Special Issue "Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future"

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Use and Scarcity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vasileios Tzanakakis
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
Interests: soil (bio) chemistry; soil fertility; nitrogen and carbon cycling; natural resource management; reuse in agriculture
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giovanni De Feo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dr. Andreas N. Angelakis
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
HAO-Demeter, Agricultural Research Institution of Crete, 71300 Iraklion and Union of Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprises, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Interests: wastewater treatment and water reuse; small and decentralized wastewater management systems; water technologies in ancient civilizations
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many people still hold stubbornly to a belief that nature’s resources are unbounded, and that the world’s ecosystems are simply too large to be significantly impacted by the mere actions of humans. In fact, however, environmental catastrophes (e.g., extended droughts) have occurred throughout human history, and have even caused the collapse of whole civilizations (e.g., Easter Island, Mayas, Sumerians, Nazca, Ancient Megafauna of Australia, Anasazi, and probably Minoans). Indeed, there are currently estimates that a quarter of the world’s population or a third of the population in developing countries live in areas suffering from severe water scarcity. Of particular concern is the declining water tables in the arid and semiarid regions of Asia, Middle East, and Mediterranean basin.

Based on the facts that the fresh water supplies on Earth will remain the same, they are unevenly distributed, and urbanization is increasing at high rates worldwide, the water availability (in m3/inh.), especially in urban areas, will become a critical issue in the future megacities. At the same time, it should be considered that transporting surface water over long distances from in-land to coastal areas, treating it, using it for potable purposes, and then retreating and discharging it to the sea is not a sustainable manner of water management. Similarly, the further overexploitation of groundwater has serious impacts on the environment (e.g., sea level rise). Finally, climate fluctuations may adversely affect water resources worldwide, through warming, shifts in precipitation patterns, and occurrence of extreme weather events (droughts, heat waves, floods). In such cases, the expansion of the reuse of marginal waters should be implemented—particularly in coastal urban areas for the production of water for all uses. Additionally, this practice complies with the circular economy concept and can help to cope with climate change and/or variability. However, the expansion of water reuse is not straightforward, as several public health and environmental issues still need to be addressed. Of particular importance are the issues arising from the spread of specific emerging and/or other pollutants, such as disinfection byproducts and pharmaceuticals, as well as antimicrobial resistance, which can harm environmental quality and threaten food safety. These factors are highly related to economic balance and public acceptability. It is apparent that we need advances in wastewater treatment and regulatory frameworks towards a more sophisticated and economically viable wastewater reuse management.

This Special Issue of Water entitled “Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future” aims to address all the above aspects by seeking relevant research and review manuscripts. More analytically, the scope of the SI could include:

  • The collapse of old civilizations: The role of drought;
  • Urbanization and water supply;
  • History of water science and technology;
  • Climate change and/variability and water quality and supply;
  • Water supply under water scarcity;
  • Irrigation and drainage under water scarcity;
  • Water use efficiency issues;
  • Water scarcity and land use, environmental and climate impacts;
  • Water scarcity and food production and economy impacts;
  • Water scarcity and energy;
  • Water scarcity and soil and water resources management;
  • Water reuse;
  • Use of marginal waters;
  • Water reuse planning, policy, monitoring requirements, and standards/criteria;
  • Water supply and wastewater treatment and reuse in future cities;
  • Water scarcity, water reuse, and circular economy;
  • Water and wastewater policies.

Dr. Vasileios Tzanakakis
Prof. Dr. Giovanni De Feo
Dr. Andreas N. Angelakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water supply
  • water scarcity
  • water reuse
  • water policy
  • water management

