Perceptions on irrigation water supply and utilisation by smallholder agricultural enterprises in Vhembe district of Limpopo Province, South Africa

The study investigated perceptions on irrigation water supply and utilisation by Smallholder Agricultural Enterprises (SHAEs) in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. More (55.4%) SHAEs depended on surface water as the main source for irrigation. Surface water supply was ranked moderate in the majority of SHAEs, both for summer (58.6%) and winter (69.7%) irrigation and was regarded as always available (51.3%). Groundwater was the main source in 44.2% of SHAEs and was ranked very high for summer (55.7%) and winter (34.4%) irrigation. Groundwater was perceived to have the advantage of being always available in 83.6% of SHAEs while 64.9% complained about higher pumping costs. One in three (33.9%) SHAEs revealed they irrigated two to four times a day while one in five (18.7%) irrigated once every eight to 14 days. The mean amount of water used to irrigate was estimated at 5 300,88l +/- 20 762,91l. Almost two in three (62.6%) SHAEs experienced competition for water. Statistically, signification association was observed between the main source for irrigation and monthly income (X2 (1) = 7.10, p < 0.013) after the Bonferroni adjustment. It was determined that 51,3% of SHAEs with income </= R5000/month used surface water as the main source for irrigation compared to 69.6% with income > R5000/month.

Evaluation of Groundwater Potential and Safe Yield of Heterogeneous Unconsolidated Aquifers in Chiang Mai Basin, Northern Thailand

Chiang Mai basin has an escalating population growth resulting in high demand for water consumption. Lack of surface water supply in most parts of the basin gives rise to the increasing use of groundwater which leads to a continuous decline in groundwater level in the past decades. This study is the first long-term groundwater monitoring and modeling study that aims at developing a transient, regional groundwater flow model of heterogeneous unconsolidated aquifers based on the MODFLOW program. Long-term groundwater monitoring data from 49 piezometers were used in model calibration and validation. The pilot points technique was used to account for the spatial variability of hydrogeologic parameters of heterogeneous aquifers. The simulation results and statistics showed that most sensitive and significant model parameters were spatially variable hydraulic conductivities and recharge rates. The Chiang Mai basin’s unconsolidated aquifers do not have high potential. The water table and/or potentiometric surface in the southeast and southwest areas of Chiang Mai city were continuously decreasing with no sign of recovery indicating critical groundwater condition and careful management must be considered. Safe yield calculation, based on a 2-m average drawdown threshold, suggested that unconsolidated aquifers of the Chiang Mai basin can sustain overall abstraction rates up to 51.2 Mm3/y or approximately 214% of the current extraction rates.

Ecological and hydrochemical water properties of surface watercourses and aspects of inhabitant nosology in Dubna city

The article is devoted to the study of the ecological and hydrochemical parameters of rivers Volga and Dubna within Dubna city, Moscow region, while considering both the actual ecological and hydrochemical indicators, as well as the biochemical and ecotoxicological characteristics of watercourses. It is shown that watercourses are constantly subjected to anthropogenic pressure. It inevitably leads to the arrival of a number of pollutants including heavy metals that can destroy the existing ecological balance of reservoirs. Since the Volga is a source of surface water supply for Dubna city, and both rivers are popular in terms of recreational activities and fishing, an urgent issue is to study the nosologies of the urban population caused by the impact of the waters of both rivers. It is shown that the high probability of the potential development of environmental-related nosologies is not currently fixed, the carcinogenic risk to the health of the population of Dubna city has a minimal, low and moderate degree as a result of surface water pollution, the non-carcinogenic danger from surface water pollution has a minimum, permissible and moderate degree of danger. The critical organs and body systems of the population of the territory are primarily the gastrointestinal tract, central nervous, nervous and cardiovascular systems. Attention should be paid to monitoring in surface water bodies such contaminants as magnesium, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium salts, phosphates, zinc, copper, and lead.

Sosialisasi Pemanfaatan Air Tanah Untuk Lahan Pertanian dengan Metode JIAT Daerah Pallantikang, Kabupaten Bantaeng

Water as a natural resource is the most important part for humans to continue their life. One example of the vital role of water resources for human activities is to fulfill food through agriculture and plantations. The availability of water needs for agricultural productivity is certainly an important study to maintain supply capacity and avoid crises in agricultural and plantation foodstuffs. As mandated by the Water Resources Law, the utilization of water resources is aimed at sustainably utilizing water resources by prioritizing the fulfillment of the basic needs of the community fairly. For the sake of the continuity of human life, water resources must be managed properly by paying attention to and protecting the environment. Almost not all the agricultural and plantation areas in the Planting area have irrigation channels that utilize surface water. Consequently, agricultural production does not reach maximum results, because its water needs are very dependent on rainwater. On the other hand, even though there is an irrigation network, there are areas where the availability of water is not sufficient, so that farming activities of farmers cannot get maximum results. This limitation causes farmers to depend on surface water supply, especially during the rainy season so that problems such as prolonged drought can have fatal consequences. One of the efforts to improve agricultural irrigation is to create a groundwater irrigation network by taking water from bore wells.