scholarly journals Water Conflicts: From Ancient to Modern Times and in the Future

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4237
Author(s):  
Andreas N. Angelakis ◽  
Mohammad Valipour ◽  
Abdelkader T. Ahmed ◽  
Vasileios Tzanakakis ◽  
Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis ◽  
...  

Since prehistoric times, water conflicts have occurred as a result of a wide range of tensions and/or violence, which have rarely taken the form of traditional warfare waged over water resources alone. Instead, water has historically been a (re)source of tension and a factor in conflicts that start for other reasons. In some cases, water was used directly as a weapon through its ability to cause damage through deprivation or erosion or water resources of enemy populations and their armies. However, water conflicts, both past and present, arise for several reasons; including territorial disputes, fight for resources, and strategic advantage. The main reasons of water conflicts are usually delimitation of boundaries, waterlogging (e.g., dams and lakes), diversion of rivers flow, running water, food, and political distresses. In recent decades, the number of human casualties caused by water conflicts is more than that of natural disasters, indicating the importance of emerging trends on water wars in the world. This paper presents arguments, fights, discourses, and conflicts around water from ancient times to the present. This diachronic survey attempts to provide water governance alternatives for the current and future.

Author(s):  
A Parven ◽  
MS Hasan

Bangladesh and India Sharing fifty-four trans-boundary rivers water that flows from India to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is mostly dependent on India for their water and has no control over the water shed management policy of the rivers. Being a smaller, weaker military and economy than India, Bangladesh cannot influence the watershed management policies and face floods and water scarcity, reducing yield production and fish productivity, an ecological imbalance in estuarine areas, saline water intrusion in the southwestern part of Bangladesh and reduced navigation. Water governance is the combination of the political, social, economic and administrative system, which manage the water resources and provide services in the different level of society. Based on the water governance definition the researchers find out the different stakeholder in the management of water governance and the lack of practices of the theoretical concept of water governance and try to indicate the possibilities of the better solutions (Conflict or cooperation) of this trans-boundary water conflicts between both countries. The paper also compared the present negotiation process with different kinds of modes of wicked problem in water resource management. The study recommends few suggestions to minimize the conflict over the utilization of trans-boundary water resources management for example, a hydro-community like EU water framework Directive that is based on the soft power of peer review rather than a penalizing measure.Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 8 (1): 79-84, June, 2018


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 243-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohan Yoo

This article demonstrates the need for the iconic status and function of Buddhist scripture to receive more attention by illuminating how lay Korean Buddhists try to appropriate the power of sutras. The oral and aural aspects of scripture, explained by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, provide only a limited understanding of the characteristics of scripture. It should be noted that, before modern times, most lay people, not only in Buddhist cultures but also in Christian and other traditions, neither had the chance to recite scriptures nor to listen to their recitations regularly. Several clear examples demonstrate contemporary Korean Buddhists’ acceptance of the iconic status of sutras and their attempt to appropriate the power and status of those sacred texts. In contemporary Korea, lay Buddhists try to claim the power of scriptures in their daily lives by repeating and possessing them. Twenty-first century lay believers who cannot read or recite in a traditional style have found new methods of repetition, such as internet programs for copying sacred texts and for playing recordings of their recitations. In addition, many Korean Buddhists consider the act of having sutras in one’s possession to be an effective way of accessing the sacred status and power of these texts. Hence, various ways of possessing them have been developed in a wide range of products, from fancy gilded sutras to sneakers embroidered with mantras.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4613
Author(s):  
Gabriela-Maria Baci ◽  
Alexandra-Antonia Cucu ◽  
Adela Ramona Moise ◽  
Daniel Severus Dezmirean

Since ancient times, honey has been considered one of the most illustrious and esteemed natural products. Honey plays two key roles; specifically, it is an appreciated nutritional product, and also exhibits a wide range of beneficial properties for human health as a therapeutic agent. Furthermore, it has been shown that honey has valuable effects on the biological and physiological features of mulberry silkworms (Bombyx mori). Bombyx mori exhibits importance not only for the economy, but it also serves as an important biotechnological bioreactor for the production of recombinant proteins that have a great impact in the medical field and beyond. It also represents an important model organism for life sciences. In view of the fact that silk fibroin serves as a natural biopolymer that displays high biocompatibility with human organisms and due to honey’s various and remarkable properties for human health, the two elements are currently used together in order to develop ideal biomaterials for a wide range of purposes. In this review, by discussing the applicability of honey on Bombyx mori and beyond, the importance of honey for life sciences and related fields is spotlighted.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Marianna Martinello ◽  
Franco Mutinelli

Bee products have been used since ancient times both for their nutritional value and for a broad spectrum of therapeutic purposes. They are deemed to be a potential source of natural antioxidants that can counteract the effects of oxidative stress underlying the pathogenesis of many diseases. In view of the growing interest in using bioactive substances from natural sources to promote health and reduce the risk of developing certain illnesses, this review aims to update the current state of knowledge on the antioxidant capacity of bee products such as honey, pollen, propolis, beeswax, royal jelly and bee venom, and on the analytical methods used. The complex, variable composition of these products and the multitude of analytical methods used to study their antioxidant activities are responsible for the wide range of results reported by a plethora of available studies. This suggests the need to establish standardized methods to more efficiently evaluate the intrinsic antioxidant characteristics of these products and make the data obtained more comparable.