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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Article
Rise and Fall of the Grand Canal in the Ancient Kaifeng City of China: Role of the Grand Canal and Water Supply in Urban and Regional Development
Water 2021, 13(14), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13141932 - 13 Jul 2021
Viewed by 485
Abstract
In the long history of the feudal society of China, Kaifeng played a vital role. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng became a worldwide metropolis. The important reason was that the Grand Canal, which was excavated during the Sui Dynasty, became the main [...] Read more.
In the long history of the feudal society of China, Kaifeng played a vital role. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Kaifeng became a worldwide metropolis. The important reason was that the Grand Canal, which was excavated during the Sui Dynasty, became the main transportation artery for the political and military center of the north and the economic center of the south. Furthermore, Kaifeng was located at the center of the Grand Canal, which made it the capital of the later Northern Song Dynasty. The Northern Song Dynasty was called “the canal-centered era.” The development of the canal caused a series of major changes in the society of the Northern Song Dynasty that were different from the previous ones, which directly led to the transportation revolution, and in turn, promoted the commercial revolution and the urbanization of Kaifeng. The development of commerce contributed to the agricultural and money revolutions. After the Northern Song Dynasty, the political center moved to the south. During the Yuan Dynasty, the excavation of the Grand Canal made it so that water transport did not have to pass through the Central Plains. The relocation of the political center and the change in the canal route made Kaifeng lose the value of connecting the north and south, resulting in the long-time fall of the Bianhe River. Kaifeng, which had prospered for more than 100 years, declined gradually, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty, it became a common town in the Central Plains. In ancient China, the rise and fall of cities and regions were closely related to the canal, and the relationship between Kaifeng and the Grand Canal was typical. The history may provide some inspiration for the increasingly severe urban and regional sustainable development issues in contemporary times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future)
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Article
Roman Aqueducts in Crete, Greece: Learning from the Past
Water 2021, 13(8), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081069 - 13 Apr 2021
Viewed by 621
Abstract
The Romans were well aware of the strategic importance of Crete and tried, by any means possible, its final conquest. The island was under Roman rule over four centuries (ca 67 BC–330 AD). Under Roman rule, Crete witnessed a growth of its [...] Read more.
The Romans were well aware of the strategic importance of Crete and tried, by any means possible, its final conquest. The island was under Roman rule over four centuries (ca 67 BC–330 AD). Under Roman rule, Crete witnessed a growth of its population and prosperity and an increase in its connectivity with other parts of the Empire. In addition, Gortys, Chersonisos, Elyros, Lyttos, Kissamos and other cities flourished under their rule. At that prosperous time, several luxurious infrastructures, such as hydraulic works, were developed. In this paper, we wish to examine the principles and the technical characteristics of major aqueducts built at that time. They constructed impressive hydro-works, such as aqueducts, by using the knowledge gained from earlier Greek civilizations in Minoan and Classical and Hellenistic times. However, they mainly increased the scale of applied technologies to support the increased population water demand. Water is a common need of humankind and several ancient civilizations developed simple but practical techniques, such as the aqueduct, especially during Roman times. We can gain from their experience and knowledge to develop a sustainable water supply, presently and in the future, both in developed and developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future)
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Review

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Review
Desalination: From Ancient to Present and Future
Water 2021, 13(16), 2222; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162222 - 16 Aug 2021
Viewed by 501
Abstract
Water is life, and without water, there would be no civilizations and a vacant Earth. Water is considered an abundant natural resource on the earth. Water covers 3/4 of the surface. However, 97% of the available water on the earth is salty oceanic [...] Read more.
Water is life, and without water, there would be no civilizations and a vacant Earth. Water is considered an abundant natural resource on the earth. Water covers 3/4 of the surface. However, 97% of the available water on the earth is salty oceanic water, and only a tiny fraction (3%) is freshwater. This small portion of the available water supplies the needs of humans and animals. However, freshwater exists in underground, rivers, and lakes and is insufficient to cover all the world’s water demands. Thus, water saving, water reuse, rainwater harvesting, stormwater utilization, and desalination are critical for maintaining water supplies for the future of humanity. Desalination has a long history spanning centuries from ancient times to the present. In the last two decades, desalination has been rapidly expanding to meet water needs in stressed water regions of the world. Yet, there are still some problems with its implementation in several areas of the world. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the history of desalination for wiser and smarter water extraction and uses to sustain and support the water needs of the earth’s inhabitants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future)
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Review
Water Quality and Life Expectancy: Parallel Courses in Time
Water 2021, 13(6), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13060752 - 10 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 832
Abstract
Since ancient times, the need for healthy water has resulted in the development of various kinds of water supply systems. From early history, civilizations have developed water purification devices and treatment methods. The necessity for fresh water has influenced individual lives as well [...] Read more.
Since ancient times, the need for healthy water has resulted in the development of various kinds of water supply systems. From early history, civilizations have developed water purification devices and treatment methods. The necessity for fresh water has influenced individual lives as well as communities and societies. During the last two hundred years, intensive and effective efforts have been made internationally for sufficient water quantity and quality. At the same time, human life expectancy has increased all over the globe at unprecedented rates. The present work represents an effort to sketch out how water purity and life expectancy have entangled, thus influencing one another. Water properties and characteristics have directly affected life quality and longevity. The dramatic increase in life expectancy has been, indisputably, affected by the improvement in water quality, but also in other concomitant factors, varying temporally and spatially in different parts of the world throughout the centuries. Water technologies and engineering have an unequivocal role on life expectancy. In some cases, they appear to have taken place earlier than the progress of modern medicine. Among these, improved sanitation, personal hygiene, progress in medicine, and better standards of economic living have played the greatest roles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Scarcity: From Ancient to Modern Times and the Future)
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