Urban Water Ecosystems in Africa and Asia: Challenges and Opportunities for Conservation and Restoration

This book examines urban water ecosystem management and restoration through selected case studies in Asia and Africa. Employing a socioecological approach, this volume presents insights on the interlinkages between water, humans, and environmental conservation in an urban context. Topics include human health risks, population displacement and migration, water pollution, water scarcity, flood management, water infrastructure, afforestation, and the effects of climate change. Case studies are drawn from a variety of countries in Africa and Asia, including China, Japan, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, and Tunisia, which demonstrate a wide range of different challenges, and opportunities. Overall, this book argues that to better manage urban water resources, there needs to be a shift from urban water management to urban water ecosystem management. This shift needs to acknowledge the complex biophysical and socio-political dimensions of water ecosystems. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of water resource management, ecosystem services, urban studies, environmental conservation and sustainable development. Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors Preface Acknowledgements 1 From Urban Water Resource Management to Urban Water Ecosystem Management 1.1 Setting the Stage: Water and Urbanization in Asia and Africa 1.2 Urbanization in Asia and Africa 1.3 Challenges in Urban Water Ecosystems 1.4 Structure of the Book and the Main Contents References 2 Integrated Resource Use Management Practices for Better Urban Water Management Through the Application of SES Lens 2.2 The Disconnect Between IWRM and Ecosystems: A Key to Failure 2.3 Indigenous/traditional and Local Knowledge-Based Ecosystem Management as a Possible Way to Connect IWRM to SES 2.4 Conclusion References 3 Ecosystem Service Valuation and Risk Assessment of a Ramsar Site Region (India) for Strengthening Protection and Conservation 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Area of Study and Its Hydro-Geomorphic Signature 3.3 Dataset and Methodology 3.3.1 Data Sets & Land Use Land Cover (LULC) Classification 3.3.2 Computation of Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) 3.3.3 Selection of Proper Exploratory Factors 3.3.4 Use of Machine Learning Models 3.3.4.1 Support Vector Machine (SVM) 3.3.4.2 Naïve Bayes (NB) 3.3.4.3 K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) 3.3.5 Model Validation 3.4 Result 3.4.1 Land Use Land Cover Transformation Scenario 3.4.2 Analysis of the States of Ecosystem Service Valuation (ESVs) 3.4.3 Changing Pattern Analysis of ESVs in the Study Period (1975–2021) 3.4.4 Assessment of Wetland Conversion Risk Area 3.4.5 Model Validation 3.5 Discussion 3.6 Conclusion References 4 Impact of Water Shortage and Climate Change On Peri-Urban Agriculture in Tunisia 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Materials and Methods 4.2.1 Study Area 4.2.2 Surface Water Monitoring 4.2.3 Water Deficit Evaluation 4.2.3.1 Model Description 4.2.3.2 Data Analysis and Processing 4.3 Results 4.4 Conclusion References 5 Cultural and Scientific Understanding of Submarine Groundwater Discharge 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Water Discharge (WD) 5.3 Surface Water Discharge (SWD) 5.4 Groundwater Discharge (GWD) 5.4.1 Inland Groundwater Discharge (IGD) 5.4.2 Submarine Groundwater Discharge SGD 5.4.2.1 Submarine Fresh Groundwater Discharge (SFGD) 5.4.2.2 Recirculated Submarine Groundwater Discharge (RSGD) 5.4.2.3 Submarine Springs 5.4.3 SGD (Methods of Measurement and Measurement Units) 5.4.3.1 Methods of Measurement 5.4.4 Measurement Units 5.5 Importance and Threat of SGD 5.5.1 Nutrients Transported Through SGD 5.5.2 Contaminant Transport Through SGD 5.5.3 Sources 5.6 Spiritual, Religious, Cultural and Social Importance and Perspective 5.6.1 Myths and Facts About Submarine Springs 5.6.2 Cultural Heritage Is Derived From the Rituals of Work and Life in the Environments Near the SGD Sites 5.7 Services Provided By SGD 5.7.1 Revitalizing Agriculture 5.7.2 Promoting Fishing in the Areas Where It Is 5.7.3 Contributing to the Manufacture of Jewelry and Cosmetics 5.7.4 Availability of Drinking Water 5.7.5 Commerce 5.8 Importance of SGD 5.8.1 The Social Importance of SGD and Its Impact On Society Since Ancient Times 5.8.2 Volumetric and Chemical Significance of SGD 5.9 Conclusion Acknowledgments References 6 Migration Induced By Water Scarcity: A Brief Review 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Economic Meaning of Water Scarcity 6.3 Water Scarcity and Climate Change: Asian and African Context 6.3.1 Water Scarcity Trends and Climate Change Influence: Scenario of Asia and Africa 6.4 Methodology of the Study 6.5 Water Scarcity and Human Mobility in South Asia 6.5.1 Water Scarcity and Human Mobility in Africa 6.6 The Causal Linkages Between Water and Migration 6.7 Role of Water Policies, Sustainable Water Management Practices, and Migration