Scenario-Based Assessment of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Kuwait: Insights for Effective Resource Management

The interdependency among water, food, and energy (WEF) in the GCC countries is strongly and closely interlinked, and is intensifying as demand for resources increases with population growth and changing consumption patterns, and are expected to be further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Therefore, integrated management of the three sectors is crucial to reduce trade-offs and build synergies among them. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to assess the WEF nexus in Kuwait as a representative case for the GCC countries. The framework consists of three main steps: 1) evaluating the influence of socio-economic development and climate change on water, energy, and food resources;2) generating scenario-based projections;and 3) conducting an extensive quantitative nexus analysis. The WEF interlinkages in Kuwait are modelled quantitatively using the Q-Nexus model, and current critical interdependencies are evaluated. Then, various WEF-Nexus scenarios were conducted for the year 2035 to explore the effects of management interventions in one sector on the other two sectors. The main findings are that per capita municipal water consumption is a major influencer on the WEF-nexus due to the heavy reliance on thermal desalination in municipal water supply in Kuwait, which is attributed to its energy intensity, financial cost, GHGs emissions, and environmental impacts on the marine and air environments. To reduce WEF trade-offs, mitigate risks, and build synergies among the three sectors, it is important to shift the current policy focus on supply-side management approach to the demand-side management and efficiency approaches.

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.

CALCULATION AND ANALYSIS ON CHANGE OFAGRICULTURAL WATER CONSUMPTIONIN THE CHANGJIANG DELTA

ABSTRACT: The potential evapotranspiration of specific crops in the Changjiang Delta is calculated by using Pen-man-Monteith method, and an agricultural water consumption model in the area is developed on the basis of agricultural production situation. This model has higher precision compared with actual data and can reflect the actual status of agriculture water need. Considering the meteorological, hydrological, economical development situation of the Changjiang Delta, this paper calculates and analyzes the volumes of agricultural water consumption in 2000, 2010, 2030 and 2050 under different climate change conditions and different development speeds of urbanization in future. The result shows agriculture water demand increases with temperature rising and decreases obviously with cultivated area reducing. For the Changjiang Delta, the volume of agricultural water consumption in the future will less than that of present.

The Challenges of Water Pollution, Threat to Public Health, Flaws of Water Laws and Policies in Pakistan

In an era of unprecedented urbanization, population and industrial growth pressure is serious threat for the water management in Pakistan in present days. Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff limited natural fresh water resources in the country. Human health is facing serious problems due to deteriorating drinking water quality. Current review paper provides an insight to the water quality problems in Pakistan with an attempt to emphasize the challenges of water laws enforcement. Although Pakistan has developed many water laws the state of implementation is dominant, intermediate pollution crises are still remaining. We could come to the conclusion that strictly enforcement is compulsory for water environment regulations in Pakistan. Moreover, it is necessary to establish a reliable risk assessment system for water quality, human health and ecological safety.

Effects of Industrial Agriculture and Urbanization on Structure and Functional Organization of Macroinvertebrate of Coastal Streams in Cameroon

The impact of land use changes on watercourses is poorly documented in Cameroon. Therefore, this study examines the effects of agriculture and urbanization on water quality, the structure and functional organization of macroinvertebrates of streams in the coastal zone of Cameroon. Nine sampling stations including three per catchment area with different land occupations (agricultural, urban and forest) were selected. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled monthly from February to July 2018 and the physicochemical variables were measured simultaneously. The urban and agricultural streams showed highly polluted waters with high nutrient and suspended matter content, whereas the forest stream waters are moderately polluted. In addition, the hierarchical ascending classification indicated a proximity in water quality between the agricultural and forest streams for which the main physicochemical variables did not vary significantly. With regards to macroinvertebrates, the forest watercourse is characterized by the proliferation of pollution-sensitive taxa, high diversity indices and complex trophic structuring, indicating its good ecological status. In contrast the urban watercourse, heavily polluted is characterized by low diversity indices reflecting a simplification of the structure of stands dominated by the pollution-tolerant collector-gatherer stands. The majority of biological indices and functional feeding groups were not significantly different between the agricultural and forest streams, suggesting a less pronounced impact of agriculture on macroinvertebrates. Our results showed that, riparian vegetation even though constituted of perennial crops, reduces the effects of agricultural inputs on streams and promotes the establishment of diversified macroinvertebrate communities.

