Characteristics of Overburden Failure and Fracture Evolution in Shallow Buried Working Face with Large Mining Height

In order to solve the issues of uncertain overburden failure height and water loss at the Daliuta coal mine, the collapse characteristics of overburden and the development height of water-conducting fractured zone were studied by using physical modeling, FLAC 3D numerical simulation, and field observation, which were used to verify each other. In order to quantitatively analyze the distribution characteristics of fracture rate of overlying rock mass in goaf, the overburden collapse image was binarized. The results showed that: (1) the failure characteristics of overburden in goaf obtained by the three research methods were roughly consistent, and the reliability of the results was high. The overburden failure height of No. 5−2 coal with large mining height was 137.32–153 m, which was 20.8–23.2 times the mining height. (2) The repeated mining of No. 5−2 coal intensified the further failure of the disturbed rock mass in the No. 2−2 coal goaf. (3) In the horizontal direction of the goaf, the fracture rate of rock mass was distributed in the shape of “saddle”. In the longitudinal direction of the goaf, the rock mass fracture rate decreased in a logarithmic function with the increase of the height from the mining coal seam. Overall, the conclusions are of engineering significance for accurately adopting water resources protection mining technology and reducing mine water inrush disasters.

First Application of the Integrated Karst Aquifer Vulnerability (IKAV) method. Potential and Actual vulnerability in Yucatan, Mexico

Groundwater vulnerability maps are important decision support tools for water resources protection against pollution and helpful to minimize environmental damage. However, these tools carry a high subjectivity along the multiple steps taken for the development of such maps. Additionally, the theoretical models on which they are based do not consider important parameters such as pollutant concentration or pollutant residence time in a given section of the aquifer, solely focusing the analysis on a theoretical travel time from a release point towards a target. In this work, an integrated methodology for the evaluation of potential (intrinsic) and actual vulnerability is presented. This integrated method, named IKAV, was developed after the analysis of several study cases and the application of multiple intrinsic groundwater vulnerability methods in a selected study area. Also, a solute transport model served as the basis to define additional parameters for vulnerability analysis for areas severely affected by anthropogenic practices. A defined workflow and several criteria for parameters and attributes selection, rating and weighting assignment, and vulnerability classification are presented. The first application of the IKAV method was carried out in the Yucatan karst, demonstrating to be a reliable method for vulnerability estimation. Results demonstrated the scope of the IKAV method to highlight important regional conditions, minimizing the subjectivity, and expanding the analysis of vulnerability.

International Legal Regulation of Transboundary Water Resources of the Central Asian Countries

The articles review an international cooperation in the area of international regulation of the protection and use of trans boundary resources, including the analysis of international legal norms on the development of relations in the field of trans boundary water resources protection, the results of international cooperation in this area, the scientific-theoretical and practical proposals to improve this institution.

Application of the Contingent Valuation Method in Water Resources Protection

The option of using the contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for upgrading the quality of water resources in their communes is discussed in the article. Surveys were conducted using the direct interview method. The analysis included the application of CVM to examine the potential for financing projects that are focused on reducing the eutrophication process of the Baltic Sea, financing the construction of municipal sewage treatment plants in selected communes in Greece and Poland and financing the upgrade of sewage disposal and treatment standards in Śniadowo in north-eastern Poland. For authorities of a given area, the CVM is an instrument supporting the decision-making process regarding investments in water resources’ protection.

Practical Research on Protection and Utilization of Urban Spatial Water Elements from the Perspective of Healthy Cities

The healthy development of urban elements would be important to sustainable urban development, especially the elements of water resources. This paper discusses the key points and methods of water elements development and protection in urban design for Healthy-city, taking the design of China Ceramic Valley in Liling as an example. Based on the analysis of hydrological and geographic data, it establishes the network structure of the river system, summarizes systematic measures for the guidance and control of sponge cities, puts forward the optimization and control methods of waterfront spatial form and compiles quantitative and elastic space guidelines. The results show that the whole-scale and systematic urban design is a necessary step of urban water resources protection and utilization. It provides practical experience and process reference for urban health and sustainable development.

Using digital platforms for environmental management

The article discusses the possibility of using digital platforms for environmental management. The aim of the research is to determine the directions of using digital platforms for environmental management. To preserve the environment, increase energy conservation and sustainable development of territories, effective management is always important. Digital innovation allows citizens to engage, develop environmental volunteering, improve environmental literacy, collect more environmental data, and improve governance. The work identified the types of digital platforms depending on the subject of management, the main types of digital platforms and the main type of activity based on the chosen platform. The article considered the main digital platforms for environmental management in the field of ecology and the environment of the Russian Federation, highlighted the main functions of the platforms, problems and development directions. It is necessary to create such hybrid systems of environmental supervision in the field of water resources protection, to detect the facts of illegal construction and violation of construction parameters, remote control over the intended use of land, deforestation, and the environmental situation in water and air.

A Harmony-Based Approach for Assessing and Regulating Human-Water Relationships: A Case Study of Henan Province in China

The conflict of the human-water relationships (HWR) has further increased the water-related risks, such as water environment deterioration, water shortages, and even regional violent conflicts for obtaining usable water resources. Knowing how to evaluate and regulate the discordant HWR to form a balanced growth between sustainable socio-economy and water resources protection has become a critical issue in water resources management. The harmony theory method, which provides a new perspective for solving the conflict between humans and water, has been widely used in current studies. However, this method focuses less on the quantitative study of the balance status of HWR. This study proposes a harmony theory-based HWR evaluation method that contains a systematic process of harmony assessment, indicator identification, harmony balance constraints, and harmony regulation for assessing and regulating the discordant HWR. The Henan Province of China, which has a complicated HWR, was selected as a case study to apply and verify the approach proposed in this study. The results indicated that (1) Henan Province showed a poor harmony status. The human–water harmony degree of 18 distinctions in the province varied from 0.41 to 0.76, showing an increasing trend from 2006 to 2018, indicating that the HWR was gradually improving in recent years. (2) The human–water harmony degree showed that HWR in the southwest part of Henan Province, with less human activities, was better than that in its northeast part, which had faster social development. Sanmenxia City, located in the west part of the province, had the highest human–water harmony degree because of the recent water control projects implemented in the city, indicating that human production measures could effectively help improve HWR. (3) At present, Henan Province has serious discordant indicators in these three aspects (water system health, humanistic system development, and human-water system coordination), which proves that it is still facing pressure from both socio-economy sustainable development and water resources protection. Our results provide insight into water resources management in Henan Province and other similar regions.

Calculation of optimal tax rate of water resources and analysis of social welfare based on CGE model: a case study in Hebei Province, China

The determination of the optimal tax rate of water resources is one of the core as well as the key economic and technological issue in the ‘fee to tax’ work of water resources in China. Therefore, based on the introduction of the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of water resources tax, using production parameters and consumption parameters of Hebei province in 2008–2017, the optimal tax rate of water resources is simulated and calculated, and the impact of the optimal tax rate on social welfare is analyzed. The results show that the reference of the best water resources tax rate in Hebei Province is 18%, and taxation on water resources effectively promotes the water use structure and water resources utilization efficiency in Hebei, which is beneficial to its water resources protection. The effective calculation of the optimal tax rate of water resources tax in Hebei Province proves the effectiveness of the CGE model in the formulation of water resources tax rate, which provides an important reference for the nationwide popularization of water resources ‘fee to tax reform’ in China and the formulation of water resources tax rate in other regions.