Comparative analysis of water sustainability research

Sustainability of the Water Supply in the Caribbean

Water sustainability is not merely an environmental problem. It is a political and social issue as well. Research articles such as "Challenges to manage the risk of water scarcity and climate change in the Mediterranean" by Iglesias (et al. 2007) focus on issues which specifically impact environmental changes such as global warming but do so in a manner to suggest specific policy prescriptions to scientists attempting to curtail crises created by the phenomenon. The paper suggests a different framework to cope with water scarcity that emphasizes preparation and prevention rather than taking a crisis management approach only after scarcity is in evidence. "The importance of local management at the basin level is emphasized, but the potential benefits depend on the appropriate multi-institutional and multi-stakeholder coordination" (Iglesias et al. 2007: 775). Stakeholder analysis is still required: something can be feasible on a technical level but not on a human level. Different levels of alert are categorized, spanning from preparedness to pre-alert, alert, and emergency levels. The need for monitoring is critical to this multi-tiered system. The article combines analysis of the reasons for variability in water quality on a chemical level with a feasible approach to dealing with these challenges.

The Iglesias article focuses on Mediterranean waters, taking a case study approach. A similar level of specificity is deployed by Xu (et al.) in the study of the water quality of the Yellow River basin of China. Xu specifically uses a model called Water Resources System Dynamics (WRSD) model to estimate "the existing and potential water supplies from surface water, aquifers and treated waste-water are estimated" as well as future "potential water demands for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses" (Xu 2007 et al. 239). Future planning is focused upon (versus crisis and risk management like Iglesias (et al. 2007). The Xu approach focuses on the effects of a variety of social and environmental systems that affect water availability and result in different projected needs. "The object-oriented system dynamics approach is an appropriate technique for integrated water resources analysis. The inherent flexibility and transparency is particularly helpful for the development of simulation models for complex water resource systems with subjective variables and parameters" such as the way human beings engage with water systems (Xu et al. 2007: 240),