Israeli Water Achievements Today and Enlightenment to China

Abstract

Despite the endemic drought, arid climate and associated limited freshwater resources, as well as difficult geopolitical realities, Israel can provide a reliable supply of high quality water to a rapidly growing population. The achievements of water supply in Israel can be summarized as water technologies (like water transportation and purification, desalination, wastewater treatment, effluent reuse, storm water catchment, control systems, rain enhancement and drip irrigation, etc.), water management and legislation as well as water industry. In view of the national concern regarding the quality and quantity of the water, the skills, technologies and know-how that Israel has accumulated in water supply and irrigation can give us enlightenment that is also presented in this paper.     

Emergency management of reservoirs and water treatment plants in typhoon season: a case study of Ningbo

ABSTRACT

Coastal cities represented by Ningbo are directly or indirectly affected by typhoons each year. By analyzing the past three typical typhoons landing in Ningbo from 2013 to 2016, it was found that before and after the typhoon transit, reservoir and water treatment plant would be made by the destructive impact, including the increasing water level, water volume in a short time, and the deteriorating water quality. Among those, the water quality caused by typhoons increased the water treatment process load, the amount of water purification agents increased significantly, and the emergency response put a great pressure on the inventory of water plants. Based on the statistics and analysis of the basic parameters of the reservoir and water treatment plant during the typhoon season, the emergency management of the typhoon was divided into three situations, namely, pre-typhoon, typhoon period and post-typhoon. Thus, it is effective for the relevant practitioners of the reservoir and water plant to ensure the safe water supply during typhoon season.     

Resourceful Utilization of Tannery Wastewater

Abstract

Leather industry is an important light industry in China. Leather making requires a series of chemical treatment. Degreasing, unhairing and chrome tanning wastewaters are the main portions of tannery wastewater. Reclaiming and reusing these wastewaters can eliminate 80% of COD, 75% of BOD, 95% of chromium and 93% of sulfuret, furthermore reduce environment impact, decrease treatment costs, save chemicals and water. Some application methods of wastewater reclamation and reuse for different operations were reported. The suitable reclamation and reuse technologies can enable leather making processes more rational, and realize the recovery and recycle of several chemicals in the tannery. Resourceful utilization of tannery wastewater should mate with renovating production technology, updating equipment, and must be guaranteed sufficiently by environmental protection measures.     

Evaluation and Trend Analysis of Surface Water Quality in Zhengzhou in 1998–2008

Abstract

Water pollution is one of the major environmental problems, especially in urban areas. Due to rapid urban expansion and industrialization, water pollution in Zhengzhou City, the capital of Henan Province in central China has become a serious problem for its development. In this study, the surface water quality was evaluated using Nemerow Comprehensive Pollution Index (NCPI), and the change trend was calculated using methods of Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator, based on the monitoring data from 1998 to 2008. The results show that the NCPI ranged from 3 to 50 in 70% of the monitoring cases, implying that most rivers were seriously polluted. However, this serious polltuon is expected to be gradually improved, as the concentration of water pollutants and NCPI declined significantly in most rivers. Water pollution in reservoirs was much lower than rivers, and the NCPI in the three monitored reservoirs was lower than 3 in most years, and shows a downward trend. Although the surface water quality was gradually improved, great efforts are still needed to enhance the protection and improvement of surface water environment.     

Canadian federalism and the governance of water scarcity in the South Saskatchewan River Basin

Regional Environmental Change - Water governance in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB), a transboundary river basin in western Canada, occurs in one of the world’s most decentralized...     

Defect and Innovation of Water Rights System

Abstract

The rare deposition of water resources conflicts with its limitless demand. This determined the existence of the water rights transaction system. The implementation of the water rights transaction system requires clarifying the definition of water resource right above all distinctly. At present, it is a kind of common right system arrangement which needs the Chinese government to dispose of water resources. Though a series of management systems guaranteed the government’s supply of water resource, it hindered the development of the water market seriously and caused the utilization of water resources to stay in the inefficient or low efficient state for a long time. Thus, we should change the government’s leading role in the resource distribution and really rely on the market to carry on the water rights trade and transaction. In this way, the water rights could become a kind of private property right relatively, and circulate freely in the market. As a result of this, we should overcome the defects of common right, make its external performance internalized maximally and achieve the optimized water resource disposition and use it more effectively.     

The Comparative Approach on Outdoor Leisure Behavior of Urban Elderly People: A Case Study in Beijing

Abstract

With the income increase of elderly people in Beijing and the improvement of leisure facilities since 2000, the quality of elderly people leisure life in Beijing has obviously increased compared to ten years ago. According to the investigation and comparative analysis on more than 900 elderly people, who usually exercise in public parks in Beijing City, we have found out several new features of elderly people’s outdoor recreation in Beijing: the increase of the leisure time, the expansion of leisure space, the individuation of interest and the diversification of consumption. The leisure life quality evaluation index system of urban elderly people can be built based on these analyses. In order to accommodate the development tendency of elderly people’s demand for leisure diversification, we should strengthen the organization and management of elderly people’s leisure activity in urban construction, and pay more attention to function complementation between communities and parks.     

