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Water Resources Management and Extreme Events

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2022) | Viewed by 23603

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Interests: water management; hydro-economic models; sustainable resource allocation; water-energy nexus; economic analysis of water systems; integrated water resources management; water policy; environmental economics; water governance
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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Economic Analysis, University of Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
Interests: economic history; urban planning; management of water resources; local development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water scarcity and extreme events are increasing environmental and socioeconomic problems that require attention worldwide. This Special Issue aims to take an in-depth and interdisciplinary look at the current challenges facing national economies and societies with regard to extreme phenomena, such as droughts and floods. National and local governments are challenged to respond to resolve the drawbacks that these disastrous events may cause. With regard to the risk associated with these events (which frequency is expected to increase due to climate change) and their interactions, a range of impacts may arise, such as socioeconomic losses or environmental problems. Thus, for this Special Issue, we welcome different types of contributions, and themes of interest include (but are not be limited to): flooding and droughts and their respective impacts; spatial and urban planning; early warning systems; estimation of losses; risk communication; meteorology; integrated analysis; risk mitigation; infrastructures; nature-based management; heritage; transport; legal assessment; vulnerability analysis; public participation or case studies. We especially encourage submissions that examine results from a socioeconomic perspective, considering policy and governance determinants.

Dr. Joaquin Melgarejo
Dr. Patricia Fernández-Aracil
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • socioeconomic impacts
  • mitigation strategies
  • urban and spatial planning
  • agriculture
  • environmental impacts
  • nature-based solutions
  • governance and regulation
  • heritage
  • public participation and policy
  • infrastructure

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 2517 KiB  
Article
Procedures and Legal Instruments for Drought Declaration in the Segura River Basin (Spain)
by José Alberto Redondo-Orts, Miguel A. Sáez-García and María Inmaculada López-Ortiz
Water 2022, 14(14), 2171; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142171 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2324
Abstract
The phenomenon of drought and its socioeconomic and environmental consequences have been addressed in many studies, which show that anticipating its diagnosis and activating specific management measures are fundamental for providing an efficient response. In the Segura River Basin, located in south-east Spain, [...] Read more.
The phenomenon of drought and its socioeconomic and environmental consequences have been addressed in many studies, which show that anticipating its diagnosis and activating specific management measures are fundamental for providing an efficient response. In the Segura River Basin, located in south-east Spain, many episodes have occurred throughout history, with devastating effects on production and supply systems. However, they have enabled us to learn and evolve towards developing a resilient system to address these situations, through the application of external resources, transfers from other basins and non-conventional resources derived from the reuse of treated water and desalinated seawater. This evolution has been possible thanks to the advances made in hydrological planning and, specifically, the Special Drought Plans, through the development of indicator systems associated with scenarios which enable the automatic activation of specific actions to reduce the impacts. Climate change is already a reality and has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts, testing the capacity to respond based on the current policies. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyse the last drought occurring in the Segura River Basin in the period 2015–2019 by comparing the status indicators developed for detecting drought in the SDP 2007 with its subsequent review carried out in the year 2018, in which these indicators were updated and expanded so as to cover both drought and scarcity. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis has been made of the approved legislation and the measures adopted which consisted in the mobilisation of more than 600 hm³ of extraordinary resources, which have been able to maintain the supply to the population and minimise the economic losses of the productive systems, particularly in irrigated agriculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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23 pages, 7910 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Pandanus Trees as a Means of Eco-DRR against Storm Surge Wave on Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh
by Shakila Kayum, Yukihiro Shimatani and Tomoko Minagawa
Water 2022, 14(11), 1781; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14111781 - 1 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3396
Abstract
Saint Martin’s Island is a tiny island located in Bangladesh that is rich in biodiversity but threatened by many natural disasters, and it is often neglected due to being far from the mainland. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is the most urgently required [...] Read more.
