Your search found 12 records
1 Wu, X.; Mitsch, W. J. 1998. Spatial and temporal patterns of algae in newly constructed freshwater wetlands. Wetlands, 18(1):9-20.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: P 5184 Record No: H024676)
2 Mitsch, W. J.; Wu, X.; Nairn, R. W.; Weihe, P. E.; Wang, N.; Deal, R.; Boucher, C. E. 1998. Creating and restoring wetlands: A whole-ecosystem experiment in self-design. BioScience, 48(12):1019-1030.
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: P 5186 Record No: H024678)
3 Wu, X.. 1999. Popularization to farmers of water saving irrigation technique for paddy rice. In ICID, 17th Congress on Irrigation and Drainage, Granada, Spain, 1999: Water for Agriculture in the Next Millennium - Transactions, Vol.1A, Q.48: Irrigation under conditions of water scarcity; Q.48.1: Management of irrigation systems and strategies to optimize the use of irrigation water; 48.2: Techniques to promote water saving in irrigation. New Delhi, India: ICID. pp.319-326.
Water conservation ; Irrigation water ; Rice ; Farmers ; Training ; Technology transfer ; Institution building / China / Guangxi Province
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: ICID 631.7 G000 ICI Record No: H025080)
4 Whittington, D.; Wu, X.; Sadoff, C. 2005. Water resources management in the Nile basin: The economic value of cooperation. Water Policy, 7(3):227-252.
River basins ; Irrigation water ; Hydroelectric schemes ; Water resource management ; Conflict ; Economic evaluation ; Optimization ; Models / Sudan / Ethiopia / Egypt / Nile Basin
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: PER Record No: H037299)
http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/publications/publications/Whittington%20et%20al,%20Nile%20%202005.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H037299.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H037299.pdf
(612 KB)
5 Jeuland, M.; Wu, X.; Whittington, D. 2017. Infrastructure development and the economics of cooperation in the eastern Nile. Water International, 42(2):121-141. (Special issue: Transboundary River Cooperation: Actors, Strategies and Impact). [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2017.1278577]
International waters ; International cooperation ; River basins ; Infrastructure ; Water availability ; Water use ; Hydrological factors ; Economic value ; Optimization methods ; Models ; Dams ; Energy generation ; Water power ; Irrigation programs ; Institutional development ; Political aspects ; Riparian zones / Ethiopia / Sudan / Egypt / Eastern Nile Basin / Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048006)
(1.99 MB)
This article employs a hydro-economic optimization model to analyze the effects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the distribution and magnitude of benefits in the Eastern Nile. Scenarios are considered based on plausible institutional arrangements that span varying levels of cooperation, as well as changes in hydrological conditions (water availability). The results show that the dam can increase Ethiopia’s economic benefits by a factor of 5–6, without significantly affecting or compromising irrigation and hydropower production downstream. However, increasing GERD water storage during a drought could lead to high costs not only for Egypt and Sudan, but also for Ethiopia.
6 Sadoff, C.; Harshadeep, N. R.; Blackmore, D.; Wu, X.; O’Donnell, A.; Jeuland, M.; Lee, S.; Whittington, D. 2013. Ten fundamental questions for water resources development in the Ganges: myths and realities. Water Policy, 15(S1):147-164. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2013.006]
Water resources development ; International waters ; Rivers ; Tributaries ; River basin management ; Integrated management ; Flooding ; Water power ; Water quality ; Water storage ; Reservoir storage ; Flow discharge ; Irrigation water ; Policy making ; Groundwater management ; Sediment ; Climate change ; Ecosystem services ; Economic aspects ; Upstream ; Downstream / South Asia / India / Bangladesh / Nepal / Ganges / Himalayas
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048102)
(0.64 MB)
This paper summarizes the results of the Ganges Strategic Basin Assessment (SBA), a 3-year, multi-disciplinary effort undertaken by a World Bank team in cooperation with several leading regional research institutions in South Asia. It begins to fill a crucial knowledge gap, providing an initial integrated systems perspective on the major water resources planning issues facing the Ganges basin today, including some of the most important infrastructure options that have been proposed for future development. The SBA developed a set of hydrological and economic models for the Ganges system, using modern data sources and modelling techniques to assess the impact of existing and potential new hydraulic structures on flooding, hydropower, low flows, water quality and irrigation supplies at the basin scale. It also involved repeated exchanges with policy makers and opinion makers in the basin, during which perceptions of the basin could be discussed and examined. The study’s findings highlight the scale and complexity of the Ganges basin. In particular, they refute the broadly held view that upstream water storage, such as reservoirs in Nepal, can fully control basinwide flooding. In addition, the findings suggest that such dams could potentially double low flows in the dry months. The value of doing so, however, is surprisingly unclear and similar storage volumes could likely be attained through better groundwater management. Hydropower development and trade are confirmed to hold real promise (subject to rigorous project level assessment with particular attention to sediment and seismic risks) and, in the near to medium term, create few significant tradeoffs among competing water uses. Significant uncertainties – including climate change – persist, and better data would allow the models and their results to be further refined.
