Water Demand Management and Household Level Metering in Low-Income Areas of Urban Africa

Increasing the level of water metering is an objective of most initiatives for the operational restructuring of African water utilities promoted by donors and development agencies from the 1990s. Water metering penetration is a common benchmarking indicator to measure the performances of water utilities. In contrast with other benchmarks and targets set for the African water sector, which remain largely unmet, water metering at household and at water point levels are quite successful. The study discusses the arguments behind the widespread acceptance of the target of 100% metering, focusing on the suitability of household level metering for low-income settlements of urban Africa. An empirical analysis shows that metering is not an effective water demand management tool for domestic consumption, probably due to the fact that average consumption is already low, and it can hardly be reduced further. The case study shows that universal metering ambitions might discourage household level connections.

Quick-Look Water Saturation Estimate with Density-Neutron Logs in Unknown or Mixed Salinity Environments: Case Studies in Middle East Oil-Bearing Carbonate Reservoirs

We have shown previously that while total porosity is the weighted sum of density and neutron porosities, hydrocarbon volume is the weighted difference of the two. Thus, their ratio yields hydrocarbon, or equivalently, water saturation (Sw). In LWD environments where negligible invasion takes place while drilling, we investigate whether Sw derived from LWD density-neutron logs could approach true Sw in unknown or mixed water salinity environments. In such environments, it is well known that Sw determined from standalone resistivity or capture sigma logs is uncertain due to large water resistivity (Rw) or capture sigma (Σw) changes with salinity. On the other hand, the water density (ρw) and hydrogen index (HIw) variations with salinity are much less (Table 1). Hence, the water point on the density neutron crossplot does not move with salinity as much as the water point on a sigma-porosity crossplot does. Similarly, the water point on a resistivity-porosity Pickett plot would move drastically with changes in Rw. Also, because the hydrocarbon effect on density-neutron logs is much less in oil than in gas, the weights in the density-neutron porosities can be conveniently set at midpoint in light oil-bearing reservoirs without compromising porosity and saturation results. Thus, a quicklook estimate of Sw from density-neutron logs is the normalized ratio of the difference over the sum of density and neutron porosities. The normalization factor is a function of the hydrocarbon density. We also build a graphical Sw overlay for petrophysical insights. We tested the LWD density-neutron derived Sw in two Middle East carbonate oil wells that have mixed salinity. The two wells were extensively studied in the past. In the first well, the reference Sw is given by the joint-inversion of resistivity-sigma logs, corroborated with Sw estimated from multi-measurements time-lapsed analysis, and validated with water analysis on water samples taken by formation testers. In the second well, comprehensive wireline measurements targeting mixed salinity such as dielectric and 3D NMR were acquired to derive Sw, and complemented by formation tester sampling, core measurements, and LWD resistivity-sigma Sw. In both wells, density-neutron quicklook Sw agrees surprisingly well with Sw from other techniques. It may lack the accuracy and precision and the continuous salinity output but is sufficient to pinpoint both flooded zones and bypassed oil zones. Since density-neutron is part of triple-combo data that are first available in well data acquisition, it is recommended to go beyond porosity application and compute water saturation (Sw) in unknown or mixed salinity environments. The computation is straightforward and can be useful to complement other established techniques for quick evaluation in unknown or mixed water salinity environments.

Solar Dome Integration as Technical New in Water Desalination: Case Study Morocco Region Rabat-Kenitra

In order to improve distillate water, this paper presents a study of the solar dome system that is considered as one of the most important economical solutions in the domain of drinking water production. For this, a mathematical model was built from equations describing the optical and thermal phenomenon involved in this process. The concentration of radiation and the heat flow were simulated in each 0.1m² of the dome which using the metrological parameters of Morocco’s region Rabat-Salé-Kenitra. The results can follow the evolution of the temperature of glass, salt water, point dew temperature, saturation pressure and evaporation rate as well as humidity reached in August month for the study zone. For this, a numerical implementation on Matlab and Ansys are compared with measurements for the same parameters showed in the domain study of single slope. The comparison results are more significant by the rise of the ray concentration rate reached until 99% if the inclination angle of the heliostat divided into three intervals. The saturation pressure increases as long as with the rate of evaporation and the humidity that produces ordinary daily fresh water.

The Implication of Farmers - Herders Conflicts on the Socio-Economic Development of Omala L.G.A, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria

Famers’- Herders’ conflict has become a widespread occurrence spreading to all parts of Nigeria. The study examined how farmers-herdsmen conflict constitutes a threat to rural development, internal security, and socio-economic development in Nigeria about Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. The study adopted the qualitative method making use of semi-structured interviews and 100 informants were purposively selected. Findings from the study revealed among others that; Crop damage by cattle, land encroachment without permission, inadequate grazing reserves, lack of access to water points, killing of stray cattle, pollution of the water point, cattle routes blockage, Mbororo migrants, ECOWAS treaty, fertile land of the host community, socio-economic, cultural differences, the political economy of cattle herders were major causes and persistence of farmers-pastoralists conflicts. The study among others recommends that; since farmers-pastoralists conflicts were resource-based conflict due to blockage of cattle route by farmers which eventually leads to encroachment of farmers land and thus translate to open violence and animosity, there is a need for resignification of cattle routes for the pastoralist to have a route to avoid farmlands encroachment, regarding the transit route for irregular migrants through Niger, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Chad, Cameroon, it is suggested that the Minister of Interior should initiate dialogue with the neighboring governments on how to address and curb the rising number of migrants transiting border Nations. Based on the study findings, to end this crisis once and for all, there is a need for the consideration of cattle colonies implementation while implementing former recommendations.

