Integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform in China: Affecting factors

The institutional evolution is often induced by some factors. This paper intends to analyze the affecting factors in integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform in China. The integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform is to restructure the governmental organizational setting in water management by forms of water affair bureau or re-designing functions of current water resources bureau to incorporate part or all functions of resources management, service regulation and environment management in water sector. The analyses selected some natural and socio-economic factors. The results point out that the integrated urban and rural water affairs management reform is a factor-induced institutional evolution. The factors promoting this reform include occasional drought events, higher central water investment percentage; but the data from the urban sector do not provide the support to the reform.     

Effects of “Grain for Green” reforestation program on rural sustainability in China: an AHP approach to peasant consensus of public land use policies

Climate change will affect the regional ability to achieve the poverty reduction and sustainable development (SD) objectives. Thus, any action plans to achieve these objectives should make climate change policies an integral part of the development planning process. The best practices and measures of climate change policies should be implemented to ensure regional or community sustainability. In this paper, a case study that promotes the integration of carbon sequestration into sustainable forest management and rural development plan with multi-stakeholders participation is introduced. To achieve SD goals, appropriate tools and methods are required to address impacts of alternative forest land uses on carbon sequestration and rural sustainability, and to prioritise land use options. A range of forest land use scenarios that address various aspects of the forest carbon sequestration rate and rural sustainability are evaluated against a SD indicator system. Planting vegetation is one of the practical approaches in mitigating global warming by sequestrating carbon from the atmosphere to plant matter and soil. In order to protect environment, reduce excessive soil erosion, and decrease the propensity and frequency of flooding and other natural disasters, China has initiated nationwide pivotal projects such as “Grain for Green” to mitigate exacerbated environmental deterioration and degradation. Such ecological programs may affect the socio-economic livelihoods of peasants and the economic activities of the whole region. The impact and economic uncertainty associated with such projects urge policy makers to include all stakeholders in the decision making process so that an agreeable solution towards sustainable rural development can be identified. This study uses Liping County in Guizhou province as a case study to identify a consensus among peasants regarding planting selected tree-species. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used as a multicriteria decision making tool to rank sustainability criteria and determine the priority of options. The method helps policy makers to understand what the peasants want to achieve by participating in a Grain for Green program and what their priorities are with respect to particular types of vegetation. The case study finds that economic and financial concerns are the most important drivers of the decision of which trees to plant among the peasants who took part in the implementation of the Grain for Green program. As a result of this, Gingko, redpine, and Chinese chestnut were the predominant trees planted under the program. The integrated assessment based on the AHP method provides an effective tool to help understand how economic, social and environmental factors are related to each other in affecting the nature of rural sustainability.     

Dynamics and driving mechanisms of asymmetric human water consumption during alternating wet and dry periods

Increases in human water consumption (HWC) and consequent degradation of the ecological environment are common in arid regions. Understanding the mechanisms behind these processes is important for sustainable development. Analyses of changes in HWC between alternating wet and dry periods are carried out in four arid inland basins in Central Asia and China (Syr Darya, Tarim, Heihe and Shulehe river basins). Based on runoff records, the presence of an asymmetric HWC response is proved (p < 0.01), with an increase in HWC during wet periods and a muted decrease during subsequent dry periods. This behaviour is interpreted by invoking theories from behavioural economics at the individual and community levels. A simple model based on these theories is shown to be able to reproduce the observed dynamics and is used to discuss the importance of strengthening institutional factors for water sustainability.     

Dynamics and driving mechanisms of asymmetric human water consumption during alternating wet and dry periods

ABSTRACT

Increases in human water consumption (HWC) and consequent degradation of the ecological environment are common in arid regions. Understanding the mechanisms behind these processes is important for sustainable development. Analyses of changes in HWC between alternating wet and dry periods are carried out in four arid inland basins in Central Asia and China (Syr Darya, Tarim, Heihe and Shulehe river basins). Based on runoff records, the presence of an asymmetric HWC response is proved (p < 0.01), with an increase in HWC during wet periods and a muted decrease during subsequent dry periods. This behaviour is interpreted by invoking theories from behavioural economics at the individual and community levels. A simple model based on these theories is shown to be able to reproduce the observed dynamics and is used to discuss the importance of strengthening institutional factors for water sustainability.     