Saint Martin’s Island is a tiny island located in Bangladesh that is rich in biodiversity but threatened by many natural disasters, and it is often neglected due to being far from the mainland. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is the most urgently required provision for Bangladesh as it is a very easy and inexpensive way to survive natural adversities. In this study, attempts were made to quantify the capacity of an existing Pandanus forest on Saint Martin’s Island to reduce the storm surge disaster risk. For this, satellite images were processed with ErdasImagine and ArcGIS software, and land use and land cover changes were analyzed to determine the changes related to Pandanus trees over time. Storm surge wave height reduction was analyzed using the Bao regression model equation. The results show that the Pandanus tree population increased almost 3-fold from 2010 to 2021, and that the Pandanus trees can reduce the surge height, which will ultimately preserve 75% of the area of the island (2021). The minimum required patch width for the Pandanus tree belt was identified as 4.53 m. The areas highly vulnerable to flooding were also identified in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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25 pages, 2705 KiB  
Article
A Socio-Economic and Environmental Analysis of the Implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems in Vega Baja—Alicante (Spain)
by Armando Ortuño, Jairo Casares, Paloma Calero, María Flor and Vicente Iborra
Water 2022, 14(6), 902; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14060902 - 14 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3273
Abstract
One of the territories most affected by flooding in Spain is the district of Vega Baja del Segura, located in the southernmost point of the province of Alicante. The objective of this article is to estimate the socio-economic and environmental efficiency of implementing [...] Read more.
One of the territories most affected by flooding in Spain is the district of Vega Baja del Segura, located in the southernmost point of the province of Alicante. The objective of this article is to estimate the socio-economic and environmental efficiency of implementing sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) as part of the Vega Baja Nature Plan. This plan seeks to optimise rainfall management by reproducing and restoring the natural hydrological processes altered by the urban development of cities through integrated actions that generate new natural areas to be used and enjoyed by the residents. To this end, a cost–benefit analysis was carried out in accordance with the methodology established by the European Commission, and a social profitability of 4.3% (IRR) was obtained for the project, which shows the social benefit to be gained from its execution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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23 pages, 6675 KiB  
Article
Reservoir Sediment Management and Downstream River Impacts for Sustainable Water Resources—Case Study of Shihmen Reservoir
by Fong-Zuo Lee, Jihn-Sung Lai and Tetsuya Sumi
Water 2022, 14(3), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030479 - 6 Feb 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6348
Abstract
Sustainable water resources of reservoirs depend on preserving the valuable storage capacity. Sediment management is a crucial task in reservoir operations. Extreme floods caused by typhoon events have brought a massive amount of sediments from the watershed of Shihmen Reservoir in Taiwan. In [...] Read more.
Sustainable water resources of reservoirs depend on preserving the valuable storage capacity. Sediment management is a crucial task in reservoir operations. Extreme floods caused by typhoon events have brought a massive amount of sediments from the watershed of Shihmen Reservoir in Taiwan. In the case study of Shihmen Reservoir, the primary purpose of the sediment management strategies is to minimize sediment deposition and recover reservoir capacity. Two assessment indexes, the capacity–inflow ratio (CIR) and the capacity–sediment ratio (CSR) are investigated to provide a feasible assessment of desilting techniques. Three desilting projects have been planned and implemented in progress, including one modified power plant penstock and two desilting tunnels. Without effective sediment management strategies, the projected storage capacity may drop to 32.9% of the initial storage capacity in the next fifty years. On the other hand, if sediment management is implemented as per the project schedule, 70.3% of the initial storage capacity may be retained, enabling the provision of sustainable water supplies to meet projected water demands. In investigating the impacts caused by the desilting operations, the floodwater level and riverbed variations along the downstream river of the dam are simulated by the hydromorphological model. From simulated results, the downstream river morphology may adjust toward the equilibrium state under the long-term desilting operations of Shihmen Reservoir. Although relatively high sediment concentration is released during the desilting operation, it decays gradually along the downstream river. In addition, riverbed deposition does not significantly affect the floodwater level caused by the increment of riverbed elevation in desilting operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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19 pages, 1157 KiB  
Article
The Tariff Structure in the Tagus-Segura Water Transfer
by Marcos García-López, Borja Montano and Joaquín Melgarejo
Water 2022, 14(3), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030413 - 29 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2929
Abstract
The Tagus-Segura water transfer has generated significant value in the region that receives its water resources. Despite this value, some agents seek the cancellation of this important infrastructure, arguing economic, environmental, social, and political problems. With the aim of providing information on the [...] Read more.