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Mu ◽  
L. Fang ◽  
H. Wang ◽  
L. Chen ◽  
Y. Yang ◽  
...  

Worldwide, water scarcity threatens delivery of water to urban centers. Increasing water use efficiency (WUE) is often recommended to reduce water demand, especially in water-scarce areas. In this paper, agricultural water use efficiency (AWUE) is examined using the super-efficient data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in Xi'an in Northwest China at a temporal and spatial level. The grey systems analysis technique was then adopted to identify the factors that influenced the efficiency differentials under the shortage of water resources. From the perspective of temporal scales, the AWUE increased year by year during 2004–2012, and the highest (2.05) was obtained in 2009. Additionally, the AWUE was the best in the urban area at the spatial scale. Moreover, the key influencing factors of the AWUE are the financial situations and agricultural water-saving technology. Finally, we identified several knowledge gaps and proposed water-saving strategies for increasing AWUE and reducing its water demand by: (1) improving irrigation practices (timing and amounts) based on compatible water-saving techniques; (2) maximizing regional WUE by managing water resources and allocation at regional scales as well as enhancing coordination among Chinese water governance institutes.


1970 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Subhadradevi ◽  
K Asokkumar ◽  
M Umamaheswari ◽  
AT Sivashanmugam ◽  
JR Ushanandhini ◽  
...  

Since ancient times plant as sources of medicinal compounds have continued to play a dominant role in the maintenance of human health. To treat chronic and infectious diseases plants used in traditional medicine contain a wide range of ingredients. In this regard, Cassia auriculata L. (Caesalpiniaceae) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic, astringent and as a remedy for diabetes, conjunctivitis, ulcers, leprosy, skin and liver diseases. The aim of present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract of Cassia auriculata leaves and flowers (CALE & CAFE). CALE and CAFE exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis and exhibited no antifungal activity against standard strains of Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was carried out for CALE and CAFE. The results obtained in the present study indicate that the CALE and CAFE can be a potential source of natural antimicrobial agents. Key words: Cassia auriculata; Antimicrobial activity; Agar well diffusion method. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjsir.v46i4.9600 BJSIR 2011; 46(4): 513-518


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-193
Author(s):  
Cătălin Badea

"The most crucial element of every life form on our planet, water has always been a source of potential animosity between clans, tribes and even states. With the advent of modern technology we have devoted less and less of our attention to this all-needed resource, but pollution, large-scale industrialization and agriculture, the population boom of the last centuries and crucially the climate calamity that it threatens to unleash, forces us to reconsider the key role played by water in the delicate and fragile ecosystem of our planet. This article takes a look at how water is, and will increasingly be, a source of contention and even conflicts between states, as climate changes and increasingly larger populations will be forced to fight over more and more depleted resources. With a focus on the case of the Nile river and the potential conflict over its water resources between Egypt and Ethiopia, this article examines how the mainstream state of water conflict thinking fails to explain the case of the Nile River Basis and the newly built Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and why the alternative ideas that are based on the notions of cooperation and justice might ultimately provide a better way of understanding the complex problem of the delicate management and use of water resources. Keywords: Water conflicts, Egypt, Ethiopia, GERD, The Nile"


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 3791-3816 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Dondeynaz ◽  
C. Carmona Moreno ◽  
J. J. Céspedes Lorente

Abstract. The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 42 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality, and finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. Based on 25 relevant variables, the relationships between variables are described and organised into five factors (HDP – Human Development against Poverty, AP – Human Activity Pressure on water resources, WR – Water Resources, ODA – Official Development Aid, CEC – Country Environmental Concern). Linear regression methods are used to identify key variables having influence on water supply and sanitation. First analysis indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor negatively influencing the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children's health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Irrigation is also enhancing Water Supply service thanks to multi-purpose infrastructure. Five country profiles are also created to deeper understand and synthetize the amount of information gathered. This new classification of countries is useful in identifying countries with a less advanced position and weaknesses to be tackled. The relevance of indicators gathered to represent environmental and water resources state is questioned in the discussion section. The paper concludes with the necessity to increase the reliability of current indicators and calls for further research on specific indicators, in particular on water quality at national scale, in order to better include environmental state in analysis to WSS.


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