7 Wu, X.; Jeuland, M.; Sadoff, C.; Whittington, D. 2013. Interdependence in water resource development in the Ganges: an economic analysis. Water Policy, 15(S1):89-108. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2013.003]
Water resources development ; Economic analysis ; International waters ; River basin management ; Water storage ; Dam construction ; Upstream ; Downstream control ; Tributaries ; Flood control ; Cost benefit analysis ; Riparian zones ; Flow discharge ; Models ; Irrigation water / South Asia / India / Bangladesh / Nepal / Ganges
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048103)
(0.52 MB)
It is often argued that the true benefits of water resource development in international river basins are undermined by a lack of consideration of interdependence in water resource planning. Yet it has not been adequately recognized in the water resources planning literature that overestimation of interdependence may also contribute to lack of progress in cooperation in many systems. This paper examines the nature and degree of economic interdependence in new and existing water storage projects in the Ganges River basin based on analysis conducted using the Ganges Economic Optimization Model. We find that constructing large dams on the upstream tributaries of the Ganges would have much more limited effects on controlling downstream floods than is thought and that the benefits of low-flow augmentation delivered by storage infrastructures are currently low. A better understanding of actual and prospective effects of interdependence not only changes the calculus of the benefits and costs of different scenarios of infrastructure development, but might also allow riparian countries to move closer to benefit-sharing positions that are mutually acceptable.
8 Gurung, Y.; Zhao, J.; Bal Kumar, K. C.; Wu, X.; Suwal, B.; Whittington, D. 2017. The costs of delay in infrastructure investments: a comparison of 2001 and 2014 household water supply coping costs in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Water Resources Research, 53(8):7078-7102. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019529]
Households ; Water supply ; Infrastructure ; Wells ; Private ownership ; Pumping ; Wastewater treatment ; Water storage ; Rainwater ; Water harvesting ; Financing ; Investment ; Estimated costs ; Models ; Strategies ; Regression analysis ; Socioeconomic environment / Nepal / Kathmandu Valley
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048323)
(1.70 MB)
In 2001, we conducted a survey of 1500 randomly sampled households in Kathmandu to determine the costs people were incurring to cope with Kathmandu’s poor quality, unreliable piped water supply system. From 2001 until 2014, there was little additional public investment in the municipal water supply system. In the summer of 2014, we attempted to reinterview all 1500 households in our 2001 sample to determine how they had managed to deal with the growing water shortage and the deteriorating condition of the piped water infrastructure in Kathmandu and to compare their coping costs in 2014 with those we first estimated in 2001. Average household coping costs more than doubled in real terms over the period from 2001 to 2014, from US$5 to US$12 per month (measured in 2014 prices). The composition of household coping costs changed from 2001 to 2014, as households responded to the deteriorating condition of the piped water infrastructure by drilling more private wells, purchasing water from both tanker truck and bottled water vendors, and installing more storage tanks. These investments and expenditures resulted in a decline in the time households spend collecting water from outside the home. Our analysis suggests that the significant increase in coping costs between 2001 and 2014 may provide an opportunity for the municipal water utility to substantially increase water tariffs if the quantity and quality of piped services can be improved. However, the capital investments made by some households in private wells, pumping and treatment systems, and storage tanks in response to the delay in infrastructure investment may lock them into current patterns of water use, at least in the short run, and thus make it difficult to predict how they would respond to tariff increases for improved piped water services.
9 Suwal, B. R.; Zhao, J.; Raina, A.; Wu, X.; Chindarkar, N.; Kumar, K. C. B.; Whittington, D. 2019. Households' preferences for water tariff structures in Kathmandu, Nepal. Water Policy, 21(S1):9-28. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.079]
Water supply ; Water rates ; Tariffs ; Prices ; Households ; Socioeconomic environment ; Water use ; Case studies ; Strategies ; Models / Nepal / Kathmandu
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049459)
(0.29 MB)
Despite being politically sensitive, water tariffs are frequently administered without information about households' preferences for tariff structures. In this paper we examine the tariff preferences of 1,500 households in Kathmandu, Nepal. We first use a bivariate probit model to examine stated preferences for (1) an increasing block tariff (IBT) and (2) a positive fixed charge. We find that household preferences for IBTs and fixed charges are not easily explained by household socioeconomic and water use characteristics. Second, we ask respondents what they think a fair water bill would be for a randomly assigned quantity of water. We model the responses as a function of both quantity and household socioeconomic and water use characteristics. While households support a water tariff that results in a household's water bill increasing as a household's water use increases, we do not find evidence that households support an increasing, nonlinear relationship between water use and a household's water bill. Our results suggest that respondents desire affordable piped water services and water bills that are calculated fairly for everyone. Because the notion of fairness in Kathmandu varies, utility managers may have considerable latitude in choosing a tariff structure that focuses on other objectives, such as cost recovery, revenue stability, and economic efficiency.
