ABSTRACT Spanish authorities have proposed providing external resources to substitute for non-renewable groundwater withdrawals in the south-eastern Murcia Plateau, which would require building new water infrastructure. This article assesses the supply costs and the economic impact of two alternatives, one based on supplying desalinated seawater and the other based on supplying water from the Tagus–Segura

ABSTRACT Excessive groundwater extraction is exacerbated by worsening droughts under climate change. Among agricultural users, well-drilling activity is not evenly distributed. The number, diameter and depth of new agricultural wells were analysed in this study in relation to farm size and land cover class during California’s 2012–16 extreme drought. The results show smaller farms drilled at higher

ABSTRACT Irrigation is promoted as a critical strategy for rural welfare, yet fundamental questions prevail on the linkages between water, equity and inequality. Applying mixed-methods, this study investigates the impact pathways whereby water inequities are associated with socioeconomic inequalities within two Tanzanian smallholder irrigation schemes. According to irrigators’ perceptions, greater

ABSTRACT The South Asia region is one of the most unstable in the world, having experienced multiple wars. In recent years, water disputes have intensified between this region’s countries, including Pakistan and India, as water is intertwined with their security and has been securitized. Indeed, securitization is one of the strategies that has the power of representation of water as a security issue

ABSTRACT With rising energy demand in Asia, the high potential for hydropower development and the need for low-carbon energy development, hydropower would seem to have a significant role in South Asia’s energy future. However, the extent of hydropower development will depend on several risk factors, including the cost of alternative energy sources, the environmental sustainability of hydropower and

ABSTRACT This article presents a model that simulates the dynamics of water demand, water supply and the instability of water allocation schemes at the national river basin scale during water scarcity. The Zhanghe River Basin in China is used as a case study to demonstrate the model. The optimum solution, minimizing water allocation instability, allocated most of the river’s water to the downstream

(2021). COVID-19 and clean water, sanitation and wastewater management. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 179-181.

(2021). Special issue on “Global water management under COVID-19 and beyond – Challenges and lessons learned”. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 357-357.

ABSTRACT Political theorists argue that justice for cultural groups must account for socioeconomic distribution, political representation and cultural recognition. Combining this tripartite justice framework with settler colonial theory, we analyse novel data sets relating to Aboriginal peoples’ water experiences in south-eastern Australia. We construe persistent injustices as ‘water colonialism’,

ABSTRACT In Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin, efforts to restore water justice for the environment have focused on environmental flows for natural values of wetlands and floodplains. But there has also been an emergence of collaborative partnerships between environmental water managers and First Nations community organizations to water ‘Country’. The A$180 million Gayini Nimmie-Caira water-saving project

ABSTRACT This article considers how the colonial British government’s appropriation of the Kariba Dam historically excluded the BaTonga people from accessing the dam’s resources. Dispossession and appropriation of the Kariba Dam resulted in the impoverishment of the BaTonga of north-western Zimbabwe. In this study, impoverishment of the BaTonga is understood in relation to their failure to adequately

ABSTRACT Political theorists argue that justice for cultural groups must account for socioeconomic distribution, political representation and cultural recognition. Combining this tripartite justice framework with settler colonial theory, we analyse novel data sets relating to Aboriginal peoples’ water experiences in south-eastern Australia. We construe persistent injustices as ‘water colonialism’,

ABSTRACT In Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin, efforts to restore water justice for the environment have focused on environmental flows for natural values of wetlands and floodplains. But there has also been an emergence of collaborative partnerships between environmental water managers and First Nations community organizations to water ‘Country’. The A$180 million Gayini Nimmie-Caira water-saving project

ABSTRACT This article considers how the colonial British government’s appropriation of the Kariba Dam historically excluded the BaTonga people from accessing the dam’s resources. Dispossession and appropriation of the Kariba Dam resulted in the impoverishment of the BaTonga of north-western Zimbabwe. In this study, impoverishment of the BaTonga is understood in relation to their failure to adequately

(2021). COVID-19 and clean water, sanitation and wastewater management. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 179-181.

(2021). Special issue on “Global water management under COVID-19 and beyond – Challenges and lessons learned”. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 357-357.

