Optimization of water-urban-agricultural-ecological land use pattern:A case study of Guanzhong Basin in the southern Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province,China

Extensive land use will cause many environmental problems.It is an urgent task to improve land use efficiency and optimize land use patterns.In recent years,due to the flow decrease,the Guanzhong Basin in Shaanxi Province is confronted with the problem of insufficient water resources reserve.Based on the Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model(GSFLOW),this paper evaluates the response of water resources in the basin to changes in land use patterns,optimizes the land use pattern,improves the ecological and economic benefits,and the efficiency of various spatial development,providing a reference for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.The research shows that the land use pattern in the Guanzhong Basin should be further optimized.Under the condition of considering ecological and economic development,the percentage change of the optimum area of farmland,forest,grassland,water area,and urban area compared with the current land use area ratio is+2.3,+2.4,-6.1,+0.2,and+1.6,respectively.The economic and ecological value of land increases by14.1%and 3.1%,respectively,and the number of water resources can increase by 2.5%.

Performance of a Horizontal Flow Constructed Reed Bed Filter for Municipal Wastewater Treatment: The Case Study of the Prototype Installed at Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal

In Saint-Louis, Senegal, a constructed wetland with horizontal flow reed beds (FHa and FHb) has demonstrated significant efficacy in treating municipal wastewater. Analyzing various treatment stages, the system showed only a slight temperature variation, from an influent average of 26.3°C to an effluent of 24.7°C. Electrical conductivity decreased from 1331 mS/cm to 974.5 mS/cm post-primary treatment, with suspended solids (SS) dramatically reduced from 718.9 mg/L to 5.7 mg/L in the final effluent. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) saw a notable decrease, from initial levels of 655.6 mg/L and 1240 mg/L to 2.3 mg/L and 71.3 mg/L, respectively. Nitrogenous compounds (N-TN) and phosphates () also decreased significantly, indicating the system’s nutrient removal capacity. Microbiological analysis revealed a reduction in fecal coliforms from 7.5 Ulog/100ml to 1.8 Ulog/100ml and a complete elimination of helminth eggs. The presence of Phragmites and Typha was instrumental in enhancing these reductions. The system’s compliance with the Senegalese standards for disposal into natural environments, WHO recommendations for unrestricted water reuse in irrigation, and the European legislation for water reuse was established. The effluent quality met the stringent criteria for various classes of agricultural reuse, illustrating the system’s potential for sustainable water management. This wetland model presents a robust solution for water-stressed regions, ensuring environmental protection while supporting agricultural needs. The study calls for ongoing research to further refine the system for optimal, reliable wastewater treatment and water resource sustainability.

Climate change, water resources and sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Central Asia in the past 30 years

The countries of Central Asia are collectively known as the five "-stans": Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. In recent times, the Central Asian region has been affected by the shrinkage of the Aral Sea, widespread desertification, soil salinization, biodiversity loss, frequent sand storms, and many other ecological disasters. This paper is a review article based upon the collection, identification and collation of previous studies of environmental changes and regional developments in Central Asia in the past 30 years. Most recent studies have reached a consensus that the temperature rise in Central Asia is occurring faster than the global average. This warming trend will not only result in a higher evaporation in the basin oases, but also to a significant retreat of glaciers in the mountainous areas. Water is the key to sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid regions in Central Asia. The uneven distribution, over consumption, and pollution of water resources in Central Asia have caused severe water supply problems, which have been affecting regional harmony and development for the past 30 years. The widespread and significant land use changes in the 1990 s could be used to improve our understanding of natural variability and human interaction in the region. There has been a positive trend of trans-border cooperation among the Central Asian countries in recent years. International attention has grown and research projects have been initiated to provide water and ecosystem protection in Central Asia. However, the agreements that have been reached might not be able to deliver practical action in time to prevent severe ecological disasters. Water management should be based on hydrographic borders and ministries should be able to make timely decisions without political intervention. Fully integrated management of water resources, land use and industrial development is essential in Central Asia. The ecological crisis should provide sufficient motivation to reach a consensus on unified water management throughout the region.

SUSTAINABLE EXPLOITATION AND UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE INLAND RIVERBASIN OF ARID NORTHWEST CHINA

Calculated in terms of surface runoff plus irrepeated groundwater, there is about 8. 67 ×1010m3 of total available water resources in the inland river basins of arid Northwest China. Water resources is the decisive factor for survival of oases and human being. But there have arisen several aspects of Serious eco-environment problems resulted from irrational exploitation and utilization. From now on, the development and utilization of water not only requires to promote regional economy, but also needs to protect and improve the environment based on their potential. Sustainable utilization needs to broaden new sources and saving water at first. Then three measures are recommended.