Sustainable graywater reuse for residential landscape irrigation – a critical review

The demand for potable water is rising rapidly due to an ever-increasing population, economic activities, and dwindling water supplies. To provide adequate water supplies in the future, understanding the issues and challenges in the reuse of water and developing appropriate strategies for reuse will be critical. One way to augment water supplies for residential use is to reuse graywater – the wastewater from kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries. In this article, we critically review the evolution of water reuse, the definition of graywater, graywater reuse practices, volumes and flow in different situations, and graywater characteristics. We then examine the issues associated with different graywater treatment methods and how using graywater for irrigation around homes affects soil quality and plant growth. The study concludes that graywater treatment costs, human health risks, and its effect on soil quality are some of the challenges that need to be addressed in the future for widespread and sustainable reuse of graywater for irrigation around homes.     

Study on the Circular Agriculture Development in Beijing’s Mountain Areas

Abstract

Circular agriculture is an essential way to realize the positive recycling of ecology and harmonious development of the country construction. The sustainable development of Beijing’s mountain areas depends on the background and orientation of ecological economy. Beijing’s mountain areas bear the responsibility of protecting the ecological safety of the whole Beijing district and also the exploration of circular agriculture in mountain areas is very important to promote the sustainable use of agriculture resources. Beijing’s mountain areas have possessed some practical experience in recycling agriculture development. Through summarizing the development mode and analyzing the development practice, the article puts forward three key segments of promoting Beijing circular agriculture development: strengthen propagate, develop superiority and built management mechanism.     

Toward Water Conservation Society: the Connotation and Assessment Indication System

Abstract

Water saving and developing water conservation society are the two key strategies both for wise water allocation and sustainable utilization. The paper analyses the connotation of water saving and water conservation society. Essentially, water saving means freeing up water from non-beneficial uses and providing it to some more productive uses. Basic principles for setting indicator are presented by providing efficient use of water, considering social issues and ecological protection. An integrated assessing water saving system aiming at more sustainable and efficient consumption is given considering unbalanced social and economic development in regions and basins. The hierarchy Indicator system provides qualified tools to the practice of water conservation and evaluates the value for water conservation society construction.     

An analysis of indirect water withdrawal and consumption due to electricity and workers in automotive manufacturing facilities

Abstract

Water is a key resource for all life. Recent droughts have also exemplified the importance for manufacturers to understand their impact on water resources. While most manufacturers typically know the amount of water they use in their facilities, they have little knowledge about the indirect effects they have on water resources. In this paper, the indirect impact from the automakers’ electricity use and work force on water resources is examined. Water withdrawal and consumption from electricity use by hypothetical but representative facilities around the world is quantified and analysed. Water withdrawal by the workers is also quantified and analysed. The results indicate that the water withdrawal and consumption by the workforce and caused by the use of electricity is larger than the direct water use and consumption in the facilities themselves.     

Conceptualising Reuse in African Households: Perspectives from Chembe,Malawi

African households are often models of sustainability, practicing daily behaviours, which, if even not directly associated by the individual with Western conceptualisations of ‘recycling’ or ‘reuse’, have dramatically positive impacts on the amounts of household waste generated. However, rarely has the African household been given the same consideration, and there is a poor understanding within the discipline how poor individuals, and Africans in particular, understand and conceptualise ‘waste’ as both a problem and a resource. Drawing on Kennedy and Appadurai’s theoretical perspectives, the purpose of this article is to critically examine and contextualise household solid waste reuse practices in Chembe, Malawi, a rapidly densifying village and a constituent part of one of the nation’s premier resort destinations. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork with residents and stakeholders, findings suggest that, within Chembe, reuse practices, and the motivations that drive them, are both widespread and diverse, with a multitude of ‘waste’ items living multiple ‘lives’ before being ultimately discarded as ‘trash’. These behaviours are facilitated by the fact that many desirable waste items are widely available locally within Chembe, and although some of these reuse practices may be widespread within Malawi, others have been uniquely fostered by Chembe’s position as an affluent tourism destination with abundant and easily accessible waste streams. This investigation is particularly important within the context of rural Africa, and the Global South more broadly. Moreover, it should critically inform circular economy, zero waste, and broader waste management studies discourse, where African households have been habitually treated as problems needing solutions, rather than potential sources of innovation and learning.

     

Economic Valuation of Health Impact of PM10 Pollution in Beijing from 2001 to 2006

Abstract

In light of the practical need for research to inform policy in Beijing, this study evaluates the economic cost of the impact of PM₁₀ pollution in Beijing from 2001 to 2006, taking health as the main impact, and mortality as the main outcome. Based on the literature review, this study adopts relatively conservative parameters as the basis for calculating the health impacts. It concludes that nearly 30% of mortality among registered residents above age 30 in Beijing can be attributed to PM₁₀ pollution, and that the economic cost equals 0.8%–1.2% of the city’s GDP over the same period. This is lower than the results of previous studies, but still high enough to warrant a commitment to solve the city’s air pollution problem.     

