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1 – 10 of over 34000In recent years, cooperation between the public and the private sectors has been emphasized in the field of river basin management, which includes flood control, water…
Abstract
In recent years, cooperation between the public and the private sectors has been emphasized in the field of river basin management, which includes flood control, water use, and river environmental conservation. During the 3rd World Water Forum held in 2003 in Kyoto, Osaka, and Shiga, Japan, participants from various countries had reported participatory approaches and joint initiatives between public and private sectors in river basin management. Through this forum, it is shown that this theme has been receiving attention in different parts of the world.
Kirsti Korkka‐Niemi, Anna‐Liisa Kivimäki, Kirsti Lahti, Maria Nygård, Anne Rautio, Veli‐Pekka Salonen and Petri Pellikka
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of groundwater‐surface water interaction when studying, modeling and assessing climate change impacts on river…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of groundwater‐surface water interaction when studying, modeling and assessing climate change impacts on river water management.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigations were focused on River Vantaa and its tributaries in southern Finland. The main methods used involved aerial infrared photography, thermal profiling of river sediments, water quality measurements, isotopic composition of oxygen and hydrogen δ18O, δ2H and river water temperature measurements. The authors present the first results of the field measurements targeted to identify the groundwater recharge and discharge zones within the river system.
Findings
Groundwater discharge zones were found to have a significant impact on water quality and volume in River Vantaa and its tributaries. In the drainage basin, the aerial infrared photography seemed to be a feasible and cost‐effective method to identify areas of groundwater discharge across the entire river basin. Around 350 groundwater/surface water interaction sites along the 220 km river system could be identified.
Practical implications
The interaction sites identified during the season of low flow rate should be considered as potential risk areas because during flood periods groundwater quality might be at risk due to bank infiltration. This should be considered in river basin management within predicted changing climatic conditions.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt in Finland to map systematically groundwater and river water interactions. The focus of the paper is relevant, because according to the existing climate scenarios, flooding of the main rivers in Finland will be more frequent in future, increasing the probability of groundwater‐surface water interaction.
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Kano River basin, which serves as the main source of water supply to metropolitan Kano, is also used as receiving body for industrial wastes from Sharada and Challawa…
Abstract
Kano River basin, which serves as the main source of water supply to metropolitan Kano, is also used as receiving body for industrial wastes from Sharada and Challawa industrial estates. Of the three major rivers in this basin, the Salanta river was found to receive the highest pollution from the industrial discharges with COD of 8,557.4mg/l, total solids of 16,934.6mg/l, hardness of 1,349.6mg/l CaCO3, and ammonia nitrogen of 5,150.0mg/l. The Challawa river had COD of 598.7mg/l, total solids of 1,609.9mg/l, hardness of 1,332.0mg/l CaCO3 and ammonia‐nitrogen 400mg/l. Both empty into the Kano river where the COD was 1,166.9mg/l, total solids 1,458.0mg/l, hardness 2,506.8mg/l and ammonia‐nitrogen 530mg/l. Although these rivers are being used extensively for water supply, irrigation, and fishing, the quality of the water was found to be unsuitable for these purposes. The paper suggests that waste water pre‐treatment by all industries, imposition of direct charges on industrial effluents by the regulating agency, as well as continuous monitoring and surveillance are required to ensure the protection of the water resources in the basin.
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Recent years have produced significant demand for geographical contributions to the study of social movements in general and of environmental social movement organizations…
Abstract
Recent years have produced significant demand for geographical contributions to the study of social movements in general and of environmental social movement organizations (ESMOs) in particular. Geographical approaches to the study of ESMOs emphasize “the mediation of social movement agency by place” (Miller, 2000; Routledge, 1993) and call attention to the role of place-based environmental knowledge (EK) in the broader “struggle(s) over meaning” that increasingly constitute environmental politics (Buechler, 1997; Escobar, 1992; Rangan, 2000; Watts, 1990). My chapter responds to this call by providing an examination of the reproduction of EK by antipollution organizations in India’s central Ganges River Basin (GRB). Through interviews with organization leaders and members, along with analysis of organizational websites and publications, I examine the EK of two key antipollution organizations in the GRB: The Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) and Kanpur Eco-Friends (KEF). Analysis focuses on methods of knowledge reproduction employed by each organization, their respective framing practices, and the localized natures of the EK they reproduce. I argue that each organization works to reproduce a specific and place-based understanding of pollution in the GRB that informs their framing of the pollution problem, the tactical activities in which their members engage, and the power relations that exist between the two organizations and their leaders. Further, I argue that engaging with EK as both a method of understanding pollution and a tactic for consolidating political power is essential to making sense of the relative success of these movement organizations and the challenges they face in trying to build a broader coalition and mass-mobilization against pollution in the Ganges.