Policies in Addressing the Challenge 6.8 Gaps Identified for the Future Research 6.9 Conclusion Notes References 7 Urban Water Sector Management, Challenges, Opportunities and Cross-Cutting Issues: A Case of Malawi’s Urban Water Sector 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Management of Urban Water Supply in Malawi 7.3 Urbanization and Urban Water Management in Malawi 7.4 Urban Water Challenges in Malawi 7.4.1 Accessibility 7.4.2 Urban Water Supply 7.5 Proposed Coping Strategies for Urban Water Stresses in Malawi 7.5.1 New Raw Water Sources 7.5.2 Rehabilitation of Aging Water Infrastructure 7.5.3 Reduction of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) 7.5.4 Financial Soundness and Water Tariff 7.5.5 Catchment Conservation 7.5.6 Integrated Water Resources Management 7.6 Water Management Accountability 7.7 Overarching Water Sector Governance in Malawi 7.8 Crosscutting Issues in Urban Water Resources 7.8.1 Gender 7.8.2 Research 7.8.3 Stakeholder Engagement 7.8.4 Capacity Building Notes References 8 Assessing Human Health Risks Associated to Water Stress: A Local Approach in the Indian Context 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Water Stress - Human Health - Spatial Planning Nexus 8.3 Study Area and Methods 8.3.1 Study Area 8.3.2 Risk Assessment Framework – the Indicator-Based Approach 8.4 Results 8.4.1 City’s Municipal Water Supply and Health Infrastructure 8.4.2 Ward Selection Using an Indicator-Based Approach 8.4.3 Water Stress and Human Health 8.4.4 Spatial Development Pattern and Disease Outbreak 8.5 Mitigation Strategies 8.5.1 Policy Level Strategies 8.5.2 Local-Level Strategies 8.6 Conclusion Annex. A – Thresholds for Performing Inter-Ward Assessment Annex. B – Characteristics of the Selected Wards Annex. C – Household Survey Questionnaire WATER CONSUMPTION PATTERN HEALTH PROFILE AND INFRASTRUCTURE ACCESS 9 Water Ecosystem Management in Japan: Successes and Failures 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Methods 9.3 Case Studies 9.3.1 The Kuma River 9.3.2 The Yahagi River 9.4 Concluding Remark References 10 Building Resilience to Climate Change Through Water Retention Solutions in Ca Mau City, Vietnam 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Research Approach and Method 10.2.1 Study Area 10.3 Study Approaches 10.4 Results and Discussion 10.4.1 Issues in Ca Mau Province 10.4.1.1 Natural Hazard in Ca Mau 10.4.1.2 Landslides Along the Sea Dike in the West of Ca Mau 10.4.1.3 Local Inundation in Ca Mau City 10.5 Proposing Solution for Ca Mau City 10.5.1 Maintaining Ecosystem Services for Ca Mau in the Context of Climate Change 10.6 Ca Mau City Requires the Construction of a Drainage System 10.7 Conclusion and Recommendations References 11 Quantification of Ecosystem Benefits of Community Plantation and Its Impacts On Human Well-Being: A Case Study From Kenya 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Material and Methods 11.2.1 Study Site 11.2.2 Data Collection 11.3 Results and Discussions 11.4 Afforestation Type and Its Long-Term Effect 11.5 Conclusion Acknowledgments Appendix – 1 Full Questionnaire 12 The Production of Hydrosocial Space in Contemporary China 12.1 Introduction 12.2 A Water-Rich Region: the GBA 12.3 GBA Urbanization and Its Effects On Rivers 12.4 Pearl River Delta Water Management History and Core Policies 12.5 Innovative Policy and Practice: Shenzhen Water Strategy 12.6 A Shift in Hegemonic Values: Evidence From Policy and Gray Literature 12.7 Case Study: the Dasha River 12.8 The Dasha Rehabilitation Process 12.8.1 Phase I. Flood Safety (1996–2003) 12.8.2 Phase II. Water Pollution Management (2008–2016) 12.8.3 Phase III. Ecological Corridor Construction (2017–2019) 12.9 Discussion 12.9.1 The Coevolution of Society and Water 12.9.2 Changing Hegemonic Societal Values in Water Management and Landscape 12.10 Conclusion Acknowledgments References 13 Water Accessibility: Information Failures and Beyond 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Water Tank Adoption in Kenya 13.2.1 Background 13.2.2 Intervention 13.2.3 Asymmetric Information 13.2.4 Limitations 13.3 Related Interventions 13.3.1 Context Matters 13.3.2 More Than Just Information 13.3.3 Relevant Information and Incentives 13.3.4 From Information to Action 13.4 Conclusion References 14 Flood Management Issues in Dhaka City: Identifying Challenges and Sustainable Solutions 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Background 14.3 Main Causes of Urban Flooding in Dhaka 14.4 Gaps of Flood Management Policies in Dhaka 14.5 Sustainable Approaches to Flood Risk Management in Dhaka City 14.6 Conclusion References 15 Challenges and Opportunities for Urban Water Ecosystems in Asia and Africa: Conclusions and Way Forward 15.1 Major Challenges of Urban Water Ecosystem Management 15.1.1 States and Impacts 15.1.2 Development Challenges 15.1.3 Realistic Valuation for Sound Management of Urban Water Ecosystems 15.1.4 Effective Policies and Planning 15.1.5 Research and Policy-Related Gaps On Urban Water Ecosystems in Asia and Africa References Index