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EBookClubs

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Book Rapid Assessment of Water Availability and Appropriate Technologies

Download or read book Rapid Assessment of Water Availability and Appropriate Technologies written by Andrew Keller and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2014-12-17 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Limited access to water is a key reason why millions of poor farmers struggle to grow enough food and marketable crops to improve their lives. Public sector agencies, civil society organizations and donors seeking to improve small-scale farmers’ access to water resources face limited data on the location and accessibility of water resources. This paper addresses this gap by providing a tested method to assess water resources that small-scale farmers can access affordably and sustainably. This paper also supports the selection of appropriate water access and application technologies for available water resources. The method described is rapid and relatively inexpensive; it uses a phased approach to assess a broad-scale area (e.g., a country or region); and then gathers more information in locations that have higher potential for affordable water access by small-scale farmers.

Book Baseline review and ecosystem services assessment of the Tana River Basin  Kenya

Download or read book Baseline review and ecosystem services assessment of the Tana River Basin Kenya written by Baker, Tracy and published by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ‘WISE-UP to climate’ project aims to demonstrate the value of natural infrastructure as a ‘nature-based solution’ for climate change adaptation and sustainable development. Within the Tana River Basin, both natural and built infrastructure provide livelihood benefits for people. Understanding the interrelationships between the two types of infrastructure is a prerequisite for sustainable water resources development and management. This is particularly true as pressures on water resources intensify and the impacts of climate change increase. This report provides an overview of the biophysical characteristics, ecosystem services and links to livelihoods within the basin.

Book A framework to Understand Gender and Structural Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Ganges River Basin

Download or read book A framework to Understand Gender and Structural Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Ganges River Basin written by Fraser Sugden and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As climate change becomes accepted as a reality in the scientific community, it is critical to continue to understand its impact on the ground, particularly for communities dependent on agriculture and natural resources. This report reviews the extensive literature on the vulnerability to climate change in South Asia, with a focus on gender. It highlights how vulnerability is intricately connected to existing social structures. With respects to gender inequalities, the report reviews how men and women are affected in different ways by climate shocks, while differing access to resources and cultural ideologies mean that their capacity to ‘adapt’ is also not equal. The report also notes the importance of other axes of inequality (caste, class and ethnicity) in shaping gendered vulnerability. It concludes by offering insights into potential ways forward to promote more equitable adaptation to change through improved policies and practices.

Book Hydrogeology of the Eastern Ganges Basin  an overview

Download or read book Hydrogeology of the Eastern Ganges Basin an overview written by Rajmohan, N. and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2013-02-06 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ganges Basin is a part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) River Basin and is one of the most populated (600 million) river basins in the world. This study focuses on the Eastern Ganges Basin (EGB) and covers India (Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal), Bangladesh and the Nepal Terai. Poverty is acute in the EGB, where household incomes are low, food security is not assured and devastating floods (and also water shortages) occur too often. The EGB is underlain by one of the most prolific aquifers in the world. Yet, farmers struggle to cope with dry spells and droughts because of their inability to access groundwater. Huge untapped groundwater, surplus surface water, and enormous plains and fertile lands highlight the requirement of proper planning for groundwater management and governance to reduce poverty and assure food security. The aim of this report is to assist planners/policymakers in the planning and management of groundwater resources in the EGB. This report mainly discusses about hydrogeology, groundwater potential and challenges, and groundwater quality issues in the EGB. Moreover, it is an attempt to form a base for future work related to groundwater development, management and modeling in this basin.

Book Review of Literature on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology  CKDu  in Sri Lanka

Download or read book Review of Literature on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology CKDu in Sri Lanka written by Andrew Noble and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2014-05-16 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This manuscript undertakes a review of current published information (peer-reviewed and grey literature) on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka. It attempts to provide an overview of the possible environmentally-induced causal factors that have been implicated in the development of the disease, and identifies the gaps in research and recommends potential areas for future research. The review specifically captures the potential role that agriculture and water resources may play as causal factors in the development of the disease, and calls for a systematic approach and stresses the need for an integrated multi-disciplinary research effort to address the problem.