The sustainability of drinking water supply in rural China: Does the provision of drinking water investment mismatch the demand of residents?

It is doubted that the top down nature of investment planning may lead to mismatches between drinking water investment and the demands of local residents in rural China. Statistical and econometric analysis based on data of 2020 rural households from five Chinese provinces from 1998 to 2011 are used to illustrate the linkage between demand for drinking water investment and construction of drinking water projects. Household's demand significantly affects drinking water projects implemented by upper level governments and implemented jointly, but is not significant in explaining the projects implemented by village. There is evidence to suggest that the demands of local leaders override those of households in the implementation of drinking water projects provided by village in the early stage of 2005–2008. The situation improves in the latter stage of 2008–2011when the village level participatory bodies begin to provide opportunities for households to voice their preferences on public goods investment. The results of this study imply that it is important to explore appropriate regulations and policies that enabling local cadres to better meet local demands of their communities to ensure the sustainability of rural drinking water supply.     

The journey from safe yield to sustainability

Safe-yield concepts historically focused attention on the economic and legal aspects of ground water development. Sustainability concerns have brought environmental aspects more to the forefront and have resulted in a more integrated outlook. Water resources sustainability is not a purely scientific concept, but rather a perspective that can frame scientific analysis. The evolving concept of sustainability presents a challenge to hydrologists to translate complex, and sometimes vague, socioeconomic and political questions into technical questions that can be quantified systematically. Hydrologists can contribute to sustainable water resources management by presenting the longer-term implications of ground water development as an integral part of their analyses.     

1980—2020年滇池生态脆弱性评价及主要驱动因子

人类活动的加剧和经济社会的发展导致滇池开发强度持续增加,滇池生态系统结构与功能受到严重影响,评估滇池的生态脆弱性程度与主要驱动因子是明晰滇池生态系统现状和问题、实现其精准治理和可持续发展的首要任务。基于“暴露程度—敏感程度—适应程度”模型(VSD模型),选取3个准则7个要素24个指标构建滇池生态系统脆弱性评估指标体系,利用逼近理想解排序法(TOPSIS)进行权重方案比选,并通过鲁棒性检验分析,确定计算权重的最优方案。通过分析1980—1989、1990—2009、2010—2020年这3个时间段滇池的生态脆弱性,识别出影响滇池生态系统的主要驱动因子,以期为滇池未来生态保护与修复方向的确定提供参考。结果显示,1980—2020年滇池生态脆弱性呈现先增加后降低的趋势,生态脆弱度最高的是1990—2009年(0.502),属于中度脆弱。影响滇池生态系统的主要因素为敏感程度指标,其次为暴露程度指标。在暴露程度方面,影响生态系统的主要驱动因子逐渐从单一的工业污染向工农业的复合污染转变,1980—1989年工业废水排放量为主要驱动因子,1990—2009年建设用地面积是主要胁迫因素,2010—20...     

Economics of a Baltic Sea sustainability approach

Politics, economics and science interpret the concept of sustainability differently. The discussion distinguishes between economic, environmental and social sustainability. While advocates of economic sustainability assume that natural capital is substitutable by humanmade capital, policies for a sustainable development are questionable. The paper therefore highlights a regional case to show that sustainability is indivisible. Moreover, economics and policies serving Baltic sustainability need a new institutional network to manage the multispecies resource with participation of the social players and by addressing targets step by step. The findings are based on a simple ecological-economic model providing insights for the negotiation game for all players. In addition, multispecies resource management shows a strong hierarchy in both social actions and targets. Since sustainable development is an on-going, dynamic process, policy implementation and funding must also be continuous. Sustainable development therefore challenges the institutional sets for the process and its relations to local, regional and national policies.     