ABSTRACT This research uses a multi-criteria analysis tool and field site observation to critically analyse a network of dams across a single watershed in the US Pacific Northwest. The analysis offers a template to better understand some nuances and complexities involved in decision-making leading to relicensing, retrofitting or decommissioning of both powered and non-powered structures. The study

ABSTRACT China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is anticipated to have wide-ranging impacts on the countries of Central Asia. This includes a significant impact to a complex and fragile water resources landscape, and the closely entwined economic, social, environmental and political context. Water resources considerations are currently not explicit in BRI policies or proposals, despite the vast variety

ABSTRACT The Intermunicipal Water Company of Veurne-Ambacht (IWVA) started reusing wastewater effluent for infiltration in its dune water catchment, St-André, in 2002. The treatment train at the Water Production Centre Torreele is based on a multiple-barrier approach with submerged ultrafiltration prior to reverse osmosis. The project improved the ecological values of the dunes. Recently, during longer

ABSTRACT Jordan is extremely water scarce, making careful water resources planning and management essential. This study considers the water-supply-enhancing effects of a significant urban investment, the Jordan Compact, that supports Jordan’s national objective of enhanced water reuse and efficiency. Analysis using a Water Evaluation and Planning model suggests that the Compact generated substantial

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the socio-territorial conflict prompted by Los Merinos: a residential–tourism project constructed in an ecological reserve that is vital to Andalusian livelihoods. It examines disputes concerning discourses, authorities and rules in order to understand the struggle over land and water. Using the echelons of rights analysis (ERA) framework, the paper scrutinizes the multiscale

ABSTRACT Water-use efficiency (WUE) enables the comparison of the value generated from water between countries, industries and companies, and over time. Such comparisons can overlook crucial underlying differences. How can WUE be best used as a comparator? Increases in WUE assumed that water consumption has become decoupled from economic growth. This overlooks structural changes and globalization resulting

ABSTRACT Cape Town’s water injustices are entrenched by the mismatch between government interventions and the lived realities in many informal settlements and other low-income areas. This transdisciplinary study draws on over 300 stories from such communities, showing overwhelming frustration with the municipality’s inability to address leaking pipes, faulty bills and poor sanitation. Cape Town’s interventions

ABSTRACT This study assesses climate change impacts on the hydrological regime of a river basin and its implications for future irrigation water availability in the Koshi River basin using RCPs 4.5 and 8.5 over short-term (2016-2045), mid-century (2036-2065) and end-of-century (2071-2100) periods. Average flow in the Koshi River is projected to increase. Projections of average minimum monthly river

(2020). Foreword. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 36, Managing urban water demand: Global approaches, pp. 871-873.

(2020). Water management in post-2020 world. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 36, Managing urban water demand: Global approaches, pp. 874-878.

ABSTRACT Many river systems in Europe have altered morphology and deteriorated ecosystems due to human interference. We demonstrate how conflicting interests of nature, society and economics in the Dutch–German Ems-Dollard system complicate achieving the nature restoration targeted by the EU Water Framework Directive. This article provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the natural characteristics

ABSTRACT Drawing on the results of the Transforming Irrigation in Southern Africa project, we assess positive transitions in smallholder irrigation schemes. The project’s theory of change is evaluated. Soil monitoring tools and agricultural innovation platforms were introduced in five irrigation schemes in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The synergies between these interventions increased both crop

ABSTRACT This article explores the factors causing the current poor performance of most government irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa. The literature review finds that the poor performance is not primarily caused by socioeconomic and biophysical conditions inherent to sub-Saharan Africa. African farmers have adapted to diverse biophysical conditions and expanded or contracted their area under

ABSTRACT The mechanisms linking growth and inequality are critical for poverty reduction, yet they remain poorly understood at the micro level, as current knowledge is dominated by country-wide studies. This article evaluates farm income growth and changes in inequality among five smallholder irrigation communities in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Over the period of study, the poorest sections

ABSTRACT Removal of power subsidies in the agriculture sector has been a very contentious issue in India for decades. Free power and tariffs based on the connected load create incentives for farmers to use groundwater excessively and inefficiently. We argue that a pro rata tariff for electricity in the farm sector that reduces the demand for electricity and irrigation water will not only be socio-economically