The Tagus-Segura water transfer has generated significant value in the region that receives its water resources. Despite this value, some agents seek the cancellation of this important infrastructure, arguing economic, environmental, social, and political problems. With the aim of providing information on the efficiency of the Tagus-Segura aqueduct as a water resource management measure, especially in terms of the importance of water and the tariffs paid by the users of the aqueduct, this paper presents valuable information to analyse how to improve the functioning of the infrastructure. Thus, the southeast of Spain obtains a high return on the water received from the water transfer while covering all the financial costs derived from it. However, in 2017 a modification was introduced in the tariff that forced water users to cover the construction and fixed costs of the infrastructure as if the total amount of water agreed upon had been received, when in reality a lower amount had been received. This problem was not solved by the proposed tariffs for 2021, and it is therefore essential for the efficient operation of water transfer to modify these tariffs so that they are fair and reduce existing problems, thus avoiding the cancellation of an infrastructure that has not yet been amortised and which provides many benefits to the receiving region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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16 pages, 9116 KiB  
Article
Adaptation Strategies for Flooding Risk from Rainfall Events in Southeast Spain: Case Studies from the Bajo Segura, Alicante
by Esther Sánchez-Almodóvar, Jorge Olcina-Cantos and Javier Martí-Talavera
Water 2022, 14(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020146 - 7 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3514
Abstract
The management of runoff during torrential rainfall events is a significant problem in urban areas of southeast Spain. The increase in soil sealing and the occupation of areas prone to flooding have aggravated this problem. Due to this situation, municipal administrations, in collaboration [...] Read more.
The management of runoff during torrential rainfall events is a significant problem in urban areas of southeast Spain. The increase in soil sealing and the occupation of areas prone to flooding have aggravated this problem. Due to this situation, municipal administrations, in collaboration with the concession holder for the supply of water and sewage services, Hidraqua Gestión Integral de Aguas de Levante SA, are committed a more efficient management of non-conventional water resources. An example of this can be found in the municipalities of Rojales, Daya Nueva, and San Fulgencio. These towns are located in the Bajo Segura region of the province of Alicante, where various initiatives have been implemented that break away from the traditional paradigm of rigid infrastructures. These initiatives include green spaces or areas, and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) or nature-based solutions (NBS). This article presents various case studies. Firstly, in the town of Rojales, where several actions are being undertaken to improve the management of wastewater and rainwater and provide a solution to unauthorised dumping, as well as encouraging the use of reclaimed water with the creation of a recreational green area, El Recorral Park. Secondly, in the case of Daya Nueva, the Europa Park constitutes a recreational green area, Europa Park, facilitates runoff drainage by SUDS and NBS. Finally, the creation of a floodable pond in the municipality of San Fulgencio encourages the use of wastewater, thus avoiding the discharge of this non-conventional water resource into the sea. In addition, the pond facilitates the appropriate management of runoff water. The working method in this article has been twofold: firstly, bibliographical references have been consulted from other national and international areas; and secondly, the technical projects in the case studies have been analysed in detail. Several field trips have been made to the selected municipalities, accompanied by the technical personnel in charge of the execution of the projects, to examine the measures adopted. The results show that the implementation of these systems contributes to adapting to climate change and creates more resilient urban spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Management and Extreme Events)
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