Water Scarcity in Conakry, Guinea: Challenges and Proposed Strategies for a Way Forward

The capital of Guinea, Conakry, faces a notable difficulty due to a water shortage, which is worsened by the rapid increase in population and urban development. The Guinean Water Company (SEG) faces challenges in supplying water to the entire city due to its limited area of approximately 420 km2 and a population of 2 million. Moreover, the population growth rate is anticipated to increase dramatically, exacerbating the difficulty of fulfilling future water requirements. As a result, this study employs data from the Knoema website and the Institute of National Statistics of Guinea (INS) to examine the water production and distribution process by the SEG. The study examines the challenges related to water scarcity in Conakry and suggests strategies to assist the city in managing the present circumstances and planning for the future. The primary objective is to get a long-lasting water supply and uphold water quality to advance public health.

Assessment of Water Scarcity Levels in the Srepok River Basin

Water scarcity has become a pressing global issue, worsening food security, hindering economic development, compromising environmental quality, and threatening human health and other fundamental societal needs. Viet Nam is among the countries severely affected by water scarcity. This study comprehensively assesses the extent and scale of water scarcity in the Srepok River Basin, considering the impacts of water resource allocation, balance, and environmental flows. The areas heavily affected by water scarcity include Ea Hleo, Ea Krong Ana, and several Srepok River branches, with water scarcity periods mainly concentrated in February, March, and April. The influence of climate change has increased the extent and level of water scarcity in the river, affecting an estimated 1.4 million people for at least one month and about 1 million for at least three months. The agricultural sector is significantly affected by water scarcity, with water shortages of 50% according to the baseline scenario and over 60% according to climate change scenarios.

Evaluating mountain water scarcity on the county scale: a case study of Dongchuan District, Kunming, China

Mountain water, which contributes 50% to 90% to the lower reaches of the watershed, has a considerably low utility efficiency. The water accessibility could be a quantitative measure of water scarcity in the mountains. It can be used effectively for emergency water shortage planning and water resource management. In the present study, Dongchuan District, a typical county in the Hengduan Mountains in Yunnan province of Southwest China, was selected as the study area, and the minimal cumulative resistance(MCR) model was used to simulate the least-cost path(LCP) from 1255 point features of natural villages, as well as 12,368 dryfield centroids, to their respective surrounding river systems, which serve as a source for emergency drinking water and irrigation during droughts. The average length of the LCP for each administrative village was calculated to represent the accessibility to water sources for agricultural production and daily life in these mountain villages. The distribution of population and dryfields, as well as other geographic elements, were analyzed to classify the degree of water scarcity in these villages. The results indicate that the area facing the highest risk of water shortage for agricultural irrigation is located in northern Dongchuan, in particular along the two sides of the Xiaojiang Valley, and that the area with the highest risk of water shortage for daily life needs is located along the Xiaojiang Valley.

Determination of volatile organic compounds in river water by solid phase extraction and gas chromatography

A simple, rapid, and reproducible method is described employing solid phase extraction(SPE) using dichloromethane followed by gas chromatography(GC) with flame ionization detection(FID) for determination of volatile organic compound(VOC) from the Buriganga River water of Bangladesh. The method was applied to detect the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and cumene(BTEXC) in the sample collected from the surface or 15 cm depth of water. Two hundred ml of n hexane pretreated and filtered water samples were applied directly to a C 18 SPE column. BTEXC were extracted with dichloromethane and average concentrations were obtained as 0 104 to 0 372 μg/ml. The highest concentration of benzene was found as 0 372 μg/ml with a relative standard deviation(RSD) of 6 2%, and cumene was not detected. Factors influencing SPE e.g., adsorbent types, sample load volume, eluting solvent, headspace and temperatures, were investigated. A cartridge containing a C 18 adsorbent and using dichloromethane gave better performance for extraction of BTEXC from water. Average recoveries exceeding 90% could be achieved for cumene at 4℃ with a 2 7% RSD.

Phase equilibria for the pseudo-ternary system(NaCl+Na2SO4+H2O)of coal gasification wastewater at T=(268.15 to 373.15)K

The pseudo-ternary system(Na Cl + Na_2SO_4+ H_2O) of coal gasification wastewater was studied at T =(268.15 to 373.15) K. The solubility and density of the equilibrium liquid phase were determined by the isothermal solution saturation method. The equilibrium solids were also investigated by the Schreinemaker's method of wet residues and X-ray powder diffraction(XRD). According to the experimental data, the phase diagrams were determined. It was found that there was no significant solubility difference on the Na Cl-rich side between the ternary system(Na Cl + Na_2SO_4+ H_2O) in coal gasification wastewater and in pure water. However, the solubility on the Na_2SO_4-rich side of coal gasification wastewater was apparently higher than that of pure water. The increase in the solubility of Na_2SO_4 was most likely caused by the effects of other impurities apart from Na Cl and Na_2SO_4 in coal gasification wastewater. The measured data and phase equilibrium diagrams can provide fundamental basis for salt recovery in coal gasification wastewater.