Surface runoff processes and sustainable utilization of water resources in Manas River Basin, Xinjiang, China

Water is the important resource to guarantee the existence and development of oases in arid areas. To improve the utilization efficiency of water resources in Manas River Basin, this paper investigated the trends and periods of runoff based on the runoff and climate data for the past 50 years. Subsequently, with the socioeconomic and water resources data, we studied a comprehensive evaluation on the water security in this area. The results indicated that the stream flows in the three hydrological stations of Hongshanzui, Kensiwat and Bajiahu have sig- nificantly increased and undergone abrupt changes, with periods of 18 and 20 years. According to assessment, water security in the Manas River Basin was at an unsafe level in 2008. In criterion layer, the ecological security index and the index of supply-demand situation are both at the relatively secure level; the quantity index and so- cioeconomic index of water resources are at the unsafe level and basic security level, respectively. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable economic and social development within the Manas River Basin, it is vital to take a series of effective measures to improve the status of water security.

AHP Comprehensive Evaluation on Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources in Hengshui City, China

In order to investigate the sustainable utilization of water resources in Hengshui City, quantitative analysis and comprehensive evaluation on 15 indexes of Hengshui City, such as the perspectives of social and economic development condition, water resource condition, environment condition, development and utilization of water resources,were conducted by using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) method from 2004 to 2008. Although the sustainable utilization has been growing from 2004 to 2008, the situation and environment of water resources were not optimistic because of the severe water shortage in Hengshui. In the future, improving the supply capacity is the key target for promoting sustainable utilization of water resources.

Groundwater resources in karst area in Southern China and sustainable utilization pattern

Occurrence conditions of groundwater in southern karst area are complicated. The water-bearing media in the karst have multiplicity, and the groundwater is hosted in holes, gaps, seams, pipes and caves. The karst water shows heterogeneity where fast and slow flow coexist, and the Darcy and non-Darcy flow coexist, and the liquid flow, the gas flow and solid flow coexist. The evaluation and investigation indicates that the mineable resource of karst groundwater is about 53.44 billion m^3/y, and the current exploitation quantity is merely 6.565 billion m^3/year. The exploitation and utilization potential is gigantic. In the region there are altogether 2 763 karst subterranean rivers with a total length of 12 687 km. The dry season runoff volume equals to 47 billion m^3/year. At present the exploitation is only 10%. Four effective utilization models of karst groundwater resources have been put forward.(1) The karst hills-depression zone formed the surface-underground united reservoir. By digging tunnels, water diversion irrigation and generating electricity, the ecological economy is developed.(2) In the deep-cut peak cluster depression area, by using the high-part Epikarst spring and constructing the regulation and storage water tank, the stereo ecological agriculture is developed.(3) In the karst peak forest plain and hilly-gully area, the pump-type underground regulating reservoir is constructed and the water-saving ecological agriculture is strengthened.(4) In the fault basin region with the surrounding groundwater runoff belting beam backwater, the water resources are jointly controlled to develop a fruit crop base within the basin.

FACILITATING REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED MULTI-OBJECTIVE UTILIZATION, MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE LANCANG-MEKONG RIVER BASIN

The Lancnag Mekong River is the most important international river across China and Southeast Asia, If it is developed according to 'Great Mekong Subregional Cooperation Plan' [9] prepared by ADB, the area directly affected will be up to over 2.32 million km 2, the population over 220 million, and the natural environment, and socio-economic conditions within a large area will be greatly changed. 'Agreement on Cooperation for Sustainable Development of Mekong Basin' signed by the four riparian countries along the lower Mekong River on April 5, 1995 provides a new opportunity for sustainable development of the Basin. According to preliminary analysis, if the multipurpose utilization of the water resources is the target for carrying out integrated planning and management, and the efforts are made 1) to focus on energy exploitation on the Lancang River Mainstream and the tributaries of the lower Mekong River; 2) to build gated weirs at Tonle Sam; 3) to construct spillways at the Mekong Delta; 4) to facilitate flood dykes in big cities and on both banks of the mainstream which are concentrated with population and farmland and liable to be flooded, and 5) to strengthen networks for forecasting hydrological and meteorological conditions, then all problems such as power demand, irrigation, flood, salt water intrusion as well as acid water erosion to soil could be solved without constructing large cascaded stations and dams on the lower Mekong Mainstream. This will not only avoid input of great number of fund, large scale resettlement and land inundation, but also prevent aquatic organisms living in Mekong River from being injured due to dam construction, and promote the sustainable development of the Basin.

