Furat Al-Faraj

Climate change and population growth play crucial roles in the planning of future water resources management strategies. In this paper, a balancing between projected water resources and water demands in the Iraqi Part of the Tigris River Basin (TRB) was evaluated till the year 2080 based on RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 and population growth. This paper examined a sustainable adaptation plan of water resources in the TRB considering three scenarios; (S1) as no change in the current strategy, (S2) as improved irrigation efficiency and (S3) as improved irrigation and municipal water use efficiency. The results showed a decline in streamflow will occur in the range from 5 to 18.4% under RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5, respectively. The minimum increase in water demand is expected for RCP 2.6 (maximum increase for RCP 8.5) by 51.8 (208.2), 9.9 (42) and 1.2 (7)% for the municipal-industrial, irrigation and environmental water demands, respectively, compared with the RP. The main finding indicated that S1 is the worst scenario, with water stress in four provinces, especially on the warmest RCP. Whereas, under S2 and S3 conditions, water stress can be eliminated. Increasing ambition towards adaptation becomes obligatory for developing sustainable water sources, supporting water food securities and increasing resilience towards climate change.

Access to clean water and adequate sanitation improve sound health, enhance socio cultural development, and promote economic balance. This study focuses on investigating the challenges and opportunities to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 by 2030: a case study in Benin City, Nigeria. Three local government areas in Benin City (Egor, Ikpoba-Okha, and Oredo) were selected for this study. The survey involved the use of 150 structured questionnaires administered to the people from the local government areas (LGAs). A total of 127 responses were received and processed for analysis. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27.0) software application. Although the Federal Government has put in measures such as the National Action Plan (NAP) to ensure that the objectives of SDG 6.1 and 6.2 are achieved, the findings of the study however have shown that there are still problems of accessibility, acceptability, availability, affordability, and quality. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents indicated to spend over 2,000 naira monthly on water while 86% indicated to pay extra changes to acquire water. 48.8% residents have to cover a long distance of 3 km in order to get water. 61.4% found water not to be safe for drinking while 84.3% indicated that the quality of water and sanitation in public places are of bad quality. 63.8% indicated to have challenges to availability of water and sanitation. A large percent of the residents indicated to have felt discriminated regarding water and sanitation because of their socio level. However, the study found lack of water and sanitation to be gender neutral, as both men and women are affected.

This research assessed challenges versus opportunities for achieving Sustainable Developing Goal 6 in developing countries. Collective methods were used to harvest data, including a questionnaire survey, interactive focus group discussion, site visits to some water projects, and analysis of three case studies, including Nigeria, Nepal, and Iraq. Results indicated that most developing countries’ financial resources are insufficient to manage water and sanitation facilities safely. It also revealed gaps in short-to-longer term capacity building programs and institutional arrangements, lack of effective involvement of local academics, nongovernmental agencies, private sector, women, youth, and vulnerable communities in the decision-making process, lack of public awareness strategy, and inefficient use of water are dominating the scene of the water and environment sectors in developing countries. Moreover, results cited that corruption in some countries is one of the critical factors that slowed down the implementation of improved water and sanitation services, which left these countries years off the track to achieving SDG6. Furthermore, results disclosed that efficient use and management of water at local level, sub-national and national scales is indispensable to address the growing imbalance between water demands and supply and climate change impacts, including the increase in frequency/severity of floods and droughts. Therefore, SDG6 targets should be incorporated into national, sub-national, and local plans, policies, and strategies.

Evapotranspiration (ETo) is one of the most important processes in the hydrologic cycle, with specific application to sustainable water resource management. As such, this study aims to evaluate the predictive ability of a novel method for monthly ETo estimation, using a hybrid model comprising data pre-processing and an artificial neural network (ANN), integrated with the hybrid particle swarm optimisation-grey wolf optimiser algorithm (PSOGWO). Monthly data from Al-Kut City, Iraq, over the period 1990 to 2020, were used for model training, testing, and validation. The predictive accuracy of the proposed model was compared with other cutting-edge algorithms, including the slime mould algorithm (SMA), the marine predators algorithm (MPA), and the constriction coefficient-based particle swarm optimisation and chaotic gravitational search algorithm (CPSOCGSA). A number of graphical methods and statistical criteria were used to evaluate the models, including root mean squared error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), coefficient of determination (R-2), maximum absolute error (MAE), and normalised mean standard error (NMSE). The results revealed that all the models are efficient, with high simulation levels. The PSOGWO-ANN model is slightly better than the other approaches, with an R-2 = 0.977, MAE = 0.1445, and RMSE = 0.078. Due to its high predictive accuracy and low error, the proposed hybrid model can be considered a promising technique.

Availability of groundwater has been largely impacted by climate change worldwide, especially in arid and semi-arid areas where water is limited. In arid and semi-arid areas, which are heavily rely on groundwater to meet their water demands, there is a high risk of excessive use of groundwater, particularly during successive dry periods. This paper aimed at assessing changes in groundwater levels due to seasonal and annual variations in precipitation when storage of groundwater aquifers is largely depending on the amount of precipitation. Erbil province in Iraq was chosen as a representative example for many arid and semi-arid areas that suffering from overexploitation use of groundwater resources. Climate change has contributed to increase the pressure and stress on the availability of groundwater and increases environmental concerns. In this work, the long-term falling of groundwater levels is also examined. Monthly records of groundwater level between January 2004 and January 2016 observed at 54 observation wells in Erbil were assessed. Findings revealed that nearly 91% of the observation wells are associated with a drop in groundwater level, the remaining 9% were linked to steady or slight rising in groundwater level. Approximately 50% of those linked to a fall in groundwater level is associated with a significant drop (> 1.73 m/year), and 24% are linked to moderate drops (0.58 m/year ≤ drop ≤ 1.73 m/year), whereas the remaining 26% relate to low falls (< 0.58 m/year) in groundwater level. The slopes of groundwater level fall between 0.005 and 0.32, with a mean of 0.11. The outcomes of this study would support the decision makers and water managers to sustainably manage groundwater in the study area and other similar areas. Moreover, the study represents an important step towards launching nation-wide groundwater assessment programmes to achieve sustainable abstraction and rational utilization and management of groundwater resources.