Effects of Volume Ratios of Water Phase to Oily Phase on Morphology and Releasing Performance of Emulsion Electrospun Fibers

Emulsion electrospinning as a novel process in spinning core-sheath fibers shows a promising potential in drug release control. The volume ratio of water phase to oily phase is one of the critical parameters in forming core-sheath fibers. In this study, water phase was presented by hydrophilic tetracycline hydrochloride and oily phase by hydrophobic poly （E-caprolactone） （PCL）. The effects of volume ratios of water phase to oily phase on fiber morphology and in vitro drug release were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy （ SEM ）, transmission electron microscopy （ TEM）, and eonfoeal laser scanning microscopy（CLSM） were used to observe the morphology, core.sheath structure of the fibers and drug loading in the fibers, respectively. Samples of three different volume ratios of water phase to oily phase, 1： 25, 1：15, and 1：10, were prepared with the same concentration of drug solution. Experiment results showed that, with an increase in the volume ratios of water phase to oily phase, the fiber diameter increased and diameter distribution scattered. The drug entrapment efficiency of the fibers reduces with the increase in volume ratios, L e. , from 73.48 % in the ratio of 1 ： 25, 62.23 % in 1 ： 15, down to 45.63 % in 1：10. In vitro release tests showed that a higher volume ratio of water phase to oily phase would lead to a lower release rate resulted from thicker fiber sheath.

Study on Reduction of Mixed Water Salinity by Sound Wave <br/>—Toward Water Scarcity Issue-Solving in Isolated Islands in the World

There are so many Isolated Islands (inhabited islands) in the world, including Japan. However, at present islanders, there have been faced with the decline of industries, serious concerns of rapid aging and very low birthrate without children and water scarcity issues etc. It can be said that these situations are under the environment which shows a microcosm of Japanese and/or world survival society in the near future. In this paper, the experimental data on the reduction of the mixed water (seawater & rainwater) salinity by the sound wave when changing the volume ratio were first shown, taking into the characteristics of the Isolated Islands. Next, the main analysis result on the water qualities of mixed water with which sound wave was irradiated was shown and the consideration mainly based on the WHO drinking water quality standards was carried out. Finally, through a simple water quality improvement apparatus using small hydroelectric power, a consideration regarding a possibility of the purification of the water (to be a drinking water) based on the solar circulation energy (regenerative type’s natural energy) such as small hydropower utilization, natural sunlight utilization, natural gravity utilization, natural oscillation utilization has been described in the paper.

Phase transition model of water flow irradiated by high-energy laser in a chamber

In the absorption chamber of a high-energy laser energy meter, water is directly used as an absorbing medium and the interaction of the high-power laser and the water flow can produce a variety of physical phenomena such as phase transitions. The unit difference method is adopted to deduce the phase transition model for water flow irradiated by a high-energy laser. In addition, the model is simulated and verified through experiments. Among them, the experimental verification uses the photographic method, shooting the distribution and the form of the air mass of water flow in different operating conditions, which are compared with the simulation results. The research shows that it is achievable to reduce the intensity of the phase transition by increasing the water flow, reducing the power intensity of the beam, shortening the distance the beam covers, reducing the initial water temperature or adopting a shorter wavelength laser. The study＇s results will provide the reference for the design of a water-direct-absorption-type high-energy laser energy meter as well as an analysis of the interaction processes of other similar high-power lasers and water flow.

Study on resource quantity of surface water based on phase space reconstruction and neural network

Proposed a new method to disclose the complicated non-linearity structure of the water-resource system, introducing chaos theory into the hydrology and water resources field, and combined with the chaos theory and artificial neural networks. Training data construction and networks structure were determined by the phase space reconstruction, and establishing nonlinear relationship of phase points with neural networks, the forecasting model of the resource quantity of the surface water was brought forward. The keystone of the way and the detailed arithmetic of the network training were given. The example shows that the model has highly forecasting precision.

