Sustainable water resources through harvesting rainwater and the effectiveness of a low-cost water treatment

Richards, Samia; Rao, Lakshminarayana; Connelly, Stephanie; Raj, Anjali V.; Raveendran, Lakshmi; Shirin, Shahana; Jamwal, Priyanka; Helliwell, Rachel

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112223

Cited by 42 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…As one of the simplest and oldest water sources, rainwater harvesting can be more flexible in terms of capacity, sites, and applications [35]. With proper purification treatments, the rainwater collected can be utilized for potable or non-potable purposes [36].…”

Section: Characterizing Supplementary Water Sources To Surface Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience

Zhang

Liu²,

Li³

2022

Sustainability

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The unequivocal global warming has an explicit impact on the natural water cycle and resultantly leads to an increasing occurrence of extreme weather events which in turn bring challenges and unavoidable destruction to the urban water supply system. As such, diversifying water sources is a key solution to building the resilience of the water supply system. An atmospheric water harvesting can capture water out of the air and provide a point-of-use water source directly. Currently, a series of atmospheric water harvesting have been proposed and developed to provide water sources under various moisture content ranging from 30–80% with a maximum water collection rate of 200,000 L/day. In comparison to conventional water source alternatives, atmospheric water harvesting avoids the construction of storage and distribution grey infrastructure. However, the high price and low water generation rate make this technology unfavorable as a viable alternative to general potable water sources whereas it has advantages compared with bottled water in both cost and environmental impacts. Moreover, atmospheric water harvesting can also provide a particular solution in the agricultural sector in countries with poor irrigation infrastructure but moderate humidity. Overall, atmospheric water harvesting could provide communities and/or cities with an indiscriminate solution to enhance water supply resilience. Further research and efforts are needed to increase the water generation rate and reduce the cost, particularly via leveraging solar energy.

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Section: Characterizing Supplementary Water Sources To Surface Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience

Zhang

Liu²,

Li³

2022

Sustainability

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“…In North China, where groundwater was over-exploited, unconventional water resources (containing brine, treated wastewater and sewage) can be used as an alternative solution to partially meet the agricultural water demand in the region, and this method has been successfully applied to agriculture [45]. Rainwater harvesting was also considered an effective way to relieve pressure on groundwater [46]. In addition, the government should further implement water diversion plans to reduce agricultural water pressure in the North China Plain and Northeast China.…”

Section: Implications For Agricultural Water Management In Different ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Blue and Green Water to Identify Matching Characteristics of Agricultural Water and Land Resources in China

Geng

Liu

et al. 2022

Water

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The uneven distribution and spatial mismatch between water and land resources (WLR) limit the utilization efficiency of agricultural water and land resources (AWLR), and then pose a threat to food production. There is a critical need to understand their matching characteristics for strategic resource allocation decisions and management. In this study, a holistic index (RSI) derived from resource equivalency analysis (REA) was developed which contributed to examine the abundance or deficiency of agricultural water and land resources (AWLR) based on the conception of generalized water resources (including blue water and green water). Results indicate that the matching degree of AWLR was the lowest in Northeast China, North China and Gansu in Northwest China, while the highest value was in Xinjiang due to the higher blue water use. In north China, other provinces suffered water scarcity except in Jilin, Liaoning, Henan, while all provinces in south China suffered land scarcity except in Tibet and Jiangsu. Meanwhile, the matching of AWLR was not exactly consistent with the distribution pattern of precipitation. The higher proportion of green water resources was not located in southeast China with rich precipitation; it had to do with water management. Too much or little water resources can result in the increasing of blue water use. The proposed approach can be a powerful instrument to implement public policies and management strategy as an attempt to improve the utilization efficiency and enhance the optimize-allocation of AWLR.

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“…In addition, stormwater GIs can provide food production services while mitigating stormwater quality and quantity. Several studies have demonstrated that vegetable gardens can reduce stormwater runoff while providing good food yields [43,48]. This indicates that characterization of GIs is important prior to using them to treat stormwater because stormwater carries a range of contaminants including, total suspended solids (TSS), heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrogen, and phosphorous compounds.…”

Section: Stormwater Management In a Circular Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, we also evaluated the circular economy literature studies. These studies are also very broad and do not specifically provide an alternative to address issues related to urban agriculture [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]98,99]. For example, Sreeharsha et al [98] focuses on the energy, water, and resource recovery in a broader context but does not specifically address the role of urban agriculture to address urban food insecurity and nutrient recycling.…”

Section: Enhancement Of Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots

et al. 2021

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Due to the rapid urbanization in the context of the conventional linear economy, the vulnerability of the urban ecosystem to climate change has increased. As a result, connecting urban ecosystem services of different urban land uses is imperative for urban sustainability and resilience. In conventional land use planning, urban agriculture (UA) and urban stormwater management are treated as separate economic sectors with different-disconnected-ecosystem services. Furthermore, few studies have synthesized knowledge regarding the potential impacts of integration of UA and stormwater green infrastructures (GIs) on the quantity and quality of urban ecosystem services of both economic sectors. This study provides a detailed analysis of the imperative question—how should a city integrate the developments of both urban agriculture and stormwater green infrastructure to overcome barriers while enhancing the ecosystem services? To answer this question, we conducted an extensive literature review. The results show that integrating UA with GIs can enhance urban food production while protecting urban water quality. This paper provides an initial context and mechanisms for future researchers and city planners regarding the manner in which the synergies between UA and stormwater GIs can create greater value for the wellbeing of urban ecosystems and resilience in the circular economy.

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Sustainable water resources through harvesting rainwater and the effectiveness of a low-cost water treatment

Cited by 42 publications

References 32 publications

Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience

Diversifying Water Sources with Atmospheric Water Harvesting to Enhance Water Supply Resilience

Integrating Blue and Green Water to Identify Matching Characteristics of Agricultural Water and Land Resources in China

Integrating Urban Agriculture and Stormwater Management in a Circular Economy to Enhance Ecosystem Services: Connecting the Dots

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