A Broad-Scale Method for Estimating Natural Background Levels of Dissolved Components in Groundwater Based on Lithology and Anthropogenic Pressure

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU member states to assess the chemical status of groundwater bodies, a status defined according to threshold values for harmful elements and based on/the natural background level (NBL). The NBL is defined as the expected value of the concentration of elements naturally present in the environment. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology that will be broadly applicable to a wide range of conditions at the regional and national scale. Using a statistical approach, the methodology seeks to determine NBLs for SO4, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and F based on the lithology of aquifers from which groundwater monitoring data were collected. The methodology was applied in six EU countries to demonstrate validity for a wide range of European regions. An average concentration was calculated for each parameter and chosen water point and linked to a lithology. Based on the dataset created, significant differences between lithologies and pressure categories (urban, agricultural, industrial, and mining) were tested using a nonparametric test. For each parameter, 90th percentiles were calculated to provide an estimation of the maximum natural concentrations possible for each lithology.

Mapping Ground Water Access in Two Rural Communes of Burkina Faso

Granting safe water access worldwide is a major objective of the Sustainable Development Goals. Water access is a manifold concept that encompasses collection time, distance from the household, water quality, affordability, and reliability of water sources, among other factors. GIS-based methods can be particularly useful in improving water access estimates, particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Based on an extensive water point database (n = 770), this paper explores the main challenges involved in mapping water access in two rural communes of Burkina Faso. Water access is estimated in terms of coverage per surface area. Coverage is filtered into four distinct categories of improved water sources, namely existing infrastructures, operational infrastructures, permanent infrastructures, and permanent infrastructures that provide safe water. The outcomes suggest that the study area is better endowed with water access than rural Burkina Faso and the remainder of the African continent, although there are important questions regarding groundwater quality. The outcomes highlight the conceptual differences between coverage and access, as well as some of the practical difficulties involved in estimating water access beyond standard ratios. The shortcomings include the absence of continuous monitoring of infrastructure functionality and water quality, as well as water affordability, among others. Enhancing national borehole databases with items aligned with the United Nations’ definition of water access is recommended.

The water footprint of beef cattle in the amazon region, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Food production and water scarcity, both in constant growth and intrinsically linked, are subjects of great relevance in current studies in several areas of knowledge. The impacts generated by the production of beef are at the center of major environmental debates, especially the consumption of water for the production and development of the livestock production chain. This research analyzed the use of water resources in the production of beef in the Amazon biome. The water footprint for beef cattle was of 13,074 L.kg-1 compared to a world average of 21,829 L.kg-1. Based on the data obtained it was possible to demonstrate that the presence and operationalization of this production chain in the Amazon is more efficient from the water point of view than in the other locations reported in the literature.

Hydrothermal Conversion of Organic Matter of Carbonate Rock near the Critical Water Point

The paper presents the results of comparative studies to identify the regularities of the transformation of organic matter in a siliceous-clayey carbonate rock in a hydrothermal fluid at temperatures of 340-380°C and pressures of 17-20 MPa. It was found that in a hydrothermal fluid with an excess of water with increasing temperature and pressure in a carbonate rock containing organic matter, oxidation reactions dominate with the accumulation of aromatic hydrocarbons, resins, and asphaltenes. The dependences of the values of the geochemical parameters of hydrocarbons (extracts) of carbonate rock on the temperature and pressure of the hydrothermal fluid are shown. The optimal thermobaric parameters of a hydrothermal fluid for a carbonate rock are 340°C and 17 MPa; under these conditions, the amount of petroleum hydrocarbons increases against the background of a decrease in the content of organic matter, the pore diameter increases, and micropores are formed. The obtained experimental data contribute to the development of technologies for the development of carbonate rocks.

Assessing water service performances in rural sub-Saharan Africa environment: The cases studies of two councils of the southern and eastern regions of the Republic of Cameroon (Central Africa)

This study uses multi-criteria analysis to assess water services performance provided to rural communities. The approach is based on five indicators (water availability, water quality, accessibility, affordability, and reliability) and allows the assessment of service levels. The indicators used provided a solid baseline for water services to identify a strategy for the improvement and achievement of universal access to water. We empirically applied the approach to rural water services in Cameroon and particularly in Mvangan and Mandjou Councils. A total of 77 water services has been investigated through technical inspection (water point inspection, flow measurement, and water quality analysis), semi-structured interviews with the technical services of these councils and surveys with water point committees, including 25 in Mandjou Council and 52 in Mvangan Council. The main results show that 43.40% of villages have enhanced services in Mvangan Council while only 4.76% of services are enhanced in Mandjou Council. Results also suggests that monitoring rural water services can improve the levels of services provided to populations and, hence, universal access to water. These assessments represent only a current snapshot of potable water delivery system conditions and should be conducted at regular intervals to track changes in overall and local conditions.