Restructuring the delivery of clean water to rural communities in Ghana: the institutional and regulatory issues

Clean water is an important natural resource. In recent times, there has been a radical change in the institutional and regulatory mechanism for providing clean water to the rural communities of Ghana. The object of this paper is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the two regimes for providing water to rural communities in Ghana. These are the traditional regime and the Community Water and Sanitation Program (CWSP). We shall argue that the strength of the traditional regime is that almost everybody knows the laws and institutions that regulate the use of water. Its major weakness is that water is used in an untreated stage and is not available all year round. The strength of the CWSP is that it treats water as an economic resource and it is managed in a manner that makes it sustainable. Its major weakness is that, for its execution, it depends on a number of state institutions which can be notoriously weak. Very little has also been accomplished on the sanitation aspect of the program.     

Recent history provides sustainable African water quality project insight

Small-scale projects to provide clean drinking water undertaken in the developing world can contribute to significantly improving the livelihood of rural communities. There has been a historical tendency to poorly plan such projects leading to an unsustainable future. Recent history indicates three simple steps to ensuring successful and enduring clean water projects. First, identification of need by the indigenous community provides ownership in the project. Second, a partnership between key individuals in the indigenous community with the donor provides for ambassadors on both sides of the project. Finally, an exit strategy by the donors for the indigenous communities ensures local sustainability for the future. The study site is the village of Geisha in northern Malawi, Africa. Sustainable implementation approaches are discussed in this case study as well as the various lessons learned. Improved project processes ensure sustainable small-scale water quality projects by donor organizations in developing countries.     

The Baltic Basin Case Study—towards a sustainable Baltic Europe

Four watersheds, each characterized by a major resource use were selected for the study: The Vistula River in Poland—agriculture; the Dalälven River in Sweden—forestry; the Archipelago Sea in Sweden, Finland, Estonia—tourism; and the Lake Peipsi in Estonia/Russia—fisheries/agriculture. The main objective was to examine the reactions of particular ecosystems within the Baltic Sea drainage area, and to assess sustainability conditions on the regional level.The degree of sustainability and impact on the Baltic Sea were investigated through workshops and seminars in the areas. Overviews of environmental and socio-economic conditions were succinctly summarized in commissioned papers. Interventions by and discussions with scholars, sector experts, administrators and stakeholders of the various sites laid the foundation for conceptualizing the interaction of natural and human forces for each case. The project was able to draw quite a number of conclusions, summarized as the following lessons learnt.In the Vistula Region, nutrient emissions have levelled off but shortage of freshwater is critical. Forestry in the Dalälven watershed is largely environmental-friendly, except for fragmentation of the landscape and its negative impact on biodiversity. In the Archipelago area a former low-energy community has been replaced by a leisure time society. Different types of tourism is developing, but despite this variety, an improved integration of ecological properties with socio-economic patterns is required in order to build a sustainable, living Archipelago. The lake Peipsi basin and the surrounding area suffer both from problems of resource management and economic backwardness. Parts of the local economy has lost access to the one time large Soviet market, although the Estonian side has apparently benefited from present economic growth. To cope with the division of the lake, a regime for trans-national management is unfolding. It is based on both informal and, to an increasing extent, agreed professional contacts.Networks of engaged people were in all sites a resource for and promoter of the sustainability path. In order to succeed and to maintain the zeal, they need strong institutional support and common goals. Public programmes in the Baltic, ie. the work of the Helsinki Commission and Baltic Agenda 21, have developed instruments to enhance sustainability beneficial for the management of these watersheds. But critical tasks remain to be done in developing a shared understanding of ways to improve management of ecosystems with social factors.     

What impact will climate change have on rural groundwater supplies in Africa?