CONSTRAINING FACTORS TO SUSTAINABLE UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES AND THEIR COUNTERMEASURES IN CHINA

This paper discusses the constraining factors to sustainable utilization of water resources in China,and the countermeasures to realize sustainable water utilization. The result of comprehensive analysis shows that constraining factors to sustainable utilization of water resources in China are complicated,including physical geographical factors and socio-economic factors,such as uneven distribution of water resources at temporal and spatial scales,inappropriate institutional arrangement and non-water-saving and non-water-conservation production and life mode. The countermeasures against constraining factors to water resources sustainable development are put forward as follows: 1) using wetlands and forests,and through spatial conversion to realize temporally sustainable supply of water resources; 2) transferring water between basins and areas and developing various water resources in water shortage area; 3) establishing water-saving society; 4) strengthening water pollution control and water resources protection; and 5) establishing unified water resources management mechanism.

Emergency Plan for Water Supply in Consecutive Droughts and Sustainable Water Resources Management in Beijing

Beijing, the capital city of China, has suffered from acute water shortage, with only 300 m3/a of water resources available per capita. In addition, Beijing has experienced a prolonged period of consecutive droughts from 1999 to 2010. Water crisis has constrained the socio-economic development of Beijing. Meanwhile, the national "South-to-North Water Transfer"（STNWT） project, which is expected to provide some relief to the water crisis in Beijing, is still under development. In order to ensure the security of water supply in Beijing before the completion of the STNWT project, several measures have been implemented to cope with droughts, including pumping groundwater from emergency well fields,water saving, recycling of water, rain and flood water harvesting, and the diversion of water from neighboring rivers and groundwater basins. Groundwater from four emergency well fields contributes the most to the public and domestic water supplies in Beijing, supplying a total volume of 1.8×10;m;.The water crisis is supposed to be mitigated by the completion of the STNWT project. After the completion of this project, more sustainable management of water resources will be implemented,including the use of aquifers as groundwater reservoirs and conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources.

PROBLEMS AND COUNTERMEASURES OF WATER RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE UTILIZATION IN CHINA

According to the theory of sustainable development,the current situation and existent problems of the expl oita-tion of water resources were analyze d in this paper.The results show that the contradiction between supply an d demand of water resources is continually aggravating,water pollution is incre asingly serious,water environment is worse,the over-extraction area of the underground water is expanding and water crisis stands out gradually,so it is imp erative under the situation to actualize the susta inable exploitation strategies of water resources.It is necessary for s ustainable utilizing water resources to introduce the mod el of sustainable utilization of water resources-the model of wealth transferring be-tween the generations of water resou rces,establish water-saving socie ty system and water market,form tech nology sys-tems,management systems and evaluation systems for many sorts of water r esources,improve the utilization r atio of water resources,transform waste water in to resources and maintain and restore the water space of water environmen t.

Toward Sustainable Revegetation in the Loess Plateau Using Coupled Water and Carbon Management

The"Grain-for-Green"project on the Loess Plateau is the largest revegetation program in the world.However,revegetation-induced land use changes can influence both water and carbon cycles,and the diverse consequences were not well understood.Therefore,the reasonability and sustainability of revegetation measures are in question.This study quantifies the impacts of revegetation-induced land use conversions on the water and carbon cycles in a typical watershed on the Loess Plateau and identifies suitable areas where revegetation of forest or grassland could benefit both soil and water conservation and carbon sequestration.We used a coupled hydro-biogeochemical model to simulate the changes of a few key components in terms of water and carbon by designing a variety of hypothetical land use conversion scenarios derived from revegetation policy.Compared to the baseline condition(land use in 2000),both sediment yield and water yield decreased substantially when replacing steep cropland with forest or grassland.Converting cropland with slopes larger than 25°,15°,and 6°to forest(CTF)would enhance the carbon sequestration with a negligible negative effect on soil water content,while replacing cropland with grassland(CTG)would result in a decline in net primary production but with a substantial increase in soil water content(3.8%-14.9%).Compared to the baseline,the soil organic carbon would increase by 0.9%-3.2% in CTF and keep relatively stable in CTG.Through testing a variety of hypothetical revegetation scenarios,we identified potential priority areas for CTF and CTG,where revegetation may be appropriate and potentially beneficial to conserving soil and water and enhancing carbon sequestration.Our study highlights the challenges in future water and carbon coupling management under revegetation policy,and our quantitative results and identification of potential areas for revegetation could provide information to policy makers for seeking optimal management on the Loess Plateau.

