Local Water Storage Control for the Developing World

Most cities in India do not have water distribution networks that provide water throughout the entire day. As a result, it is common for homes and apartment buildings to utilize water storage systems that are filled during a small window of time in the day when the water distribution network is active. However, these water storage systems do not have disinfection capabilities, and so long durations of storage (i.e., as few as four days) of the same water leads to substantial increases in the amount of bacteria and viruses in that water. This paper considers the stochastic control problem of deciding how much water to store each day in the system, as well as deciding when to completely empty the water system, in order to tradeoff: the financial costs of the water, the health costs implicit in long durations of storing the same water, the potential for a shortfall in the quantity of stored versus demanded water, and water wastage from emptying the system. To solve this problem, we develop a new Binary Dynamic Search (BiDS) algorithm that is able to use binary search in one dimension to compute the value function of stochastic optimal control problems with controlled resets to a single state and with constraints on the maximum time span in between resets of the system

Irrigation Canals Modernization to Improve Water and Labor Savings

Irrigation is the largest water user in the World, using up to 85% of the available resource. For these reasons, irrigation is being pressed in an increasing way to improve water use efficiency, release more water to industrial and urban users and to pay the same price for this scarce natural resource. Agriculture must be prepared for this increasing competition, developing intelligent management and operation of the irrigation systems. For technical and financial reasons, large brut water conveyance and delivery systems are usually in canal. Above 90 % of the irrigation canals in the world are local upstream controlled. With this control strategy, canals can be sized to convey the maximum uniform steady. This simplifies both the design (constant cross section along the canal) as control system requirements. Local upstream canal control is particularly effective when associated with programmed water delivery methods. However, this method has disadvantages when combined with water flexible delivery methods, because pool water storage must change opposite to its natural tendency. Upstream controlled canals performance can be improved, saving water and labor in the canal operation and improving the water delivery service quality, using three ways, that can be used or not simultaneously – automatic canal control, SCADA systems and buffer reservoirs. With the digital canal control, the controllers can be programmed, for example, with the local upstream control, activated in situations of scarcity of water, when it is important to implement rigid water delivery rules, and, at the same time, programmed with the distant downstream control, that maintains the same canal hydrodynamics, but guarantees the total automation of the canals, producing important water savings in connection with flexible water delivery rules. The communication will present these automatic canal control approaches and their advantages. Upstream control always needs manual flow control at all canal intakes and offtakes, what requires a lot of manpower. A Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system can be installed to enable remote manual control of flows. SCADA systems can complement the automatic control of the canals. Anyway, considering the hydraulic system visualization possibility in real time, SCADA are, always, important water management tools, permitting to improve the quality of the water delivery, saving labor, time and energy in the canal operation. The communication will present the usual monitoring and control actions of the SCADA systems and the correspondent controllers. Buffer reservoirs can reduce water losses, storing the excess water that arrives from upstream canal when the offtakes begin to close, and improve the system’s ability to satisfy the expected and unexpected water demands at downstream. The communication will present the definition, purposes, types and sizing of these reservoirs

Technologies for climate change adaptation: agricultural sector

This Guidebook presents a selection of technologies for climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector. A set of twenty two adaptation technologies are showcased that are primarily based on the principals of agroecology, but also include scientific technologies of climate and biological sciences complemented with important sociological and institutional capacity building processes that are required to make adaptation function. The technologies cover monitoring and forecasting the climate, sustainable water use and management, soil management, sustainable crop management, seed conservation, sustainable forest management and sustainable livestock management. Technologies that tend to homogenize the natural environment and agricultural production have low possibilities of success in conditions of environmental stress that are likely to result from climate change. On the other hand, technologies that allow for, and indeed promote, diversity are more likely to provide a strategy which strengthens agricultural production in the face of uncertain future climate change scenarios. In this sense, the twenty two technologies showcased in this Guidebook have been selected because they facilitate the conservation and restoration of diversity while at the same time providing opportunities for increasing agricultural productivity. Many of these technologies are not new to agricultural production practices, but they are implemented based on assessment of current and possible future impacts of climate change in a particular location. Agro-ecology is an approach that encompasses concepts of sustainable production and biodiversity promotion and therefore provides a useful framework for identifying and selecting appropriate adaptation technologies for the agricultural sector. The Guidebook provides a systematic analysis of the most relevant information available on climate change adaptation technologies in the agriculture sector. It has been compiled based on a literature review of key publications, journal articles, and e-platforms, and by drawing on documented experiences sourced from a range of organizations working on projects and programmes concerned with climate change adaptation technologies in the agricultural sector. Its geographic scope is focused on developing countries where high levels of poverty, agricultural production, climate variability and biological diversity currently intersect. Key concepts around climate change adaptation are not universally agreed. It is therefore important to understand local contexts – especially social and cultural norms - when working with national and sub-national stakeholders to make informed decisions about appropriate technology options. Thus, decision-making processes should be participative, facilitated, and consensus-building oriented and should be based on the following key guiding principles: increasing awareness and knowledge, strengthening institutions, protecting natural resources, providing financial assistance and developing context-specific strategies. For decision-making the Community–Based Adaptation framework is proposed for creating inclusive governance that engages a range of stakeholders directly with local or district government and national coordinating bodies, and facilitates participatory planning, monitoring and implementation of adaptation activities. Seven criteria are suggested for the prioritization of adaptation technologies: (i) The extent to which the technology maintains or strengthens biological diversity and is environmentally sustainable; (ii) The extent to which the technology facilitates access to information systems and awareness of climate change information; (iii) Whether the technology support water, carbon and nutrient cycles and enables stable and/or increased productivity; (iv) Income-generating potential, cost-benefit analysis and contribution to improved equity; (v) Respect for cultural diversity and facilitation of inter-cultural exchange; (vi) Potential for integration into regional and national policies and can be scaled-up; (vii) The extent to which the technology builds formal and information institutions and social networks. Finally, recommendations are set out for practitioners and policy makers: • There is an urgent need for improved climate modelling and forecasting which can provide a basis for informed decision-making and the implementation of adaptation strategies. This should include traditional knowledge. • Information is also required to better understand the behaviour of plants, animals, pests and diseases as they react to climate change. • Potential changes in economic and social systems in the future under different climate scenarios should also be investigated so that the implications of adaptation strategy and planning choices are better understood. • It is important to secure effective flows of information through appropriate dissemination channels. This is vital for building adaptive capacity and decision-making processes. • Improved analysis of adaptation technologies is required to show how they can contribute to building adaptive capacity and resilience in the agricultural sector. This information needs to be compiled and disseminated for a range of stakeholders from local to national level. • Relationships between policy makers, researchers and communities should be built so that technologies and planning processes are developed in partnership, responding to producers’ needs and integrating their knowledge