Abstract

One of the key uncertainties surrounding the impacts of climate change in Africa is the effect on the sustainability of rural water supplies. Many of these water supplies abstract from shallow groundwater (<50 m) and are the sole source of safe drinking water for rural populations. Analysis of existing rainfall and recharge studies suggests that climate change is unlikely to lead to widespread catastrophic failure of improved rural groundwater supplies. These require only 10 mm of recharge annually per year to support a hand pump, which should still be achievable for much of the continent, although up to 90 million people may be affected in marginal groundwater recharge areas (200–500 mm annual rainfall). Lessons learnt from groundwater source behaviour during recent droughts, substantiated by groundwater modelling, indicate that increased demand on dispersed water points, as shallow unimproved sources progressively fail, poses a much greater risk of individual source failure than regional resource depletion. Low yielding sources in poor aquifers are most at risk. Predicted increased rainfall intensity may also increase the risk of contamination of very shallow groundwater. Looking to the future, an increase in major groundwater-based irrigation systems, as food prices rise and surface water becomes more unreliable, may threaten long-term sustainability as competition for groundwater increases. To help prepare for increased climate variability, it is essential to understand the balance between water availability, access to water, and use/demand. In practice, this means increasing access to secure domestic water, understanding and mapping renewable and non-renewable groundwater resources, promoting small-scale irrigation and widening the scope of early warning systems and mapping to include access to water.     

甘肃省农村民房地震易损性的调查与分析

甘肃省农村地震灾害严重。基于对甘肃省农村民房的调查和数次农村民房震害资料分析,概括论述了甘肃省农村民房的主要类型及其抗震性能,研究分析了甘肃农村民房地震易损性的主要影响因素,涉及农村民房的建筑场地和地基基础、结构布局、施工技术、选材用料以及维护使用等方面。     

Ground water sustainability: methodology and application to the North China Plain

This article analyzes part of a ground water flow system in the North China Plain (NCP) subject to severe overexploitation and rapid depletion. A transient ground water flow model was constructed and calibrated to quantify the changes in the flow system since the predevelopment 1950s. The flow model was then used in conjunction with an optimization code to determine optimal pumping schemes that improve ground water management practices. Finally, two management scenarios, namely, urbanization and the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, were evaluated for their potential impacts on the ground water resources in the study area. Although this study focuses on the NCP, it illustrates a general modeling framework for analyzing the sustainability, or the lack thereof, of ground water flow systems driven by similar hydrogeologic and economic conditions. The numerical simulation is capable of quantifying the various components of the overall flow budget and evaluating the impacts of different management scenarios. The optimization modeling allows the determination of the maximum "sustainable pumping" that satisfies a series of prescribed constraints. It can also be used to minimize the economic costs associated with ground water development and management. Furthermore, since the NCP is one of the most water scarce and economically active regions in the world, the conclusions and insights from this study are of general interest and international significance.     

Towards sustainable groundwater use: setting long-term goals, backcasting, and managing adaptively

The sustainability of crucial earth resources, such as groundwater, is a critical issue. We consider groundwater sustainability a value-driven process of intra- and intergenerational equity that balances the environment, society, and economy. Synthesizing hydrogeological science and current sustainability concepts, we emphasize three sustainability approaches: setting multigenerational sustainability goals, backcasting, and managing adaptively. As most aquifer problems are long-term problems, we propose that multigenerational goals (50 to 100 years) for water quantity and quality that acknowledge the connections between groundwater, surface water, and ecosystems be set for many aquifers. The goals should be set by a watershed- or aquifer-based community in an inclusive and participatory manner. Policies for shorter time horizons should be developed by backcasting, and measures implemented through adaptive management to achieve the long-term goals. Two case histories illustrate the importance and complexity of a multigenerational perspective and adaptive management. These approaches could transform aquifer depletion and contamination to more sustainable groundwater use, providing groundwater for current and future generations while protecting ecological integrity and resilience.     