Research on the Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources of Jinan City

The study on the sustainable utilization of water resources of Jinan city is a research hotspot in the urban sustainable development field.How to use a scientific and rational evaluation index system to analyze the sustainable utilization of water resources of Jinan city and then guide the development and utilization of water resources becomes particularly important.Based on the theory of sustainable development this study introduces the method,basic steps and evaluation indexes of the assessment of the development and utilization of water resources.By systemic analyzing the exploitation and utilization standards of water resources and economy and society in Jinan city,the evaluation and index system of sustainable utilization of water resources in Jinan city can be constructed and index weight can be confirmed,and then,the standard of sustainable utilization of water resources in different years can be analyzed comparably.Thus,the deficiency of lack of reflection of coordination extent in water resources development standard,society and economy in traditional evaluation method is settled efficiently.The paper takes the sustainable utilization of water resources of Qingdao City in 2008 as the standard to compare and assess the water resources utilization in Jinan City.The paper also collects data of water resources in Jinan City from 2001 to 2007.The result indicates that evaluation method is of feasibility and it is effective to the implementation of sustainable utilization strategy water resources in Jinan City.

Characterisation of Hydrological Drought and Implications for Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Sokoto-Rima River Basin (SRRB), Nigeria

Hydrological drought is usually characterised by water loss over time from both underground and surface supplies. Thus for this study, the assessment of hydrological drought was carried out by employing Cumulative Rainfall/Streamflow Anomaly as preliminary tools for the presence of drought signatures while detailed characterisation was via Streamflow Drought Index (SDI). The results revealed that hydrological drought was observed in all the stations;however, though in general, the stations could be classified as experiencing near normal drought conditions with mild drought signatures. The findings also revealed that the average streamflow deficit volume and durations of the hydrological drought severity were 1.780 Mm3 and 192 months, 1.444 Mm3 and 252 months, 3.148 Mm3 and 252 months, and 0.159 Mm3 and 372 months for Bakolori, Goronyo (pre dam construction era), Goronyo (post dam construction era) and Zobe stations, respectively. The results also revealed the relevance of flow duration curve and analysis of frequency of drought state transition for the development of scenario-based basin water resources management protocol. The coefficient of determination (R2) statistic of the developed regression models indicate that 73.3% and 86.5% variation in streamflow dynamics across the Basin can be explained by climate change variables. However, for sustainable management of water resources in the Basin, it is imperative that characterisation of hydrological drought and monitoring should employ robust indices which use improved monthly precipitation estimates under global warming scenario in addition to ensuring that there is a shift from reactive to proactive approach in order to combat hydrological risk. Hence, a robust framework that finds application both for planning mitigation actions which embody strategic, tactical and emergency components should be designed;to this end, analysis of persistence and recurrence of drought in time and determination of possible recurrent patterns are necessary.

TOPSIS Based Assessment of Sustainable Water Resources Utilization

Based on water resources conditions,social development,social economy and ecological conditions,the Indicators system for sustainability assessment of water resources use( ISSAWRU) was established for Yinchuan City. Using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution( TOPSIS),the sustainable development and utilization plan of water resources was assessed for Yinchuan City during 2010-2014. In 2010-2014,there were no significant changes in the natural conditions of water resources in Yinchuan City; however,with the promulgation of national water resources related policies,Yinchuan City realized gradual increase in the water resources utilization rate,gradual improvement in the ecological environment,and gradual optimization of water resources sustainable utilization situation at the same time of ensuring rapid economic growth.

Soil and Water Resources and Land Sustainable Productivity in the Catchment Area with Intensive Management in Hilly Red Soil Regions,China

Taking an example of Majiayu Catchment Area (14.15 ha) in Taoyuan County of HunanProvince, the soil and water resources dynamics, fertility evolution characteristics andland productivity changing situation were studied. Fixed observation results from 1993to 2002 showed that pools covering about 15% of total area could store up 10% of surfacerunoff, keep 78.1% of eroded soil and 65.4% of lost nutrients. The yearly ratio ofinterception and evapotranspiration in land, storage in pools and drainage was 7:2:1,which ensured the resources and nutrients equilibrium and a benign recycle in thecatchment area system, and benefited the aquatic culture and helped to resist seasonaldrought. Moreover, the results showed that soil erosion modulus decreased significantly,equal to or lower than soil loss tolerance (≤500 tkm-2) in reddish yellow soil regions.Soil organic matter, total and available N content in sloping land, dryland and paddyfield increased steadily (>10%); water storage enhanced by more than 20% in sloping landand dryland in drought season; crop production increased by more than 20%; and productionof trees, fruits, tea and fish as well as land productivity increased yearly.