Book Extent of Arsenic Contamination and Its Impact on the Food Chain and Human Health in the Eastern Ganges Basin

Download or read book Extent of Arsenic Contamination and Its Impact on the Food Chain and Human Health in the Eastern Ganges Basin written by N. Rajmohan and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposure to arsenic and the use of arsenic-contaminated groundwater in agriculture causes serious health issues. Complete or partial contamination of groundwater is reported worldwide, especially in the Eastern Gangetic Basin (EGB). This study aims to create an overall assessment of arsenic contamination in the EGB based on existing literature, demarcate the extent of the affected area, highlight the impacts on the food chain and human health, and hopes the research will help in the better planning and management of groundwater. Although several studies have evaluated arsenic contamination of groundwater in the EGB, (a) there is no proper long-term monitoring being done in affected areas; (b) there is a debate to identify the exact source and transport processes of arsenic occurrence in this region; (c) there is no comprehensive method to estimate the level of arsenic contamination in soil, water and the food chain; and (d) Arsenic contamination in Bihar and Nepal is not evaluated systematically, especially arsenic accumulation in the food chain and human health issues. Data scarcity and accessibility are the major challenges in this region. Thus, this review recommends systematic monitoring and analysis of arsenic contamination in groundwater, soils and food across the EGB.

Book Characteristics of Urban and Peri urban Agriculture in West Africa

Download or read book Characteristics of Urban and Peri urban Agriculture in West Africa written by Imogen Bellwood-Howard and published by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report summarizes key results from surveys carried out on urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in Tamale (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in 2013. The aim was to provide a broad overview of the state of UPA in the study cities and a basis for future research endeavors. The randomized sampling approach used aerial photography to identify 10 sites in different categories of farm in each city. Farmers provided information on their cropping and livestock-rearing activities. There were similarities between the cities, but the differences in the expression of UPA in Tamale and Ouagadougou were more intriguing, as in farm sizes, crops grown and livestock ownership. Farmers were particularly concerned about diminishing access to land in Tamale, where sales by chiefs to private investors were accelerating. In Ouagadougou, formal reallocation of land to homeowners by the state had similarly decreased available farmland. Water availability was a universal concern, and the quality of water used for irrigation was potentially more questionable in Ouagadougou than in Tamale. The results point to the need for further work on uncontaminated, perennial water sources and soil fertility management, alongside focuses on commercialization of animal production, and the legal, political and institutional context of UPA in different West African cities.

Book Revitalizing Canal Irrigation  Towards Improving Cost Recovery

Download or read book Revitalizing Canal Irrigation Towards Improving Cost Recovery written by Ravinder P. S. Malik and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2014 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cost recovery from irrigation in almost all the countries presents a dismal picture. Low cost recovery coupled with declining government finances has led to the deterioration of both the quality of the built infrastructure and institutions managing and governing such infrastructure. This has created a vicious circle of low cost recovery, poor maintenance of infrastructure, inadequate and unreliable water supply, inefficient and corrupt institutions, and unwillingness of the farmers to pay. Breaking this vicious circle primarily requires identifying ways to improve availability of financial resources. Improving cost recovery from all users, including irrigators of the water, offers one of the most important avenues for raising financial resources. The present study examines some of the important issues that impinge on improving the cost recovery in canal irrigation, and assesses the feasibility of some of the efforts being made to improve cost recovery in irrigation to revitalize canal irrigation.

Book Consumer Perceptions of Fruit and Vegetable Quality

Download or read book Consumer Perceptions of Fruit and Vegetable Quality written by Keraita, B. and published by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With increasing change of traditional diets, and the emergence of new supply and marketing chains, urban food consumers in low-income countries are faced with multiple food safety challenges, among which microbial contamination and pesticides are key concerns for fruits and vegetables sold on urban markets in West Africa. Although consumers have a genuine interest in healthy food, and are willing to pay premiums, their interpretation of food quality and risks deviates from scientific health risk assessments and does not translate into recommended risk mitigation behavior. To safeguard public health, alternative measures are needed to support consumers’ risk awareness and decision making. The review looked at common and less-common options to trigger and support behavioral change, including safety labeling (certification), corporate social responsibility models, incentive systems and social marketing of safe practices, to address potential food safety risks from farming in urban and peri-urban areas. Overall, it appears that regulatory measures for risk management, including certifications, will be – for now – less effective in the West African setup due to low educational levels in view of chemical and microbial risk, diverse and often informal food chains, poor safety supporting infrastructure and weak institutional capacities for compliance monitoring.