1990年以来北京密云水库主要水环境因子时空分布特征

根据19902011年密云水库共12个监测点的月监测资料,采用聚类分析研究各监测点水环境相似性及空间分布特征,采用因子分析识别影响水质的主要因子并评价各采样点的综合水质.通过绝对主成分多元回归分析,获得汛期和非汛期各因子对各水质指标的贡献率.利用季节性Kendall检验及流量调节检验对密云水库库区水化学特征和水质状况时空分布特征进行了研究.结果表明：汛期水质主要受到农业营养物质的影响,其次为生物化学因素和有机物的影响.非汛期水质主要受到农牧业排放因素的影响,其次为人类活动和生物化学因素的影响.因子得分综合评价显示,汛期辛庄桥、内湖和大关桥综合水质较差,潮河、库西和白河综合水质较好.非汛期辛庄桥、石佛桥和大关桥综合水质较差,库东、套里和恒河综合水质较好.主要水质指标的年际变化规律不同,但最终都趋于平稳.与潮河、白河入库水质变化相比,库区水质变化趋势较小,上游入库水质和库区水质都整体趋好.除白河入库的总氮和总磷外,其他监测指标的变化趋势经流量调节前后基本一致,表明流量并不是引起水质趋势变化的主要因素,水质的变化主要是由于污染源变化而引起.     

Market instruments for demand management in the face of scarcity and overuse of water in Gujarat,Western India

The paper analyses the water scarcity problems in Gujarat in Western India using definitions of water scarcity propounded by Falkenmark, and Raskin and others, and a more universal definition based on supply and demand. While a lion's share of the scarce water goes for irrigating cash crops at the cost of subsistence farming and rural drinking, the pricing of canal water and electricity used for groundwater pumping is highly inefficient and inequitable. To manage demands for water, the paper suggests the use of water market as the institutional arrangement for promoting economically efficient uses, along with rational pricing of canal water and electricity for encouraging conservation. The paper advocates policies that enable: reforms in the governance and management of water for decentralisation and local institutional development; and increased investment in the irrigation and power supply sector for technological innovations and improvements in infrastructure, which are the fountainhead of the demand management strategy.     

太湖流域重污染区主要水污染物总量控制

太湖流域产业、人口集聚,水环境污染已经成为整个太湖流域经济可持续发展的制约因素之一,为解决经济发展引起的环境问题,对污染物排放实行总量控制至关重要.为此以太湖流域梅梁湾、竺山湾上游集水区域(重污染区)为研究区域,全面调查区域社会经济、产业结构、土地利用以及各类污染源现状,构建重污染区套网格水文、水质数学模型,计算区域水环境容量与污染物削减量,依据水功能区划与水域面积分配到各镇(街道),确定重污染区以镇(街道)级为基本单位的分阶段总量控制目标,制订主要污染物控制与负荷削减综合系统方案,提出2015年各类污染源重点工程措施,方案实施后区域河网水质平均达标率达80%,为太湖流域水环境管理提供技术支撑.     

Varying water utilization of Haloxylon ammodendron plantations in a desert‐oasis ecotone

Haloxylon ammodendron is a desert shrub used extensively in China for restoring degraded dry lands. An understanding of the water source used by H. ammodendron plantations is critical achieving sustainable vegetation restoration. We measured mortality, shoot size, and rooting depth in 5‐, 10‐, 20‐, and 40‐year‐old H. ammodendron plantations. We examined stable isotopic ratios of oxygen (δ¹⁸O) in precipitation, groundwater, and soil water in different soil layers and seasons, and in plant stem water to determine water sources at different shrub ages. We found that water acquisition patterns in H. ammodendron plantations differed with plantation age and season. Thus, the main water source for 5‐year‐old shrubs was shallow soil water. Water sources of 10‐year‐old shrubs shifted depending on the soil water conditions during the season. Although their tap roots could absorb deep soil water, the plantation main water sources were from soil water, and about 50% of water originated from shallow and mid soil. This pattern might occur because main water sources in these plantations were changeable over time. The 20‐ and 40‐year‐old shrubs acquired water mainly from permanent groundwater. We conclude that the main water source of a young H. ammodendron plantation was soil water recharged by precipitation. However, when roots reached sufficient depth, water originated mainly from the deep soil water, especially in the dry season. The deeply rooted 20‐ and 40‐year‐old shrubs have the ability to exploit a deep and reliable water source. To achieve sustainability in these plantations, we recommend a reduction in the initial density of H. ammodendron in the desert‐oasis ecotone to decelerate the consumption of shallow soil water during plantation establishment.