10 Raina, A.; Zhao, J.; Wu, X.; Kunwar, L.; Whittington, D. 2019. The structure of water vending markets in Kathmandu, Nepal. Water Policy, 21(S1):50-75. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.181]
Water market ; Market structure ; Water supply ; Supply chain ; Water rates ; Pricing ; Drinking water ; Bottled water ; Pipes ; Tanks ; Profit ; Households ; Dry season ; Wet season / Nepal / Kathmandu Valley
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049460)
(0.63 MB)
To date, there has been limited empirical research on the structure of informal water vending markets in developing countries. From fieldwork conducted in Kathmandu in 2014, including a survey of different types of water vendors, household interviews, and in-depth interviews with key informants, we provide a detailed description of the activities of multiple types of water vendors and examine the profitability of tanker truck vendors and water source vendors. We find that several distinctive markets operate along the supply chain between source water and end users. We conclude that a detailed understanding of the different vending activities in which water vendors engage is essential to the design of public sector policy interventions aimed at improving performance in informal water markets.
11 Paudel, B.; Zhang, Y.; Yan, J.; Rai, R.; Li, L.; Wu, X.; Chapagain, P. S.; Khanal, N. R. 2020. Farmers’ understanding of climate change in Nepal Himalayas: important determinants and implications for developing adaptation strategies. Climatic Change, 158(3-4):485-502. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02607-2]
Climate change adaptation ; Strategies ; Farmers attitudes ; Agricultural practices ; Crops ; Socioeconomic environment ; Households ; Communities ; Living standards ; Indicators ; Highlands ; Mountains / Nepal / Himalayas
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049582)
(0.78 MB)
Climate change affects the livelihood of farmers in a variety of ways. Farmers’ indigenous knowledge influences their perception of climate-related issues. A perception-based, semi-structured questionnaire survey of 530 households was performed to gather information about the awareness of, indicators for, and determinants of climate change. The survey covered three ecological regions of Nepal. The statistical analysis was done with a chi-square ( 2) test and a binary logistic regression (BLR) model to screen farmers’ perception of climate change. This study shows that socio-economic and agricultural characteristics of the farmers directly influence their perception of climate change. Farmers have identified climate change indicators in various forms, e.g., an increase in temperature (99.2% of those surveyed), a decrease in precipitation (98.9%), and an increase in climate-induced diseases and pests (96.8%) for agricultural crops. Observed precipitation (- 16.093 mm/year; p = 0.055) and temperature (0.0539 °C/year; p = 0.007) between 2000 and 2015 are both consistent with farmers’ perception. The selected independent variables are significantly correlated with the dependent variables, as confirmed by the BLR model, where 2 = 83 with p = 0.002. The BLR shows there is a strong relationship between farmers’ perception of climate change and the group of descriptive variables, with a coefficient of determination of 85%. The biophysical characteristics and impact variables were the most important determinants. It is important that organizations and policymakers in Nepal develop adaptation strategies that improve the livelihoods of farmers. These strategies include introducing drought-tolerant crops, developing disease- and pest-tolerant seeds, constructing irrigation systems, and building hospitals.
12 Zhang, P.; Jeong, J.-H.; Yoon, J.-H.; Kim, H.; Wang, S.-Y. S.; Linderholm, H. W.; Fang, K.; Wu, X.; Chen, D. 2020. Abrupt shift to hotter and drier climate over inner East Asia beyond the tipping point. Science, 370(6520):1095-1099. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb3368]
Climate change ; Arid climate ; Warm season ; Soil moisture ; Droughts ; Air temperature ; Trends ; Observation / East Asia / Mongolia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050100)
(4.03 MB)
Unprecedented heatwave-drought concurrences in the past two decades have been reported over inner East Asia. Tree-ring–based reconstructions of heatwaves and soil moisture for the past 260 years reveal an abrupt shift to hotter and drier climate over this region. Enhanced land-atmosphere coupling, associated with persistent soil moisture deficit, appears to intensify surface warming and anticyclonic circulation anomalies, fueling heatwaves that exacerbate soil drying. Our analysis demonstrates that the magnitude of the warm and dry anomalies compounding in the recent two decades is unprecedented over the quarter of a millennium, and this trend clearly exceeds the natural variability range. The “hockey stick”–like change warns that the warming and drying concurrence is potentially irreversible beyond a tipping point in the East Asian climate system.
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