Rapid determination of atrazine in environmental water samples by a novel liquid phase microextraction

A novel method was described for the rapid determination of atrazine using dispersive liquid phase microextraction in combination with high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. Possible impact parameters such as sample pH, extraction and disperser solvents, salting-out effect, and extraction time were investigated. The experimental results indicated that proposed method possessed an excellent analytical performance, The linear range, detection limit, and precision （R.S.D.） were 0.1- 50 ng mL- 1 （R2 = 0.9955）, 0.601 ng mL- 1 and 6,4%, respectively. The proposed method was validated with the real water samples, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 69.9-89.8%, respectively. These results indicated that the established method with high enrichment factor, short extraction time was an excellent alternative for the routine analysis of atrazine in environmental samples. 2007 Qing Xiang Zhou. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Using GIS and Remote Sensing in Assessment of Water Scarcity in Nakuru County, Kenya

Water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human survival. This research study has been carried out in Nakuru County, a tropical region in the Rift Valley of Kenya, bounded between latitude 0.28°N and 1.16°S, and longitude 36.27°E and 36.55°E. The objective of the study has been to use GIS and remote sensing in assessment of water scarcity using Land use Land cover area changes, standard precipitation index and crop yields. Landsat satellite images for the year 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 were used. Classification was done using maximum likelihood algorithm while classification accuracy assessment entailed the use of confusion matrix method and ground truth data. Post classification change detection results gave percentage cropland areas as 21% in 1985, 29% in 1995, 53% in 2005 and also 53% in 2015. Eleven (11) ground rainfall stations and TRMM satellite rainfall data from 1985 to 2015 has been used to show meteorological drought. Validation of rainfall data done using correlation coefficient (R2) and root mean square (RMS) methods showed that ground rainfall data and TRMM data correlate. Modelling of 3 months SPI for each of the three seasons (MAM, JJA and OND) has been done using interpolation distance weighted method (IDW). 3 months SPI time scales curves gave October 1987 May 1993, and July 2004 as water scarce and dry seasons and were categorized as either Normal, moderately dry, severely dry and extremely dry. Crop yield trends curves showed crop yield decrease in this identified water scarce and dry years. Conclusion reached is that crop yields is not dependent on size of land ploughed only but mostly on rainfall quantities. Therefore, the findings of this research can be used as drought monitoring tools.

Simultaneous Determination of Bisphenols and Alkylphenols in Water by Solid Phase Extraction and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry

To establish an analytical method for determination of four bisphenols （BPA, BPB, BPF, and BPS） and two alkylphenols （4-n-OP, 4-n-NP） in water by ultra performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC/MS/MS）. The water samples were extracted and condensed with solid-phase extraction （SPE） using C18 cartridges and eluted by acetonitrile. Separation was carried out with Acquity BEH C8 column and detection were performed by UPLC/MS/MS. Quantification was calculated by using the internal standard BPA-d16 and 4-n-NP-d8. The linear correlation coefficients of these compounds in the range of 1.0-100.0μg/L were all over 0.999. The minimum detectable concentrations were 0.75-1.0 ng/L, and the recoveries ranged from 87.0% to 106.9%.

A 100% Water Mobile Phase HPLC-PDA Analysis of Meamine and Related Analogues

This paper describes a reserved-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for detecting melamine (MEL) and related analogues, cyanuric acid (CYA), ammeline (AML), and ammelide (AMD), using a 100% water mobile phase. Chromatographic separation was performed an Inertsil? ODS-4 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with a water mobile phase and a photodiode-array detector. The monitoring wavelength was adjusted to 210 nm which represents an average maximum for all the analytes. The total run time was < 8 min. The method shows high stability, significant linearity and satisfactory sensitivity. The detection limits were established in the range 23 - 46 ng.mL–1. An inexpensive and harmless method for the simultaneous detection of MEL, CYA, AML, and AMD was developed and may be further applied to the quantification in foods.

A WEAKLY NONLINEAR WATER WAVE MODEL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT DISPERSION OF WAVE PHASE VELOCITY

This paper presents a weakly nonlinear water wave model using a mild slope equation and a new explicit formulation which takes into account dispersion of wave phase velocity, approximates Hedges’ (1987) nonlinear dispersion relationship, and accords well with the original empirical formula. Comparison of the calculating results with those obtained from the experimental data and those obtained from linear wave theory showed that the present water wave model considering the dispersion of phase velocity is rational and in good agreement with experiment data.

