Microbiological groundwater quality and health indicators in Mexico City

Groundwater quality was evaluated in the southern and western zones of Mexico City, using bacterial indicators and pathogens. Water quality from 40 wells was related to rates of diarrheal disease with 995 individuals interviewed. The focus of this first study on environmental health indicators (EHI) was based on population data (e.g., drinking water supplies and basic sanitation) and displayed using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Sixty percent of the wells monitored comply with the Mexican drinking water standards; however, based on other microbial evidence, 95% of the wells did not provide good quality water for human consumption. No significant differences were detected among hydrogeological zones. When analyzing by microbial indicators, the southern area was shown to be statistically different (p < 0.01) from the western area of the city. The highest rates of diarrheal diseases were detected in the south; the lowest rates were observed in the west. Although wells in the western side of the city appeared to be more contaminated (54%) than in the south (40%), no significant association with health indicators was detected. These preliminary findings suggest ways to improve the potential of EHI, by framing epidemiological data and the use of GIS.     

“宜居之城”建设中水资源的开发与利用研究——以重庆为例

“宜居之城”理念,既是城市化和后城市化时代城市转型升级的必然产物,也是提升城市核心竞争力的重要途径。实践证明,宜居城市的打造需要多方面的努力,而且必须依赖于城市自身的各种资源,其中水资源的作用不可小觑。本文以重庆为例,分析和探讨了江河水资源在构建“宜居之城”中的作用,并针对存在的问题提出了建议。     

水之喻与中国文学批评

中国文学批评史上,存在一种“以水喻文”的批评范式。古代先哲在对水的自然特性的观审中,产生了各种微妙的审美体验和联想,铸就了东方文论独特而丰富的内涵。主要包括三个方面内容：第一,先贤对水之“清”的感悟,逐渐形成古典文论中的“清”“清浊”等系列范畴。大量与水相关的词语如“源”“流”“深”“浅”“渊”“浮”“润”“溢”“淡”“游”“清淡”“清秀”“清疏”“清逸”“清华”等也进入文学批评领域,这从一个侧面证明“水”与古代文学批评的密切关系。第二,水之“源流”启发了文学流派批评,古人一方面以“流派”为喻,阐释学术门类、文学风格的不同;另一方面则寻源溯流,阐释文学发展中的传承与创新关系。第三,“水无常形”催生了“文无常法”的文论观。宋代苏洵、苏轼父子或以“水机”喻“文心”,或以“风水相激”喻指创作中的“情文相激”,或以水之“随物赋形”喻指“自然成文”。“吾文如万斛泉源,不择地皆可出,在平地滔滔汩汩,虽一日千里无难;及其与山石曲折,随物赋形而不可知也。所可知者,常行于所当行,常止于不可不止。”(苏轼《文说》)已经将“以水喻文”阐释得淋漓尽致了。总之,“以水喻文”折射的是基于中国本土的、活生生的审美经...     

The hydropolitical challenges of domestic water conservation. Palestine and Tunisia case studies

Southern Mediterranean area, particularly the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has been facing social, economic, environmental and political challenges related to the water scarcity and quality. Within the European SWMED project, a socio-economic survey was conducted in Palestine and Tunisia, in order to explore the water conditions, and the social and economic situations of local families. The article illustrates the research design and implementation, as well as the main results that were used to select the appropriate sustainable water management solutions to respond to the hydropolitical issues. Due to the huge use of water in agriculture and the difficulty of reducing the water consumption in this sector, fostering tools for domestic water saving may be a winning strategy for facing water scarcity in MENA region.     

Good Governance as Managerialism: Rationalisation and International Donors in Vietnam's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector

Donors’ appreciation of their relationship with Vietnam as a ‘mature development partnership’ requires explanation. Drawing on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation policy, the article argues that the success of donor collaboration with Vietnam is based on Vietnamese political culture coincidentally aligning with a managerialist ‘world culture’, presently extant in the form of neoliberal ‘good governance’ development orthodoxy. The article shows that Vietnam ‘delivers’ rationalised development policy to international donors through its system of state administration and planning, the implementation of target‐oriented planning and the role of statistics in the policy process. The strength of the ‘darling’ partnership is explained in relation to this cultural dimension of legitimacy creation through the performance of rational development planning and administration.     

