Volume 40, Issue 5

September 2024


Research Articles


The evolution of the EU drinking water policy towards a source-to-mouth approach

Delia M. Andriesa, Alberto Garridob and Lucia De Stefanoa

aDepartamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid, Spain; bCEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Madrid, Spain

Contact: Delia M. Andries | Email: deliandr@ucm.es

Abstract

The four-decade evolution of drinking water policy of the European Union is analysed using a policy change framework through documentary analysis and in-depth interviews. Our findings suggest that this policy has always targeted the protection of human health while inching closer to the concept of ‘safely managed drinking water’, which implies the protection of the sources of drinking water and the application of a risk-based approach to the entire water supply chain. Influenced by a variety of factors, it has experienced incremental changes leading to more comprehensive provisions while seeking flexibility to accommodate the diversity of Member States forming the Union.

Pages: 723–745

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2318248


Post-water political-economics

David Zetland

Leiden University College, The Hague, The Netherlands

Contact: David Zetland | Email: d.j.zetland@luc.leidenuniv.nl

Abstract

Existing concepts of water political economy focus on political bargaining within relatively static institutional and climactic environments. This article adds ‘post’ to water political economy to explore how non-stationary climate interacts with endogenous political institutions to create and magnify policy and behavioural uncertainties. These post-water political economy ideas are then applied to food security to explore potential future scenarios. The implications are terrible for poor people living in water-scarce, food-importing countries, but not much better for everyone else.

Pages: 746–764

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2023.2214640 (Open Access)


What does valuing water mean in practice? A case study from the Ewaso Ng’iro River Basin, Kenya

Christopher Schulza, Julia Martin-Ortegab and Klaus Glenkc

aSchool of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; bSustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; cDepartment of Rural Economy, Environment and Society, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Edinburgh, UK

Contact: Christopher Schulz | Email: christopher.schulz@st-andrews.ac.uk

Abstract

Valuing water is receiving increasing attention within the global water policy agenda as a new water management paradigm. However, it is not yet clear how it can be operationalized in local water management contexts. We apply the Value Landscapes Approach as a conceptual framework to show how water-related preferences are informed by underlying assigned/water values and governance-related values and how these values may explain three different visions for water management among professional respondents in a Northern Kenyan case study. Through making shared and conflicting values explicit, these insights may serve as a foundation for addressing water conflicts in practice.

Pages: 765–789

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2384451 (Open Access)


Different destinations, different outcomes: a comprehensive analysis of hotel water management in Madeira and Tenerife

Natalia Antonova , Javier Mendoza-Jiménez and Inés Ruiz-Rosa

Instituto Universitario de La Empresa, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain

Contact: Javier Mendoza-Jiménez | Email: jmendozj@ull.edu.es

Abstract

This study examines hotel water management in Madeira, Portugal and Tenerife, Spain, which differ in water stress and tourism pressure, both much higher in Tenerife. Determinants of hotel water use and water-saving measures are evaluated using correlations and cluster analyses. In Tenerife, more decisive implementation of water-saving measures results in much lower consumption. Conversely, in Madeira, hotel size and category appear to overshadow the effect of water-saving measures. The novelty of this study lies in applying the same methodology to two different destinations, highlighting the role of external factors in shaping hotel water management, while exploring water-saving measures in depth.

Pages: 790–815

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2382103


Polycentric governance and agroecological practices in the MENA region: insights from Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia

Ariane Goetza, Hussam Husseinb,c and Andreas Thiela

aFaculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Section International Agricultural Policy and Environmental Governance, Kassel University, Kassel, Germany; bDepartment of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; cPartnerships for Development Department, Royal Scientific Society (RSS), Jubeiha, Amman, Jordan

Contact: Hussam Hussein | Email: hh.hussam.hussein@gmail.com

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the most water-scarce region in the world. Recent research suggests that agroecology could be a basis for sustainable agriculture. We assess the spread of agroecology in the region and explore the prospect of selforganization among farming communities as an indicator for selfdetermination of the farming system. The focus is on Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. We present empirical data and propose an analytical framework for capturing the conditions for self-organizing arrangements in a transition to agroecology.

Pages: 816–831

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2023.2260902 (Open Access)


Climate change adaptation for drinking water and ecological flows through sustainable agricultural practices

José Pedro Ramiãoa,b, Cláudia Pascoala,b and Cláudia Carvalho-Santosa,b

aCBMA – Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; bIB-S – Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

Contact: José Pedro Ramião | Email: zepedroramiao@gmail.com

Abstract

Analysing the impacts of climate change on water resources is crucial to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize actions. We investigated climate change impacts on drinking water supply, emphasizing sustainable agriculture as an adaptation strategy, using the SWAT model in the Cávado River basin, Portugal. Our study highlights an increase in months with river discharge below ecological flow post water abstraction due to climate change. Notably, nitrate concentration was more influenced by sustainable agriculture practices than climate change. Our study highlights the vital role of adaptive strategies, especially sustainable agriculture, in securingwater resources amidst challenges posed by climate change.