Regional Land Use Patterns and Water Consumption in the Jordan Valley Using Geographic Information Systems

Trends in land use and water consumption are crucial components in understanding the changing nature of agricultural production and water use in- the Northern Jordan Valley. The objective of this study is to examine current agricultural land uses in the Jordan Valley and their water consumption patterns as well as to examine the changes in land use and water consumption that occurred between the years 2002 and 2010. Farm level cropping patterns and total annual water use were analysed in order to examine inter-basin land use and water consumption characteristics as well as to estimate the amount of water consumed by each respective crop in total and per unit of land devoted to its production. It was found that citrus production dominated both land and water usage in every basin of the Northern Jordan Valley and that between 2002 and 2010 there were shifts toward increasing citrus production in almost every basin surveyed. It was found that agricultural irrigation water usage decreased overall between 2002 and 2010 by approximately 15 percent and irrigated land usage in the Jordan Valley increased by 5 percent. The role of citrus farming is becoming more important in the Jordan Valley as Jordan＇s agricultural economy shifts away from subsistence farming for staple food crops like wheat and vegetables toward more financially lucrative crops grown for an increasingly international market. This trend is at least partly due to the increasing cost of agricultural irrigation water from Jordan＇s national canal system.

The Effect of Human Activities on the Quality of Water at UMhlathuze River （Northern Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, RSA）： The Case of Agricultural and Industrial Developments

UMhlathuze River is the main recipient of domestic sewage, industrial as well as agricultural waste from local industrial and agricultural practices. It is the effluent ＂dumping sites＂ for most human activity practices. Contamination of UMhlathuze River by agricultural and industrial developments makes communities around UMhlathuze area susceptible to potential outbreaks of water-borne illnesses as well as the risk of ingesting carcinogenic substances. In establishment of the effect of human developments on the UMhlathuze River, four different sites representing different human activities were used for sampling along the river. Temperature and pH were monitored in siitu and were found to vary between 19-21℃and 6.2-7.8, respectively. Chemical oxygen demand （COD） was found to be higher in areas affected by both industrial and agricultural activities. Spectroquadrant Pharo 300 （Merck） was used for chemical analysis of water. Agricultural waste recipient area had high concentration of phosphate, ammonia and nitrate. Parts of the river receiving effluent from treated wastewater had high sulphide, nitrate and ammonia concentrations. Industrial areas had high concentration of heavy metals （e.g., aluminium）. Microorganisms found in all sites included Escherichia coli and species of Salmonella, Shigella, Citrobacter, Serratia and Enterobacter, although their quantities differed from agricultural to industrial sites. There was a positive correlation between contamination levels and human activities which ascribe river pollution to activities around the area. Agricultural and industrial development activities practiced around UMhlathuze River have a huge contribution to the continued deterioration of the quality of water at UMhlathuze River.

Evaluation on Water Resources and Determining the Values of Exported and Imported Virtual Water in Hashtgerd Region

The concept of virtual water in recent years has been proposed with the world’s water resource consumption management approach. Hashtgerd study area is one of 609 study areas of the country that is located entirely in Alborz Province. Average annual rainfall in this region was about 200 to 340 mm and the average agricultural production per year was more than one million tons and had more than 16 million cubic meters surplus recovery from underground water resources. The aim of this study is to evaluate resources and amounts of virtual water in the agricultural sector of the study area and its impact on the area water resources balance and ultimately provide solutions to reduce water consumption by the agricultural sector. The most important exported water products in Hashtgerd area in order of importance are peaches and nectarines (33% of water exports), plums (15% of water exports), vegetables (5.14 percent of water exports), cherry (4.7% of water exports) and wheat (6.5 percent of water exports). Virtual water trade balance of agricultural and horticultural products in the digital range is equal to 260+ million cubic meters. Density of agricultural lands can be mentioned as the main reasons for positive balance of virtual water trade in this area.

Research on Development Strategies of Small Towns and Villages under the Background of New Countryside Construction —A Case Study of Bixi Town of Changshu City of Jiangsu Province in China

By taking Bixi Town of Changshu City of Jiangsu Province in China for example,through the analysis of its development including villages types,industrial layout and existing problems,development strategies for basic facilities in villages of Bixi Town have been illustrated from the perspective of road system,water supply and drainage system,power supply engineer,communication facilities,cable television engineer and sanitation engineer.Strategies contain building famous historical and cultural villages,developing leisure agriculture and developing distinctive agricultural undertakings.It is expected to provide development strategies for small towns and villages under the background of new countryside construction.