Scarcity and Power in US–Mexico Transboundary Water Governance: Has the Architecture Changed since NAFTA?

Abstract

This paper examines the politics of water allocation on the US–Mexico border since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began in 1994. While NAFTA reforms have modestly changed the water allocation regime, they have not altered the longstanding asymmetry of power relationships governing the allocation of water resources between the two countries. Two rivers are considered. On the Rio Grande, NAFTA and its associated reforms had the effect of accentuating recent allocation crises and helping to resolve them, while leaving existing power arrangements largely intact. On the Colorado River, efforts to save the Colorado River delta ecosystem after NAFTA benefitted from institutional reforms, but these efforts remain rather marginal to the longstanding structure of power governing allocation and management of Colorado River water resources, as the case of the All-American Canal dispute reveals. These cases reveal the treaty regime as one that is highly resistant to change, suggesting that caution is needed when using theoretical constructs like multilevel governance and collaborative watershed management in drawing generalizations on transboundary water management along the US–Mexican border.     

Patterns of practice: a reflection on the development of quantitative/mixed methodologies capturing everyday life related to water consumption in the UK

There is a growing body of research arguing the relevance of practice approaches to understand resource consumption, and to highlight alternative pathways to sustainability. These practice approaches offer an alternative conceptualisation of demand and have been demonstrated largely by qualitative research, particularly in the work on water and energy consumption in the home. However, these historical narratives and qualitative research have not, to date, lead to the development of quantitative or mixed methodologies that could potentially reflect the diversity of performances of practice across populations in a more systematic way. This paper reflects, critically, on one such attempt to scale a practice-based perspective into a quantitative survey on water consumption and practice in homes in the south and South-East of England. The use of quantitative and mixed methodology has substantial potential – from translating practice-based research to policy; developing indictors to track patterns of practices as they change over time; and the exploration of methodologies that reflect the bundling and coordination of practices associated with water use inside and outside the home. The benefits and utility of such a methodological approach are highlighted as cautions and future research directions.     

清代漕运兴废与江苏运河城镇经济的发展

京杭运河纵跨京津鲁苏浙五省市,联系海黄淮江四水系.自明代永乐时,漕粮基本由运河入京,漕运大兴.基于运河而发展的漕运,在沟通南北经济交流方面起到了重要作用,使得沿运一线融为整体.在清代,就江苏运河城镇来说,箕经济发展与漕运兴废、运河通塞可以说是息息相关.漕运推动了运河城镇经济发展,但漕运的发展必须以运河的畅通为基本,而运河城镇经济的兴衰也对运河通塞、漕运盛废具有重要影响,彼此交相作用而成为系统.     

论我国水资源的多主体共同治理

我国传统的公共资源管理模式将水资源的控制权置于公共领域,各级政府是唯一的监管主体.水危机的出现却使得人们对这种单一主体的行政管理模式提出质疑.笔者认为,政府应当适度放权,可以通过产权契约安排将部分水资源的管理权交给社会和市场来行使.构建一个多主体共同治理的水资源管理体系,实现国家权力的分散化和公共事务管理的多元化.     

清末西北地区水利兴修与管理程式——以中卫七星渠为例

清末宁夏中卫七星渠的重修,为后人在生产力水平低下,经济贫穷落后,地广人稀,气候恶劣的条件之下兴修农田水利,树立了一个成功的典范。七星渠的兴修与管理程式,凝聚着官民的智慧,闪烁着一定的民主之光。它是清末西北地区乃至全国水利兴修的一个样板。即使在今天,它仍不失是我们学习和借鉴的一个范本。