Unified River Basin Management

The concept of a river basin as a management or planning unit has gone through several stages and is in a state of flux.

Worldwide development of agriculture and industry creates burgeoning demands on natural resources. Management of the rivers and the surrounding landscape is one of the important tasks for today and for the foreseeable future. Lessons learned from centuries of management (and mismanagement) have been distilled into principles and practices which form the subject matter for this book. It provides both a global perspective and an entrée to the special problems associated with management of transboundary rivers.

Sumary: In this valuable contribution to the field of river basin management, Brebbia (Wessex Institute of Technology, UK) compiles 35 papers from a conference that presented recent advances in all aspects of hydrology, including ecology, environmental management, flood plains and wetlands. Academics and practitioners address the planning, design, and management of riverine systems, including the development of software modeling and GIS tools for predicting water flow, water quality, sediment transport, and ecological processes. Case studies of national, regional, and international challenges, priorities, and agreements treat topics including erosion control systems, climate change, and conflicts between hydropower generation and fish habitat interests. Illustrations include drinking water catchment areas, hydrographs, and areas of pre- and post-flooding/restoration.

This book contains the proceedings of the eighth international conference on River Basin Management including all aspects of Hydrology, Ecology, Environmental Management, Flood Plains and Wetlands. The biennial conference is organised by the Wessex Institute and was first held in 2001. The papers included in the book present recent advances predicting the flow, sediment transport, water quality, and ecological processes in river systems through computer techniques. The papers presented at the Conference cover such topics as: Water Resources Management; Flood Risk Management; Ecological and Environmental Impact; Erosion and Sediment Transport; Hydrological Modelling; River Restoration and Rehabilitation; Hydropower Impacts and Solutions; River and Watershed Management; Integrated Management; Water Quality Issues; Eutrophication and Agricultural Pollution; Trans-boundary River Issues; Estuaries and Deltas; Extreme Event Management; Wetlands; Climate Change and Adaptive Water Management; Water Quality and Health; Socio-economic and Political Issues; Water Governance and Water Justice; Data Acquisition, Management and Analysis; Flood Risk Control; Remote Sensing and Instrumentation; Dam Operation; Experimental Modelling; River Basin Risk Analysis; Emerging Technologies; Rain Water Systems; Erosion and Sediment Transport; Hydrodynamics.

This book explores water resources management issues in China and possible solutions. It analyzes a wide range of general and specific topics, providing case studies and a balanced review of the past and present situation as well as future developments. The book begins with a general introduction and an overview of hydrology, water resources, and development issues in China. It then presents a management framework, including a management system, management institutions, river basin management, water pricing, water rights, and groundwater management, and discusses its implementation, covering water resources allocation and regulation in the Yellow River, integrated water affair management reforms, and agricultural water management in northern China. The last section focuses on the current reforms and hot topics, with strong emphasis on stringent water resource strategies applied to the river and lake principle system, recycled water use and water resources asset management, as well as climate change impacts, and concludes with a summary of the many changes in the water sector in China and a look at the road ahead and the areas that still need to be reformed.