Australia experiences a wide range and increasing incidence of extreme hydrological events, including step changes in stream flows, extreme drought, bushfires followed by heavy rain, and storm events, which impact water availability and water quality. This article discusses the management of these events in the provision of water services in urban Australia. These events are being actively and effectively

Based on extensive field information, farmer-led small-scale irrigation systems along the dam-regulated Tekeze River is investigated and the likelihood of future irrigation expansion within the area with modelled potential is discussed, considering facilitating and hampering factors. Due to dam-induced hydrologic alterations, downstream socio-ecological systems have strongly transformed as the irrigated

Sustainable water resources management requires long time series of streamflow data. In this study, a Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy rule-based (FRB) model is developed to reconstruct long periods of missing daily streamflow data which is a common problem in developing countries. The FRB model uses observations of neighbouring stream gauges, and thus is advantageous regarding data and time requirement compared

ABSTRACT This paper reviews principles from decision psychology relevant to understanding and increasing acceptance of urban recycled water, and supplements existing literature by suggesting an additional factor: adaptation insensitivity. We integrate into our discussion previously unpublished results from a study conducted in 2007, which surveyed 2680 respondents in five American cities, identifying

To explore the livelihood problems following development-induced displacement and resettlement, this article selects 234 affected families of the Qianping Reservoir in China and builds a livelihood resilience inferred measurement model to assess and verify their livelihood resilience. The research shows that households that have a reasonable income structure or that resettled near their original residence

Under current Spanish law, domestic use of recycled water is only permitted during an officially declared disaster; however, it could be an option from a regulatory perspective. However, would Spaniards be willing to use recycled water in the home if necessary? This study investigates the public acceptance of recycled water use in Spanish households and identifies the determinants of acceptance. In

Bhutan benefits from surplus power generation and associated export revenues, whereas Nepal suffers from power shortages and import deficits. They have contrasting hydropower development, taking different approaches and relying on different sources of development finance in hydropower projects. This study analyzed effective financing approaches for feasible hydropower projects under geopolitical constraints

ABSTRACT The paper provides a description of the efforts taken by the Orange County Water District (the District; OCWD) to insulate itself from public opposition to its potable reuse project, the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). We emphasize how important it is to first understand the challenges faced by concurrent projects in Southern California, and the development and execution of OCWD’s

In this article we investigate the relationship between productivity and profitability, and their drivers: changes in outputs, output and input prices, technical change, technical efficiency change, and scale and mark-up effects. We apply profit decomposition to the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales in 1991–2016. We find that over this period their profit and productivity increased

To foster poverty reduction in drought-prone Araucanía, the Chilean Irrigation Commission is planning an important expansion of irrigated areas. Scenarios incorporating climate change (2030–2059) were simulated for a pilot basin using the WEAP water allocation model, showing that larger irrigated areas, coupled with higher temperatures and less precipitation, are likely to cause severe seasonal water

Differences about fresh water rarely if ever lead to war between neighbouring nations. However, lack of agreement about equitable water use will sooner or later disrupt water management systems. Similarly, unless fresh water is managed sustainably by both nations, their social and economic development will lag, with ultimate effects on any peace agreement. This Viewpoint describes an existing proposal

(2020). Correction. International Journal of Water Resources Development: Vol. 36, Transforming Small-Scale Irrigation in Southern Africa, pp. ci-ci.

ABSTRACT Smallholder irrigation is an important pathway towards better livelihoods and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. This article assesses the contribution of farmer-friendly soil and water monitoring tools, and agricultural innovation platforms, towards household income and food security in two small-scale irrigation schemes in Tanzania. Quantitative and qualitative data from farmer’s field

ABSTRACT Many small-scale irrigation schemes are dysfunctional, and learning, innovation and evaluation are required to facilitate sustainable transitions. Using quantitative and qualitative data from five irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa, we analyze how learning and change arose in response to: soil monitoring tools, which triggered a deep learning cycle; and agricultural innovation platforms

ABSTRACT Over four years, a research-for-development project was implemented at the 25 de Setembro irrigation scheme in Mozambique. The project introduced agricultural innovation platforms to overcome barriers to production such as input and output supply chains and poorly maintained irrigation canals. Soil moisture and nutrient monitoring tools were provided so that farmers could improve their irrigation