Metastable-phaseβ-Fe_(2)O_(3) photoanodes for solar water splitting with durability exceeding 100 h

Planar films of pure and Ti^(4+)-dopedβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)were prepared by a spray pyrolysis method.X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectra of the metastableβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)film showed that its thermal stability was significantly improved because of covalent bonds in the interfaces between the film and substrate,while only weak Van der Waals bonds existed at the interfaces within the particle-assembledβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)film prepared by electrophoretic deposition.The as-prepared planar films were thus able to withstand higher annealing temperature and stronger laser irradiation power in comparison with theβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)particle-assembly.Ti^(4+)doping was used to increase the concentration of carriers in the metastableβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)film.Compared with pureβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)photoanodes,the highest saturated photocurrent for water splitting over the Ti^(4+)-dopedβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)photoanode was increased by a factor of approximately three.Theβ-Fe_(2)O_(3)photoanode exhibited photochemical stability for water splitting for a duration exceeding 100 h,which indicates its important potential application in solar energy conversion.

Analysis on Systematic Water Scarcity Based on Establishment of Water Scarcity Classification System

It would be very helpful for making countermeasures against complex water scarcity by analysis on systematic water scarcity.Based on the previous researches on water scarcity classification,a classification system of water scarcity was established according to contributing factors,which comprises three water scarcity categories caused by anthropic factors,natural factors and mixed factors respectively.Accordingly,the concept of systematic water scarcity was proposed,which can be defined as one type of water scarcity category caused by the discordance between water demand pattern determined by anthropic factors and water supply pattern controlled by natural factors in an evaluation region during a period.Systematic water scarcity has four features,namely space-time characteristic,scale property,externality and integrity,and can be divided into four developing phases including critical phase,early phase,middle phase and late phase according to various degrees of water scarcity.

Landscape Architecture Development Path of Water Resource-Scarcity Cities: Summary of Jinchang City's Efforts in Constructing National Garden City

Jinchang City, a city with scarce water resources, has developed through 32 years of efforts from a small town in the Gobi desert into a medium modern city, and green coverage ratio of the downtown area has risen from 2.6% before the founding of the city to 36.11%. This paper summarized the measures adopted by Jinchang City for building national garden city.

Linking Environmental Water Scarcity and Options for Adaptation in the MENA Region

Contamination of surface and underground water by sea level rise, surface runoff, and land use activities such as industrial and agricultural activities can lead to water scarcity. Water could be available and accessible but not suitable for human use. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region countries, the agriculture sector depends massively on water for farming activities, which consumes about 80% of the available water resources. In this context, the issue of environmental water scarcity is under highlighted, though the use of this term itself is still lacking in an international context (FAO). Meanwhile, the international goal of universal access to clean freshwater is included in global development targets (SDGs). This study provides some insights and deepens our understanding on environmental water scarcity, particularly MEN-A region countries. This review paper begins with an introduction to water scarcity and continues with a discussion of environmental issues associated with water scarcity in MENA region countries. Finally, we suggest some adaptive measures in two distinct areas such as agriculture sectors and policy makers and conclude that the lack of implementation of this particular term is hindering sustainable development in MENA region countries.

Numerical Study of Thermal Performance of Phase Change Material Energy Storage Floor in Solar Water Heating System

The conventional solar heating floor system contains a big water tank to store energy in the day time for heating at night,which takes much building space and is very heavy.In order to reduce the water tank volume even to cancel the tank,a novel structure of integrated water pipe floor heating system using shape-stabilized phase change materials(SSPCM)for thermal energy storage was developed.A numerical model was developed to analyze the performance of SSPCM floor heating system under the intermittent heating condition,which was verified by our experimental data.The thermal performance of the heating system and the effects of various factors on it were analyzed numerically.The factors including phase transition temperature,heat of fusion,thermal conductivity of SSPCM and thermal conductivity of the decoration material were analyzed.The results show that tm and kd are the most import influencing factors on the thermal performance of SSPCM floor heating system,since they determine the heat source temperature and thermal resistance between SSPCM plates and indoor air,respectively.Hm should be large to store enough thermal energy in the day time for nighttimes heating.The effects of kp can be ignored in this system.The SSPCM floor heating system has potential of making use of the daytime solar energy for heating at night efficiently in various climates when its structure is properly designed.

Preparation and Phase Transformation Behavior of Boehmite via Heat Treatment in Water Vapor

Boehmite was prepared under heat treatment in water vapour, and the phase transformation of gibbsite heat-treated at various temperatures was investigated. The sample was characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry and differential thermalanalysis (TG-DTA), fourier transform infrared (FTIR),and BET surface area.Effect of temperature on preparation was studied in the range of 155°–195°.With the increase in temperature, transformation of gibbsite into crystalline boehmites took place as indicated by the X-ray diffraction (XRD). The shape of the grains in the prepared sample was cube-like morphology.In water vapour gibbsite transform into boehmite by a dissolution - precipitation mechanism.