Industrial and Agricultural Effects on Water Environment and Its Optimization in Heavily Polluted Area in Taihu Lake Basin, China

The deteriorating water quality in the Taihu Lake Basin has attracted widespread attention for many years, and is correlated with a sharp increase in the quantity of pollutant discharge such as agricultural fertilizers and industrial wastewater. In this study, several factors were selected for evaluating and regionalizing the water environmental capacity by ArcG1S spatial analysis, including geomor- phologic characteristics, water quality goals, water body accessibility, water-dilution channels, and current water quality. Then, the spa- tial optimization of agriculture and industry was adjusted through overlay analysis, based on the balance between industrial space and water environmental capacity. The results show that the water environmental capacity gradually decreases from the west to the east, in contrast, the pollution caused by industrial and agricultural clustering is distributes along Taihu Lake, Gehu Lake and urban districts. The analysis of the agricultural space focuses on optimizing key protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and the shores of Gehu Lake, optimally adjusting the second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the urban areas of Changzhou and Wuxi cities. The analysis of industrial space focuses on optimizing the downtowns of Changzhou and Wuxi cities, optimally adjusting key protected areas and second protected areas of the Taihu Lake Basin, and generally adjusting the south and southwest of Gehu Lake. Lastly, some schemes of industrial and agricultural layouts and policies for the direction of industrial and agricultural development were proposed, reflecting a correlation between industry and agriculture and the water environment.

Source analysis of dissolved heavy metals in the Shaying River Basin,China

Over the years,the Shaying River Basin has experienced frequent instances of river pollution.The presence of numerous critical pollutant discharge enterprises and sewage-treatment plants in the vicinity of the Shaying River has transformed it a major tributary with relatively serious pollution challenge within the upper reaches of Huaihe River Basin.To study the sources of manganese(Mn),chromium(Cr),nickel(Ni),arsenic(As),cadmium(Cd)and lead(Pb)in Shaying River water,123 sets of surface water samples were collected from 41 sampling points across the entire basin during three distinct phases from 2019 to 2020,encompassing normal water period,dry season and wet season.The primary origins of heavy metals in river water were determined by analyzing the heavy metal contents in urban sewage wastewater,industrial sewage wastewater,groundwater,mine water,and the heavy metal contributions from agricultural non-point source pollution.The analytical findings reveal that Mn primarily originates from shallow groundwater used for agricultural irrigation,While Cr mainly is primarily sourced from urban sewage treatment plant effluents,coal washing wastewater,tannery wastewater,and industrial discharge related to metal processing and manufacturing.Ni is mainly contributed by urban sewage treatment plant effluents and industrial wastewater streams associated with machinery manufacturing and metal processing.Cd primarily linked to industrial wastewater,particularly from machinery manufacturing and metal processing facilities,while Pb is predominantly associated with urban sewage treatment plant effluents and wastewater generated in Pb processing and recycling wastewater.These research provides a crucial foundation for addressing the prevention and control of dissolved heavy metals at their sources in the Shaying River.

数字经济赋能城乡融合的内在逻辑与实现路径

在数字经济迅猛发展的时代背景下,其对城乡融合的推动作用愈发显著,如何利用数字经济加速城乡融合已成为当前亟待探讨的重要议题。数字经济在推动城乡融合发展的进程中,通过多维度的深度融合机制发挥了至关重要的作用。具体而言,数字经济在促进人口流动与融合、推动经济结构优化与升级、实现空间布局的均衡与协调、提升社会服务的普及水平,以及改善生态环境与推动可持续发展等方面,均展现出显著的成效,为城乡一体化提供了坚实的支撑。然而,在数字经济赋能城乡融合的过程中也面临着数字鸿沟、创新动力不足、人才短缺等挑战与问题。因此,应当从加快数字经济发展均衡化进程、提升全社会数字创新意识与能力、强化数字高端人才培养与引进等方面入手,加快数字经济赋能城乡融合的进程,实现城乡融合发展的战略目标。

坚持“四水四定”推动经济社会高质量发展——以宁夏回族自治区“四水四定”创新实践为例

坚持“四水四定”,强化水资源刚性约束,既是缓解我国水资源供需矛盾、保障水安全的必然选择,也是推动高质量发展、建设美丽中国的客观要求。文章以宁夏回族自治区为例,深入分析了宁夏回族自治区“四水四定”改革实践,总结了相关经验启示,为探索以水资源节约集约利用推动经济社会高质量发展提供了参考。

基于典型计量统计的农业灌溉地下水用水量评估

【目的】利用现有计量统计机井数据准确评估典型地区灌溉农业地下水实际用水量。【方法】基于唐山市不同种植结构典型井灌区地下水计量统计数据,通过典型区域实地调查,结合降水量、农业种植结构、统计年鉴等数据,绘制不同种植结构下降水量与灌溉定额的关系曲线,评估2010年唐山地下水实际用水量。【结果】①水浇地、水田的灌溉定额与降水量的关系曲线分别为y=1.167×10^(7)x^(-1.2773)、y=378796x^(-0.6366),拟合R^(2)分别为0.8990、0.8833。②唐山市2010年降水量条件下不同种植结构作物灌溉定额表现为水田灌溉定额(5763~7649 m^(3)/hm^(2))>大棚灌溉定额(4950 m^(3)/hm^(2))>水浇地灌溉定额(2633~4647 m^(3)/hm^(2))。③唐山市2010年灌溉农业地下水实际开采量评估结果为13.08亿m^(3),与《唐山市水资源公报》数据相差9.42%。【结论】水田灌溉定额要大于大棚和水浇地,利用计量统计数据评估得到的农业地下水开采量可在一定程度上评估北方地区农业地下水实际开采量。