Book Rural Water Supply and Sanitation

Download or read book Rural Water Supply and Sanitation written by Prof. Elijah K. Biamah and published by Dolman Scott Publishers. This book was released on 2012-08-08 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This publication is expected to provide insights into the present water supply and sanitation in rural Kenya by identifying potential cost-effective sources of community water supply systems; determining the current water demand and assessing the capacity of existing water supplies; recommending possible and viable solutions to community sanitation problems; identifying existing structures for water development in rural communities and areas of collaboration with other players in the water sector; and determining the extent of environmental degradation in water catchments and recommending possible remedies. This publication will form the basis for effective planning, monitoring, and evaluation of water supply and sanitation development projects in rural Kenya. The focus of this publication is on the sustainability of water supply systems and sanitation that have been realized by water development projects in rural Kenya. It attempts to look into proposed and completed projects with a view to improving the implementation and sustainability of development project activities. It also attempts to look at sustainability through a transition strategy where the local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and Water Users Committees (WUCs) would take charge of water supply systems. An increased local capacity building through training, formulation and enforcement of water management by-laws would ensure the sustainability of the operation and maintenance of developed water sources."

Book Water Resources Assessment of the Volta River Basin

Download or read book Water Resources Assessment of the Volta River Basin written by Marloes Mul, Emmanuel Obuobie and published by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). This book was released on 2015-02-01 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Water Supply and Water Scarcity

Download or read book Water Supply and Water Scarcity written by Vasileios A. Tzanakakis and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-11-04 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Book includes selected papers that has been published in the Water journal Special Issue (SI) on Water Supply and Water Scarcity. Moreover, an overview of the SI is included. The papers selected for publication in the SI include review and research papers on water history, on water management issues under water scarcity regimes, on rainwater harvesting, on water quality and degradation, and on climatic variability impacts on water resources. Overall, the issue identify and highlight the main challenges in water sector, and particularly in management and protection of water resources and in use of alternative (non-conventional) water resources, especially in areas with demographic change and climate vulnerability in order to achieve sustainable and secure water supply. Furthermore, general guidelines and possible solutions for an improved and sophisticated water management system are proposed and discussed, such as the adoption of advanced technological solutions and practices that improve water-use efficiency and the use of alternative water resources, to address the growing environmental and health issues and to reduce the emerging conflicts among water users.

Book Providing Safe Drinking Water in Small Systems

Download or read book Providing Safe Drinking Water in Small Systems written by Joseph Cotruvo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-01-15 with total page 679 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The continued lack of access to adequate amounts of safe drinking water is one of the primary causes of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide and a serious situation which governments, international agencies and private organizations are striving to alleviate. Barriers to providing safe drinking water for rural areas and small communities that must be overcome include the financing and stability of small systems, their operation, and appropriate, cost-effective technologies to treat and deliver water to consumers. While we know how to technically produce safe drinking water, we are not always able to achieve sustainable safe water supplies for small systems in developed and developing countries. Everyone wants to move rapidly to reach the goal of universal safe drinking water, because safe water is the most fundamental essential element for personal and social health and welfare. Without safe water and a safe environment, sustained personal economic and cultural development is impossible. Often small rural systems are the last in the opportunity line. Safe Drinking Water in Small Systems describes feasible technologies, operating procedures, management, and financing opportunities to alleviate problems faced by small water systems in both developed and developing countries. In addition to widely used traditional technologies this reference presents emerging technologies and non-traditional approaches to water treatment, management, sources of energy, and the delivery of safe water.