ABSTRACT This study advances methods of measuring access to water by providing a framework that can be operationalized by practitioners to inform decision and policy making. A modified WPI was developed and deployed in India, with results indicating significant differences between WPI and many indicator scores both between and within administrative territories. Spatial analyses identified significant

ABSTRACT Relying on published literature, we reviewed water-energy-food issues in Lao PDR in the context of a policy shift to more sustainable ‘green growth’ and significantly increased infrastructure investment resulting from China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI provides the prospect for the country to address its infrastructure deficit and transform from a ‘land-locked’ to a ‘land-linked’ country

ABSTRACT In 2016, extreme drought and saline intrusion led to widespread damage and livelihood disruption for many people in the coastal region of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Through an integrated multi-step approach of literature and stakeholder analysis, focus group discussions and interviews with local governments and farmers, an understanding of the local water governance systems and their functioning

ABSTRACT Contingent valuation is used to elicit irrigators’ willingness to pay for soil moisture tools in irrigation schemes in Africa, with various econometric methods employed to mitigate potential bias. Key results include that there is a neighbourhood effect influencing adoption, and that being located downstream and spending more on irrigation water positively and statistically significantly influenced

ABSTRACT Multiple-use water services (MUS) can enhance the benefits communities receive from the productive use of water. This article uses household surveys, water samples, focus groups and key informant interviews to examine the potential of MUS in northern Malawi. Specific attention is given to the role of existing rural water supply options and knowledge held by an established smallholder rice

ABSTRACT This article focuses on a major water use in the Ganges Basin, the Ganges Kobadak Irrigation Project in Bangladesh. The objectives of this article are to assess the present and projected irrigation water requirements, the status of the Ganges River and groundwater resources in the project area, and water allocation strategies to fulfil dry-season irrigation requirements in the short, medium

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify governance conditions to realize urban bathing water sites using case study material from two cities in the Netherlands. Urban waters in Europe are increasingly considered an attractive feature for bathing, but research on the realization of urban bathing water sites has been limited. We find that it is important to account for the connectivity between water systems

ABSTRACT Employing the heuristic of intersectionality, this study analyzes household effects and responses to water shortage in Gaborone, Botswana, focusing on residents’ adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Using data collected through qualitative interviews, we find that households from all socio-economic backgrounds face various effects from water shortage and use numerous strategies to reduce exposure

ABSTRACT Successful irrigated agriculture is underpinned by answering two critical questions: when and how much to irrigate. This article quantifies the role of the Chameleon and the Wetting Front Detector, monitoring tools facilitating decision-making and learning about soil-water-nutrient dynamics. Farmers retained nutrients in the root zone by reducing irrigation frequency, number of siphons, and

ABSTRACT This article explores the value of Ostrom’s socio-ecological systems framework and Meadows’s leverage point hierarchy, as structured diagnostics, to define systemic problems and avoid approaches based on linear thinking. These frameworks were applied as an ex post analysis of an irrigation scheme in Zimbabwe, drawing on the scheme’s baseline condition and the intervention outcomes. Strong

ABSTRACT Predictive hydroclimate information, coupled with reservoir system models, offers the potential to mitigate climate variability risks. Prior methodologies rely on sub-seasonal, dynamic/synthetic forecasts at short timescales, which challenge application in practice. Here, coupling a local-scale seasonal, statistical streamflow forecast with a reservoir model addresses this gap, to explore

This article presents a qualitative systematic review of English-language academic articles on approaches adopted by the Chinese government to overcome fragmentation and disconnection in water governance. We find that the Chinese government has deployed technical, institutional and discursive instruments, ranging from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ ways, to improve connectivity between different administrative levels

ABSTRACT Least developed countries, with their unique governance and political-economic conditions, face uncommon and under-researched transboundary hydropolitical issues. We analyze the impact of power and political change on the adoption of the Transaqua water transfer megaproject in Central Africa using process tracing and analysis of documents, interviews and fieldwork. We present the key actors

ABSTRACT Agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa has, in recent times, remained lower than the rest of the world. Many attribute this to factors inherent to Africa and its people, such as climate, soil quality, slavery and disease. This article traces the role of agriculture through history and argues that these are not the main reasons. Before the arrival of European traders, complex agricultural