国外绿水经济发展经验研究

进入新发展阶段,人们对水资源的需求由过去单纯的物质和文化需求拓展为美好生活需要的多方面需求。最突出的变化是我国水经济形态发生了深刻变化,诞生一批水经济新业态,笔者认为凡是直接或者间接利用“绿水”来引导资源发挥作用,推动生产力发展的经济形态就是绿水经济。绿水经济在发达国家发展多年,形成了一批具有代表性的经济形态。梳理选取“绿水+高端农业”“绿水+新型工业”“绿水+旅游”“绿水+健康”四个代表性经济形态,剖析各典型经济形态的具体做法,总结提炼主要经验,并提出我国发展绿水经济的政策建议。

把农业建成现代化大产业:内涵、基础与路径

2024年中央一号文件提出要把农业建成现代化大产业,明确了中国农业产业发展的方向。把农业建成现代化大产业与农业农村现代化、乡村振兴等目标相辅相成,是建设农业强国的重要手段与前提。通过对马克思主义经典理论及对恰亚诺夫的农民经济理论的辩证思考与总结可知,现代化大产业切合马克思主义经典理论关于现代农业的方向判断,又充分吸收了恰亚诺夫的小农观点,是马克思主义中国化的最新理论成果。进一步分析比较中国农业产业体系、生产体系、经营体系的发展情况可知,当下中国农业产业发展还存在许多弱势和短板,要将农业建成现代化大产业,需要进一步落实“大农业”、实施“大科技”、贯彻“大开放”、践行“大融合”。

基于PDA模型的中国水资源消耗及其政策影响因素研究

利用中国2011—2020年31个省(自治区、直辖市)三大产业面板数据,基于生产理论分解方法,选取多层级共同前沿DEA模型中的非径向距离函数,对中国水资源消耗及其政策影响因素进行了分析。结果表明,西部地区正逐渐成为中国第二大水资源消耗区域,且中国水资源消耗从“一二三”向“一三二”的产业用水态势转变;在提出的新分解因素中,产业结构调整、区域均衡发展和市场化改革分别有助于减少西、中、东部地区的水资源消耗;在所有的分解因素中,技术效率对减少水资源消耗的贡献最为突出。提出了加快产业结构调整、提高产业数字化和绿色化对水资源利用的正向影响等政策建议。

徐州市重点行业用水定额制定研究

针对当前徐州市水资源严重短缺的情况,结合用水定额制定标准,采用典型企业调研法、冒泡排序法、二次平均法和综合分析法等制定合理可行的用水定额,解决当前相对滞后的用水定额与节水技术升级的不匹配问题,为徐州市的水资源管理工作提供依据。

长江经济带农业用水量与农业经济发展脱钩关系

阐明长江经济带农业用水量和农业经济发展之间的脱钩关系,对提高水资源利用效率,落实节水优先具有重要意义。基于2003~2021年长江经济带相关统计数据,运用Tapio脱钩模型,在揭示2003~2021年长江经济带水资源量时空演变特征的基础上,对长江经济带11个省(市)的农业用水量与农业经济发展的脱钩关系进行了实证分析。研究结果表明:总体上来看,长江经济带农业用水量供应充足,但受水资源空间分布不均的影响,农业用水供需存在空间上的不均衡现象;长江经济带11个省(市)农业用水效益存在明显差异,总体农业用水量与农业经济发展之间一直处于脱钩状态,并且长期处于比较理想的弱脱钩状态或强脱钩状态;在大多数时段内,各省份农业用水量与农业经济发展之间也处于比较理想的弱脱钩状态或强脱钩状态。研究成果可为长江经济带农业水资源高效利用及其相关政策制定提供参考。

黄河流域强制性用水定额研究与思考

严格用水定额管理,从根本上抑制不合理用水需求,是当前缓解黄河流域水资源短缺问题的首要任务。强制性用水定额管理是《中华人民共和国黄河保护法》确立的一项基本制度,其核心目标是促进节约用水,强化节水监管,推进新阶段黄河流域节水工作高质量发展。在分析黄河流域现行用水定额管理的基础上,探讨了黄河流域强制性用水定额适用的行业范围,分析了相关法律法规要求,提出了开展强制性用水定额管理的建议,以期为黄河流域强制性用水定额管理制度的落实落地提供参考。