Rainwater Capture and Purification System for Rural Tanzania

The project was a rainwater capture and purification system for the Buturi community in rural northwestern Tanzania. Recent research indicates the northwestern communities in Tanzania will suffer greatly under the effects of climate change. Using this demonstrated need as impetus, the project created a long-term solution for water accessibility in a community of 57,000 villagers who currently live in extreme poverty. The team visited the Buturi community from March 24 to April 7, 2018 to install the project in the main village, the Makongoro village. The project installation took place at the Buturi Primary School and Community Center. Workshops with local villagers took place to teach and explain how the system works and what maintenance is required. The rainwater capture and purification system should last for approximately 50 years with regular maintenance

Risk management for drinking water safety in low and middle income countries: cultural influences on water safety plan (WSP) implementation in urban water utilities

We investigated cultural influences on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) using case studies from WSP pilots in India, Uganda and Jamaica. A comprehensive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 150 utility customers, n = 32 WSP ‘implementers’ and n = 9 WSP ‘promoters’), field observations and related documents revealed 12 cultural themes, offered as ‘enabling’, ‘limiting’, or ‘neutral’, that influence WSP implementation in urban water utilities to varying extents. Aspects such as a ‘deliver first, safety later’ mind set; supply system knowledge management and storage practices; and non-compliance are deemed influential. Emergent themes of cultural influence (ET1 to ET12) are discussed by reference to the risk management, development studies and institutional culture literatures; by reference to their positive, negative or neutral influence on WSP implementation. The results have implications for the utility endorsement of WSPs, for the impact of organisational cultures on WSP implementation; for the scale-up of pilot studies; and they support repeated calls from practitioner communities for cultural attentiveness during WSP design. Findings on organisational cultures mirror those from utilities in higher income nations implementing WSPs – leadership, advocacy among promoters and customers (not just implementers) and purposeful knowledge management are critical to WSP success

Ethnobotanical survey of pesticidal plants used in South Uganda : case study of Masaka district

Use of synthetic pesticides in developing countries is not only limited by their being expensive but also the small (uneconomic) fields whose limited production costs cannot offset costs of agricultural implements like agro-chemicals. Subsistence farmers, therefore, have no choice but to use local methods of controlling pests, one of which is the use of traditional and of late introduced pesticidal plants' extracts. In this study, whose main objective was to record all pesticidal plants used in Southern Uganda, Masaka district, it was established that thirty four species belonging to eighteen families are currently used in traditional plant production. Most useful species were Azadirachta indica and Tagetes minuta while the most frequently cited families were Meliaceae and Euphorbiaceae. It was noted that of the plant species recorded, some plants like A. indica, Melia azedarach, and T. minuta are already scientifically established pesticidal plants whereas others like Euphorbia tirucalli, Bidens pilosa, Vernonia amygdalina may be known for other uses but not for this purpose and hence the need for their efficacy evaluation. Some important pesticidal plants like Abrus precatorius, Euphorbia candelabrum and Phoenix reclinata were reportedly becoming increasingly rare and would need conservation. The need to carry out such surveys in order to obtain inventories was observed and recording this knowledge before it disappears with the aging farmers was seen as urgent

Developing ecosystem service indicators: experiences and lessons learned from sub-global assessments and other initiatives

People depend upon ecosystems to supply a range of services necessary for their survival and well-being. Ecosystem service indicators are critical for knowing whether or not these essential services are being maintained and used in a sustainable manner, thus enabling policy makers to identify the policies and other interventions needed to better manage them. As a result, ecosystem service indicators are of increasing interest and importance to governmental and inter-governmental processes, including amongst others the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Aichi Targets contained within its strategic plan for 2011-2020, as well as the emerging Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Despite this growing demand, assessing ecosystem service status and trends and developing robust indicators is o!en hindered by a lack of information and data, resulting in few available indicators. In response, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), together with a wide range of international partners and supported by the Swedish International Biodiversity Programme (SwedBio)*, undertook a project to take stock of the key lessons that have been learnt in developing and using ecosystem service indicators in a range of assessment contexts. The project examined the methodologies, metrics and data sources employed in delivering ecosystem service indicators, so as to inform future indicator development. This report presents the principal results of this project