Pages: 832–851

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2339241 (Open Access)


Quantifying the runoff reduction benefits of the ‘Grain for Green’ Programme using the VIC model

Aying Shia*, Ruichen Maoa*, Jinxi Songa,b,c, Xiaoxin Lia, Junqing Gaoa, Haotian Suna, Jiawei Zhaoa and Bingjie Lia

aShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China; bYellow River Institute of Shanxi Province, Northwest University, Xi’an, China; cInstitute of Qinling Mountains, Northwest University, Xi’an, China

Contact: Jinxi Song | Email: jinxisong@nwu.edu.cn

Abstract

Variable infiltration capacity model is used to quantitatively analyse the runoff reduction benefits of three basins on the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the ‘Grain for Green’ programme. The programme played an important role, contributing to >60% of the runoff variation in the different basins. Furthermore, for every 1000 km2 increase in cumulative forest area in basins, the rate of runoff coefficient reduction changed by −30%, −37.3% and 169% in the late stage of the programme compared to the early stage, respectively (‘-’ represents a decrease in reduction rate). This was closely related to the restoration of vegetation.

Pages: 852–870

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2352384


Displacement-induced inequalities in Koto Panjang resettlement villages of Indonesia

Endrizal Ridwana, Syafruddin Karimia, Fery Andrianusa, Vima Tista Putrianab and Betty Uspria

aDepartment of Economics, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia; bDepartment of Accounting, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia

Contact: Endrizal Ridwan | Email: eridwan@eb.unand.ac.id

Abstract

We evaluated the impact of the displacement project on land and income inequalities in Koto Panjang resettlement villages of Riau Province of Indonesia. The displaced households received equally compensated land before the project’s operation. We took that displacement as a treatment and conducted a with-and-without project comparison to the changes in the household economy, putting the non-displaced households as counterfactual. Using the 2003 and 2013 Indonesian Agricultural Household Income Survey, we found that the displaced areas had equally distributed land but unequally distributed income. In addition, both land and income levels were higher in the displaced than in the non-displaced.

Pages: 871–884

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2341268 (Open Access)


Hydraulic bureaucracy and irrigation management transfer: analysing the efficacy of two models in South-India

K. Gulam Dasthagir

Department of Sociology, School of Social Science and International Studies, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India

Contact: K. Gulam Dasthagir | Email: dasthagir@pondiuni.edu.in

Abstract

This study examines the efficacy of the World Bank model and the European Union Model of Irrigation Management Transfer in crafting sustainable water user associations in South India. Based on the narratives and field-based evidence retracing the implementation trajectory of institutional reforms and the subsequent forms of governance of irrigation systems in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, this article articulates how bureaucratic mediation either perpetuates the legacy of hydraulic bureaucracy or renders post bureaucracy on record in encumbering the efficacy and sustainability of participatory irrigation management.

Pages: 885–905

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2341992


Report


Constructed wetlands to treat polluted waters in Latin America and the Caribbean

Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesicha, Lino Morales-Paredesb, Giuliana Romero-Mariscalc, Armando Arenazas-Rodriguezd, Juana Ticona-Queab, Roberto Pizarroe,f,g,h, Gary Vanzini and Jonathan O. Sharpi

aDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme of UNESCO, Golden, CO, USA; bFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Perú; cFacultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Perú; dFacultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Perú; eFaculty of Forest Engineering, University of Talca, Talca, Chile; fFaculty of Forest Sciences and Nature Conservancy, University Chile, Talca, Chile; gUnesco Chair on Surface Hydrology, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile; hCentro de Excelencia para la Industria de la Madera, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Talca, Chile; iDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

Contact: Pablo A. Garcia-Chevesich | Emails: pablogarciach@gmail.com; pablogarcia@mines.edu

Abstract

A collaborative analysis of constructed wetlands in Latin America and the Caribbean, published in Spanish, brought together insights from 10 different countries in the region. The collective reports focused on both subsurface and surface flow wetlands. Treatment targets included industrial and agricultural discharges, yet the emphasis was on the treatment of domestic wastewater as a pollutant, and a lack of sufficient municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure. Common macrophyte genera as well as unique species were highlighted for their potential contributions to treatment and ecological diversity. Finally, a growing body of legal frameworks for establishment and protection were reported.

Pages: 906–914

https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2341272


MORE INFORMATION ON THIS ISSUE »