(2020). Editors’ introduction. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 385-387.

Understanding water issues as problemsheds addresses the narrowly water-centred framing of watershed and basin-focused water research and policy. In a critical realist approach problemshed also serves to identify the context-specificity of water knowledge, by navigating between the extremes of positivist generalization and interpretivist local specificity and bridging the divide between academic and

(2020). Water insecurity compounds the global coronavirus crisis. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 416-422.

(2020). The potential impact of water quality on the spread and control of COVID-19 in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 423-429.

(2020). The impact of COVID-19 on water and food systems: flattening the much bigger curve ahead. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 430-434.

(2020). COVID-19 heightens water problems around the world. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 441-442.

In Kenya, informal urban water markets serve the poor in areas where public utilities have failed to deliver. They often charge high prices, sell low-quality water and perform water transactions in a way that is unfair to the buyers. They still remain one of the most popular alternatives for water provision, as they can offer flexibility of supply arrangements and payment systems which are beyond the

Using a critical hydropolitics approach, we broaden the context of the Transboundary Water Interaction Nexus framework to provide a tool to analyze interstate relations on the sideline of selected water-related issues regardless of the legal status of actors; distinguish nuances between six intensities of cooperation and conflict; and simultaneously evaluate water events as a form of cooperation, conflict

This study attempts to measure how the effectiveness of aid to the drinking water sector is mediated by state capacity. I use panel data on a sample of 87 aid-receiving countries, with the Bureaucratic Quality Index as a measure of state capacity. Employing random effects, fixed effects, and system GMM techniques, the study empirically and robustly finds that state capacity does not have a significant

ABSTRACT We combine satellite imagery, urban growth modelling, groundwater modelling and hydrogeological field expeditions to estimate the potential impacts in 2050 of rapid urbanization and climate change on groundwater in Arusha, Tanzania, and by extension similar areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis suggests that a reduction of groundwater recharge by 30–44% will cause groundwater levels to

(2020). Governance of offshore freshwater resources. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 512-514.

The study determined whether consumers informed about radiation have a higher willingness to buy (WTB) bottled water from regions near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima Daiichi). The study also investigated what types of radiation knowledge are effective in mitigating negative images about bottled water from these regions. We found that consumers with radiation knowledge have a higher

(2020). Using innovative smart water management technologies to monitor water provision to refugees. Water International. Ahead of Print.

Wastewater services involve complex technical and environmental processes. Conventional performance assessments often disregard the service quality aspects of the sector. This article applies an advanced semi-parametric modelling framework based on data envelopment analysis to measure the economic efficiency of wastewater service provision in Australia whilst accounting for service quality. We find

Slum populations are commonly characterized as having poorly developed water and sanitation systems and may access services through informal channels. However, there are limited representative profiles of water and sanitation services in slums, making it difficult to prioritize interventions that will make services safer for residents. This cross-sectional study examines the quality of and access to

Only a very small fraction of the potable water produced by urban centres is used for a need requiring the highest-quality water. Urban water infrastructure has evolved over the past century without considering whether past practices make sense for a future with stressed ecosystems and a changing climate. Smart water techniques are vital to optimize existing infrastructure. However, for urban water

(2020). Power in water diplomacy. Water International: Vol. 45, Power in water diplomacy, pp. 249-253.

This article presents a nongovernmental initiative to address asymmetric hydropolitical relations in the Jordan River basin through issue linkage. The initiative would develop desalination capacity along the Mediterranean to supply water to Jordan, with Jordan generating and distributing solar energy to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Such a project could provide a range of economic, environmental

This article examines the recent changes in China’s Mekong River policy and investigates the contributing factors. In the past few years, China has shifted from an upstream sovereignty stance to launch a multilateral transboundary water diplomacy initiative in the Mekong River basin through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism. We conclude that China’s adoption of water diplomacy in the Mekong

By improving the operational capacity of utilities, smart water systems may enable utilities to improve access to water services and their affordability. Use of smart technologies is increasing in leading-edge utilities for this purpose. However, water access may be problematic where utilities perform poorly or when utilities do not choose to extend universal service, and smart tools can address both

Water management systems have an increasing impact on the development of sustainable urban services. The development of a geographic information system applied to water management is presented in this article after taking the priorities of smart cities into account. This system has been fully developed with free open source software to create a main system based on an efficient and specific proposed

(2020). COVID-19 and water resources management: reframing our priorities as a water sector. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 435-440.

(2020). Editors’ introduction. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 145-147.

The relationship between gender and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is an issue for many developing states. This scoping review demonstrates that in Nepal, women bear the major social burden of inadequate WASH services and are under-represented in WASH-related policies and programmes. Four themes emerge: gender and water projects; lack of equal female participation in WASH policy development

ABSTRACT The article examines how the design and governance of Peru’s water infrastructure shape the social practices and cultural values stakeholders engage in and draw on when negotiating water rights in a year of drought. Reviewing ethnographic data on a large irrigation project in south-western Peru, we discuss how the project both perpetuates power relations between water experts, authorities

This study focuses on the water use characteristics and impact factors in the Yellow River basin. Water use increased from 1980 to 2000 and then stabilized. Water use in the eight regions of the basin varies significantly in both time and space. Water use in different sectors is sensitive to variations in the irrigation area, industrial added value, efficiency, population and urbanization. Change trends

ABSTRACT This article assesses the main problems facing the Spanish Tagus River basin, and the management that has caused (or allowed) them. It examines the economic, social, environmental and political-institutional dimensions of Tagus River management in terms of sustainable development. We find that the institutions responsible for designing and implementing water policy in the Tagus basin have

(2020). Water, life, and profit: fluid economies and cultures of Niamey, Niger. Water International: Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 246-248.

Each nation-state has the discretion to decide whether, and to what extent, to engage ‘non-state’ actors in, and incorporate their interests into, the negotiation or implementation of international agreements. Through the prism of Canadian local governments along the Columbia River, we analyze some of the relevant practice in engaging non-state actors in the management of international shared watercourses

Water diplomacy aims to shift water disputes from zero-sum games into positive-sum cooperation models though actor-driven approaches. Small states are often viewed as facilitators of diplomacy through a commitment to regionalism and consensus, which highlights their influence in international affairs. Responding to the research question, ‘How do “non-decisions” lead to status quo in water diplomacy

This article details the case of the La Plata basin, a transboundary basin shared between Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. By addressing some cases of disputes between local and state actors in the La Plata basin, we show that even with an institutional framework for cooperation and transboundary water management, conflicts and tension might remain between riparian states.

Despite its simplicity and efficacy, the promotion of hand washing for disease prevention remains a challenge particularly in resource-limited settings. Here we report on a quasi-experimental school-based study that aimed to improve habitual hand washing. Significant increases in hand washing occurred following improvements in hygiene and sanitation facilities (School A: t=13.86, p=0.0052). Smaller

This article proposes and fleshes out an analytical method designed to support efforts to transform inequitable and unsustainable transboundary water arrangements. Such ‘transformative analysis’ leverages socio-ecological thinking to critically evaluate the processes that have established and maintain an arrangement, including hydro-diplomacy itself. Transformative analysis facilitates the interpretation

ABSTRACT This article shows how Bangladesh and India intentionally maintain the status quo for the Brahmaputra River at the transboundary level, using material and ideational resources. Results show that India wants to reduce its hegemonic vulnerabilities and Bangladesh aims to maintain its control over the Brahmaputra river, simultaneously building its technical and negotiation skills. We conclude