Instruments for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Water Resources in the Baikal Natural Area

The present paper contains the results of a review of economic instruments for water resources management in the Republic of Buryatia prepared under the OECD project “Improving the use of economic instruments for water management in the Republic of Buryatia (Lake Baikal basin)” and aimed at supporting the policy dialogue on water in Russia, in cooperation with the EU Water Initiative. Based on the analysis, some recommendations were developed for improving the use of instruments for water resources management in the Republic of Buryatia as a part of the Baikal Natural Area.

Overall-effective Measures for Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Coastal Areas of Shandong Province, China——Case Study: the Huangshuihe River Catchment of Longkou City

In the coastal catchments of Shandong Province the water scarcity is aggravated due to saltwater intrusion, reducing the usability of water resources available. Such a situation calls for sustainable integrated water resources management (IWRM). The idea for the objectives and implementation of the IWRM are explained in this paper. The general objective of the planned project disscussed in the present study is to bring together German traditional expertise in water resources management and newer developments in the context of the European Water Framework Directive; the research efforts aim to relieve the desperate water scarcity situation in the costal area of Shandong Province.

A system dynamics approach for water resources policy analysis in arid land:a model for Manas River Basin

The Manas River Basin in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, similar to other arid regions, is facing water constraints which challenge decision-makers as to how to rationally allocate the available water resources to meet the demands from industries and natural ecosystems. Policies which integrate the supply and demand are needed to address the water stress issues. An object-oriented system dynamics model was developed to capture the interrelationships between water availability and increasing water demands from the growth of industries, agri- cultural production and the population through modeling the decision-making process of the water exploration ex- plicitly, in which water stress is used as a major indicator. The model is composed of four sectors： 1 ） natural surface and groundwater resources; 2） water demand; 3） the water exploitation process, including the decision to build reservoirs, canals and pumps; 4） water stress to which political and social systems respond through increasing the supply, limiting the growth or improving the water use efficiency. The model was calibrated using data from 1949 to 2009 for population growth, irrigated land area, industry output, perceived water stress, groundwater resources availability and the drying-out process of Manas River; and simulations were carried out from 2010 to 2050 on an annual time step. The comparison of results from calibration and observation showed that the model corresponds to observed behavior, and the simulated values fit the observed data and trends accurately. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model is robust to changes in model parameters related to population growth, land reclamation, pumping capacity and capital contribution to industry development capacity. Six scenarios were designed to inves- tigate the effectiveness of policy options in the area of reservoir relocation, urban water recycling, water demand control and groundwater pumping control. The simulation runs demonstrated that the technical solutions for im- proving water availability and water use efficiency are not sustainable. Acknowledging the carrying capacity of water resources and eliminating a growth-orientated value system are crucial for the sustainability of the Manas River Basin.

Assessment of Nutrient Leaching Losses and Crop Uptake with Organic Fertilization,Water Saving Practices and Reduced Inorganic Fertilizer

The increasing world population has forced excessive chemical fertilizer and irrigation to complete the global food demand,deteriorating the water quality and nutrient losses.Short-term studies do not compile the evidences;therefore,the study aimed to identify the effectiveness of reduced doses of inorganic fertilizer and water-saving practices,hence,a six-year experiment(2015-2020)was conducted in China to address the knowledge gap.The experimental treatments were:farmer accustomed fertilization used as control(525:180:30 kg NPK ha^(-1)),fertilizer decrement(450:150:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)),fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation(450:150:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)),application of organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation(375:120:0 kg NPK ha^(-1)+4.5 tones organic fertilizer ha^(-1)),and application of controlled-release fertilizer(80:120:15 kg NPK ha^(-1)).Each treatment was replicated thrice following a randomized complete block design.The results achieved herein showed that control has the highest losses in the six-year study for total nitrogen(225.97 mg L^(-1)),total soluble nitrogen(121.58 mg L^(-1)),nitrate nitrogen(0.93 mg L^(-1)),total phosphorus(0.57 mg L^(-1)),and total soluble phosphorus(0.57 mg L^(-1))respectively.Reduced fertilizer and water application improved crop nutrient uptake,nitrogen concentration was significantly enhanced with organic and inorganic fertilizer+water-saving irrigation,P concentration was increased with fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation,and K concentration was improved with fertilizer decrement+water-saving irrigation.Hence,this study concludes that reduced inorganic fertilizer dose combined with water-saving practices is significantly helpful in reducing nutrient leaching losses and improving nutrient uptake and water pollution.Further studies are needed to explore the impacts of reduced fertilization and water-saving irrigation on leaching losses.The benefits at different climatic conditions,soil types,and fertilizer types with application methods are also a research gap.