Book World Water Assessment Programme Sri Lanka Case Study

Download or read book World Water Assessment Programme Sri Lanka Case Study written by K. A. U. S. Imbulana and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2002-04-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Case Study Workshop was organized with the objective of obtaining the necessary input the experts on different subject areas of water resources, subject those views and discussion among the stakeholder agencies, and synthesize the information to a report on the case study. The outcome of the Workshop would eventually transform into the contribution of Sri Lanka to the forst WWDR

Book Review of Technologies for the Rapid Detection of Chemical and Biological Contaminants in Drinking Water

Download or read book Review of Technologies for the Rapid Detection of Chemical and Biological Contaminants in Drinking Water written by and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the event of potentially intentional contamination of drinking water, the risk to public health must be minimised, which requires confirmation of contamination and, if possible, identification of the contaminant. A crucial step is to determine the type of contaminant as rapidly as possible. This review, developed within the framework of guidance for the production of a water security plan (Teixeira et al., 2019), aims to help water utilities, laboratories and other stakeholders improve their capacities to analyse and identify unknown contaminants in drinking water. An explanation of sampling procedures in emergency situations is given, followed by a proposed approach to the use of non-targeted technologies to determine both toxicity and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. A toxicity analysis quickly detects toxic chemical contaminants, while measuring the ATP gives a first indication of any contamination by microorganisms. The non-targeted technologies for determining toxicity and ATP in water that qualify for use in emergency response - i.e. that are quick to respond, reliable and easy-to-operate are now available on the market, and could be adopted by most drinking-water utilities and/or laboratories, along with establishing appropriate sampling capabilities. The next step - identifying the contaminant - requires the application of targeted rapid analysis technologies such as immunoassay-based, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing technologies, and field analysis by gas chromatography (GC/MS). These targeted technologies are based on tests available on the market, with a focus on rapidness and reliability of results. The commercially available analytical tools and methodologies for detecting and identifying a chemical or biological contaminant are reviewed through a detailed description of the equipment involved, including the technologies, equipment prices, testing costs, time needed to obtain a result, manufacturers, and the shelf life of the reagents. Information is also provided on proficiency tests that give external quality control of the analytical process analysis of unknown contamination events in drinking water in emergencies situations. To assist utilities and laboratories in their consideration and selection of targeted and non-targeted technologies, an approach to identifying water contaminants in emergency situations is proposed, comprising a series of analytical steps to be adapted by each water utility in line with its business goals and risk assessment. This review of analytical technologies aims to support water utilities, laboratories, health authorities and other stakeholders in planning responses to emergency events in drinking-water quality, and in particular to enhance the rapid identification of unknown water contaminants. An assessment of these technologies, within the framework of a water security plan, along with appropriate planning and protection measures, will enable water utilities to better respond to unexpected contamination of drinking water.

Book Water Contamination Emergencies

Download or read book Water Contamination Emergencies written by K Clive Thompson and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2007-10-31 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contamination of water supplies and the immediate availability of appropriate emergency responses to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) events which result in contaminated water are becoming increasingly relevant and significant issues in the water industry and in the wider world. Consequently, new strategies and technologies are being constantly evolved and refined by leading experts in the field in order to achieve rapid and effective responses to water contamination events. Water Contamination Emergencies: Enhancing our Response brings together contributions from leading scientists and experts from both academia and industry in the field of water contamination and emergency planning. The book covers a wide range of topics including responses to water contamination emergencies, impacts on public health and commerce, risk assessment, analysis and monitoring, emergency planning, control and planning and threats to the water industry. This book is ideal for specialists in the field of water contamination and emergency response planning, especially researchers and professionals in industry and government who require an authoritative and highly specialised resource on water contamination management. The reader will gain an appreciation of the activities supporting the development of responses to contamination events; emergency actions required in response to the contamination of drinking water; and incident management. Also discussed are the importance of communication between organisations and the public; consumer perceptions and the need for robust and rapid screening of samples taken in response to potential contamination events in order to help answer the key question "Is this water safe to drink?"

Book Assessment of the Fate and Effects of Toxic Agents on Water Resources

Download or read book Assessment of the Fate and Effects of Toxic Agents on Water Resources written by I. Ethem Gonenc and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-04-06 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water has become one of the potential targets of terrorists. This volume addresses the basic scientific concepts that must be integrated by decision-makers to minimize damages and optimize recovery operations in the aftermath of such an attack. It addresses the multidisciplinary approaches for rapid diagnoses and assessments, and offers a step-by-step treatment of all aspects of ecosystem processes, modelling and monitoring.