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Mark G. Macklin and John Lewin
Rivers have played a defining role in the global development of human societies and culture. This will undoubtedly continue in the twenty-first century with a growing…
Abstract
Rivers have played a defining role in the global development of human societies and culture. This will undoubtedly continue in the twenty-first century with a growing demand for water, increasing pollution of river channel and floodplain environments, and anthropogenic global warming-related changes in the frequency of floods and droughts. These will have major environmental and societal impacts worldwide. We consider how rivers initially shaped societies, and then how urbanisation, industrialisation and intensified agriculture have more recently transformed river systems, so compromising planetary health and human ways of life. So where do we go from here? Humanity now faces an existential environmental catastrophe of its own making, and it will be on the world's most densely populated floodplains where this crisis will be played out. We highlight likely areas facing the greatest challenges. Ironically, many of these are where ancient civilisations began. Interdisciplinary catchment-based approaches, and new technologies such as those based on satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles, are now beginning to address pressing societal and planetary problems in the unfolding climate crisis.
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Daniel Petry and Ines Dombrowsky
Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has…
Abstract
Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has historically been dominated by the federal states and has been organized along administrative borders, is now challenged to be reorganized. The article introduces the German water sector, reviews past experiences with river basin management such as North Rhine–Westphalia's water associations, the river basin organizations of the former German Democratic Republic, and international river commissions, and addresses current challenges in connection with the implementation of WFD.
Jet-Chau Wen, Kuo-Chyang Chang, Shao-Yang Huang, Chia-Chen Hsu, Keng-Yu Chang and Wen-Ni Chen
Rivers flowing through the land are a source of life. They have different importance and functions such as for drinking, sailing, irrigating crops, generating electricity…
Abstract
Rivers flowing through the land are a source of life. They have different importance and functions such as for drinking, sailing, irrigating crops, generating electricity, sightseeing, fishing, and so on. In addition, animals like amphibians, birds, and mammals also live and propagate near the river environment. Therefore, rivers are ecosystems for some animals and plants that are special, rare, or on the brink of extinction (Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2006).
Water has been called the oil of the 21st century. Global water consumption is rising steeply and the lack of adequate supplies of quality water is a problem in many parts…
Abstract
Water has been called the oil of the 21st century. Global water consumption is rising steeply and the lack of adequate supplies of quality water is a problem in many parts of the world. Water is one of the most abundant elements of earth, covering nearly 1,400 million cubic kilometers, nearly 70 percent of the planet's surface. However, only a very minor portion of this huge volume is actually usable. The rest forms oceans and polar ice caps. Availability of usable water is further limited by the fact that it cannot be easily exported over long distances.
Guangxing Ji, Zhizhu Lai, Dan Yan, Leying Wu and Zheng Wang
The purpose of this study is to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of future meteorological drought in the Yellow River Basin under different representative concentration…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of future meteorological drought in the Yellow River Basin under different representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
Delta method is used to process the future climate data of the global climate models, then analyzed the spatiotemporal variation trend of drought in the Yellow River Basin based on standardized precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) under four RCP scenarios.
Findings
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41901239), Soft Science Research Project of Henan Province (212400410077, 192400410085), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0602703), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M640670) and the special fund of top talents in Henan Agricultural University (30501031).
Originality/value
This study can provide support for future meteorological drought management and prevention in the Yellow River Basin and provide a theoretical basis for water resources management.
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This paper reviews, summarizes and pieces together scattered information on the newly completed Chicago Riverwalk in Chicago, Illinois. It explains the design process that…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper reviews, summarizes and pieces together scattered information on the newly completed Chicago Riverwalk in Chicago, Illinois. It explains the design process that transformed an outmoded infrastructure and disused river banks into an attractive gathering civic space, a linear urban park and a functional transportation corridor.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature review.
Findings
Overall, the paper reports on one of the latest projects in Chicago that symbolizes the city's long history and earnest commitment to urban sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The paper identifies key urban sustainability lessons that are transferable to other cities.
Originality/value
It is the first paper that stitches together scattered information on the topic.
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