chaplaincies in a “Post-Secular” Multicultural University

Fieldwork in Religion ◽

10.1558/firn.v9i2.16454 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 147-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adam Possamai ◽

Arathi Sriprakash ◽

Ellen Brackenreg ◽

John McGuire

Keyword(s):

Public Institutions ◽

Religion And Spirituality ◽

Scaling Down ◽

The University

As universities in Australia are faced with a growth in diversity and intensity of religion and spirituality on campus, this article explores the work of chaplains and its reception by students on a multi-campus suburban university. It finds that the religious work of these professionals is not the primary emphasis in the university context; what is of greater significance to students and the university institution is the broader pastoral and welfare-support role of chaplains. We discuss these findings in relation to post-secularism theory and the scaling down of state-provided welfare in public institutions such as universities.

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Our universities away from partisan Altsarat

مجلة العلوم السياسية ◽

10.30907/jj.v0i51.97 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

أ.د.عبد الجبار احمد عبد الله

Keyword(s):

Political Parties ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Political Organization ◽

Moral Duty ◽

The Political ◽

Public Office ◽

State Institutions ◽

The Public ◽

The University

In order to codify the political and partisan activity in Iraq, after a difficult labor, the Political Parties Law No. (36) for the year 2015 started and this is positive because it is not normal for the political parties and forces in Iraq to continue without a legal framework. Article (24) / paragraph (5) of the law requires that the party and its members commit themselves to the following: (To preserve the neutrality of the public office and public institutions and not to exploit it for the gains of a party or political organization). This is considered because it is illegal to exploit State institutions for partisan purposes . It is a moral duty before the politician not to exploit the political parties or some of its members or those who try to speak on their behalf directly or indirectly to achieve partisan gains. Or personality against other personalities and parties at the expense of the university entity.

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Examining Recent Trends in the Racial Disparity Gap in Tap Water Consumption: NHANES 2011–2018

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021002603 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Asher Y. Rosinger ◽

Anisha I. Patel ◽

Francesca Weaks

Keyword(s):

Water Consumption ◽

Tap Water ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Prevalence Ratio ◽

Bottled Water ◽

Water Crisis ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Us ◽

Recent Trends ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Objective As tap water distrust has grown in the US with greater levels among Black and Hispanic households, we aimed to examine recent trends in not drinking tap water including the period covering the US Flint Water Crisis and racial/ethnic disparities in these trends. Design Cross-sectional analysis. We used log-binomial regressions and marginal predicted probabilities examined US nationally-representative trends in tap and bottled water consumption overall and by race/ethnicity. Setting The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 2011–2018. Participants Nationally-representative sample of 9,439 children aged 2-19 and 17,268 adults. Results Among US children and adults, respectively, in 2017-2018 there was a 63% (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR]:1.63, 95%CI: 1.25-2.12, p<0.001) and 40% (PR:1.40, 95%CI: 1.16-1.69, p=0.001) higher prevalence of not drinking tap water compared to 2013-2014 (pre-Flint Water Crisis). For Black children and adults, the probability of not drinking tap water increased significantly from 18.1% (95%CI: 13.4-22.8) and 24.6% (95%CI: 20.7-28.4) in 2013–14 to 29.3% (95%CI: 23.5-35.1) and 34.5% (95%CI: 29.4-39.6) in 2017–2018. Among Hispanic children and adults, not drinking tap water increased significantly from 24.5% (95%CI: 19.4-29.6) and 27.1% (95%CI: 23.0-31.2) in 2013-14 to 39.7% (95%CI: 32.7-46.8) and 38.1% (95%CI: 33.0-43.1) in 2017-2018. No significant increases were observed among Asian or white persons between 2013-14 and 2017-18. Similar trends were found in bottled water consumption. Conclusions This study found persistent disparities in the tap water consumption gap from 2011–2018. Black and Hispanics’ probability of not drinking tap water increased following the Flint Water Crisis.

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