An Empirical Study on the Environmental Kuznets Curve for China’s Carbon Emissions: Based on Provincial Panel Data

Abstract

Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory, the authors choose provincial panel data of China in 1990–2007 and adopt panel unit root and co-integration testing method to study whether there is Environmental Kuznets Curve for China’s carbon emissions. The research results show that: carbon emissions per capita of the eastern region and the central region of China fit into Environmental Kuznets Curve, but that of the western region does not. On this basis, the authors carry out scenario analysis on the occurrence time of the inflection point of carbon emissions per capita of different regions, and describe a specific time path.     

Atmospheric Mercury Pollution in Beijing

Abstract

The atmospheric mercury pollution in Beijing is a serious problem. Atmospheric mercury has three sources: natural emission, anthropogenic emission and previously deposited mercury reemission or recycling, composing elemental mercury, divalent mercury and particulate-phase mercury. Many studies showed that mercury in Beijing’s air was higher than the general level of mercury concentration in the atmosphere. Mercury emission sources were discussed. Industrial emissions, coal burning, vehicle exhaust emissions and waste incineration were thought to be the main sources of atmospheric mercury pollution in Beijing. And also meteorology has an effect on atmospheric mercury concentration in Beijing. Measures have been taken to control the emission of mercury into the air in recent years.     

Regional Economic Types and Development Strategy of Small Towns in Suburb Beijing

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to classify the regional economic types and development dynamics of small towns in suburb Beijing by applying the classification methods developed by Nelson’s method and Location Quotient method into 183 small towns in Beijing. Four types of small towns are thus identified, including urban agriculture dominated towns, manufacturing dominated towns, service industry dominated towns and comprehensive type towns with balanced economic development. Within the environment of geographical information system, the spatial distribution pattern of four types of small towns with their evolution trend is analyzed. The results indicate that four types of small towns have obvious ‘core-periphery’ spatial structure but with different functional orientations and evolution mechanisms. Based on this, the different development strategies for each type of small towns are summarized, providing a scientific reference for the differentiating planning and development strategies of these small towns.     

A quantitative water resource planning and management model for an industrial park level

This paper introduces an integrated water management model at the industrial park level. It suggests four approaches to water management: first, direct water reuse among users; second, water reuse among users by blending with freshwater; third, water reuse between users and a wastewater treatment plant; and fourth, groundwater recharge by reclaimed wastewater or other feasible applications in order to optimize the overall water efficiency. The model results in a comprehensive management methodology for optimizing water resources within an industrial park, seeking potential water reuse among industries, and incorporating the size and cost of reclaimed wastewater delivery systems. A case study is employed to test the model’s feasibility. An economic analysis of the optimized water use network is also carried out, showing the potential water and cost savings.     

Media Representations of Water Issues as Health Risks

ABSTRACT

Water is a critical natural resource for sustaining human life. Media representations are a factor in the formation of public risk perceptions and could influence water conservation and health promotion behaviors. The objective of this research is to identify how newspaper media in four Western U.S. states frame the public health risks associated with water resources. Researchers conducted a content analysis of 326 newspaper articles from eight major newspapers focusing on water resource issues published during a three-year period between January 2012 and December 2014. Results indicate that health risks associated with water are seldom mentioned, and that the risks most frequently covered with regard to water resources are those with direct and immediate impacts to area residents. Findings suggest that media coverage may not be consistent with the nature of health impacts associated with water, which often are long-term.     

基于水质的水资源模型与水质经济学初探

在对传统的以水量为核心的水资源模型理论与实践矛盾的分析基础上,阐述了水资源社会及自然循环规律,提出城市-流域系统中水资源利用的水质自然与人工再生过程和自然、人工修复的双要素.提出水质再生和水量循环的水资源模型及其假设和约束条件,确定了模型适用的边际条件和范围,据此进一步辨析了城市污水回用与再生水的异同,将再生水置于流域尺度的城市群上下游用户层面,提出污水回用(包括中水利用)是降低需求,再生水是增加总量的基本结论.在以水质为核心的水资源模型基础上,对现有水资源经济学定义进行了修正和补充,提出了水质经济学的基础概念,并讨论了水质经济学指导下的供水服务和价格模型结构,重新定位了再生水的战略并提出以流域水体的净化成本和人工水质改善成本共同形成的全成本高低来表征流域水资源短缺程度的缺水等级划分新思路.     

Study of the Optimization and Adjustment of the Industrial Structure Subjected to Water Resource in the Drainage Area of the Yellow River

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the Yellow River stream has been temporarily interrupted for several years, which affects the development of society, the economy and human life, limits the economic potential of the drainage areas, and especially causes great harm to regions on the lower reaches. Based on the analysis of the relationship between the development of society and economy and water scarcity, the author thinks it is necessary to optimize and adjust the industrial structure that has extravagantly consumed enormous amounts of water, and to develop ecological agriculture, industry and tourism which are balanced with the ecological environment. Finally, the author puts forward several pieces of advice and countermeasures about how to build the economic systems by which water can be used economically.