Integrated Water Management: Practical Experiences and Case Studies: 80 (NATO Science Series: IV:, 80) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1402065507 ISBN 13: 9781402065507

Publisher: Springer, 2007

Synopsis

It is widely stipulated that the world’s water supply will come to symbolize the blue gold of the 21st century. As such, it is essential that further efforts be invested in developing practical means for managing this natural wealth, in order to avoid any possible threat of depletion, contamination or adverse side effects for the societies who depend on it. Water is a limited resource, and human beings and their subsequent anth- pogenic processes can cause subtle but drastic variations in its quantity and quality, which can in turn result in changes to the source’s related ecosystem. The EC directive 2000/60 introduced a whole range of specific definitions, objectives and constraints regarding the various aspects of water management, including water quality management, policies, economic aspects, ecology, price, and sustainable development. These issues all require the formulation of common, integrated, sustainable approaches for managing the water system from a multidisciplinary perspective, and the definition of new professional skills, requirements which become even more evident where transboundary areas are concerned. In order to take decisions in an equitable, sustainable, and ethical fashion, water resource management does in fact call for extensive knowledge of the complex relationships between citizens and their water system. The book represents a practical contribution made possible thanks to the efforts of scientists from NATO countries and partners, along with Belgium and Italy’s collaboration on Integrated Water Management and its possible risk factors, including problems related to targeted terrorist acts.

About this title

Synopsis

Water is essential for a wide range of human activities and it exists in relatively finite amounts. When dealing with water management, different issues should be combined: water demand, water quality, irrigation and food production, ecosystem preservation, cost minimization, technological options, legislative frameworks, social impact. The main goal of the book is to give a general framework about Integrated Water Management (IWM), that is the planning and management of water resources integrating the different issues involved (ecological, economic, technical legislative, transboundary, etc.).The manuscript is the result of the research activity and the exchange of knowledge among a team of experts in different disciplines and institutions related to water resources, and includes both the different environmental problems that affect the very different ecosystems, and the main methodologies able to face the problem of IWM. The book is divided in three parts: Concepts and approaches of IWM (Part I), Case studies (Part II), and Reports of the working groups (Part III).

Finally, the book contains a section of conclusions that includes discussion about the presented methodologies, approaches, and issues. In particular, the perspective of experts in different disciplines (engineering perspective, biology perspective, economic perspective, etc. has been given).

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1402065507
• ISBN 13: 9781402065507
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 374
• Editor: Meire P., Coenen M., Lombardo C., Robba M., Sacile R.