• Connection between LARS-WG and SWAT models presented successful simulation for current and future climate and hydrological systems in ARB. • ARB tend to become hotter and drier by 2080 due to global warming. • Adaptation strategies should be applied in water resources management of ARB. Global warming induces to increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and plays a crucial role in determining the future trend in climatology and hydrology of a watershed. This paper aims to investigate the implications of global warming on future climate and its consequents on streamflow of the Adhaim River Basin (ARB). For this purpose, the Long Ashton Research Station-Weather Generator (LARS-WG) and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)-Based models were implemented. The climate and hydrologic records for the period 1990-2019 were used as a Reference Period (RP) and projected to 2080 under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) and five Global Climate Models (GCMs). The results show that the region of ARB tends to become hotter and drier with an increase in mean temperature by 1.2, 2.9, and 4.6 °C under the considered RCPs, respectively. However, precipitation tends to decrease from 366 mm/y in RP to 320.2, 302, and 300.5 mm/y by 2080 under the considered RCPs. Consequently, the streamflow will decrease to about 28, 26, and 24 m3/s by 2080 under the considered RCPs, respectively, compared with 28.96 m3/s in RP. Therefore, adaptation strategies are highly recommended to alleviate the negative impacts of climate change, and the implications of climate change on groundwater, water demand, and adaptation plans should be investigated in future studies.

Design/methodology/approach This research has measured, using National Student Survey (NSS) criteria, student experiences on an interdisciplinary project on a civil engineering programme. It benchmarks the quality of learning and student understanding and perceptions of learning. The method is based upon a literature review and questionnaire survey of students.
Purpose In line with business goals of customer satisfaction, higher education institutions of learning consider excellent student experience a priority. Teaching and learning are important aspects of satisfaction that are monitored annually by universities using tools such as the NSS. NSS results are useful for educational planning and informing consumer choices. This research measured undergraduate student experiences on an interdisciplinary project using the NSS framework. Hinged on diversity, the purpose was to investigate whether full time, part time and degree apprenticeship students with varied work experience enhance their learning studying together on an interdisciplinary project.
Findings Results indicate good amounts of peer influence on learning in a simulated interdisciplinary team setting supported by a mix of diverse work experience in students’ background.
Originality/value Sections of the NSS are extended with additional questions to capture the impact that full-time, part-time and degree apprenticeship study modes, closely associated with students’ background of job experience, have on teaching and learning.

An assessment of the total hydrologic response of arid and semi-arid river basins to various scenarios of climate change by considering evapotranspiration, streamflow, and snowmelt is essential for sustainable management of water resources. The Diyala River Basin in Iraq has been chosen as a typical case study of dozens of river basins in arid and semi-arid regions. Here, the Long Ashton Research Station-Weather Generator (LARS-WG), the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and the SWAT Calibration and Uncertainty Program (CUP) were used to evaluate the total response by considering three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs); RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 over three periods, 2021–2040, 2041–2061, and 2061–2080. The results indicate that by the year 2080, the basin will experience a temperature increase by 6.6, 10.1, and 16.6% for RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5, respectively. The corresponding reduction in precipitation will be 3.2, 6.4, and 8.7%, resulting in 38.8, 47.9, and 52.8% fall in streamflow for RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively. Due to the increase in temperature, an earlier and less contribution of snowmelt is expected in the projected streamflow. Our findings provide a useful reference and a guide to decision makers for developing adaption plans to sustainably manage water resources in the Diyala River Basin and other similar basins in arid and semi-arid regions.

Climate change has potential effects on future hydrologic characteristics of arid and semi-arid river basins. The Lesser Zab River in Iraq was selected as a representative example of arid and semi-aird river basin. In this paper, the minimum and maximum temperatures (Tmin and Tmax) and precipitation (Pcp) for Lesser Zab Basin (LZB) were projected using Long Ashton Research Station-Weather Generator (LARS-WG) considering three future periods P1 (2021–2040), P2 (2041–2060), and P3 (2061–2080) under five global climate models (GCMs) and three representative concentration pathways (RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). The projected weather variables were inserted into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for the same scenarios and future periods. The results showed that LZB is expected to suffer from hot weather and drought by end of P3 due to an increase in Tmin by 16.78, 27.9, and 44.05%; an increase in Tmax by 8.4, 13.67 and 21.5%; and a decrease in Pcp by 0.07, 5.26, and 5.31%, under RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively. Moreover, the projected evapotranspiration also tended to increase by 5.52, 8.37, and 12.61% under RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively. Consequently, the projected streamflow of LZB is expected to decrease by 16.7, 27.15, and 31.23% under RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively. The paper introduced novel findings based on LARS-WG and SWAT simulations that contribute to a better understanding of future climate and hydrologic trends in arid and semi-arid river basins. The study outcomes assist sustainable management of water resources and decision-making process involved in climate change adaptation policies.

This study aimed to assess the spatiotemporal sensitivity of the net irrigation water requirement (NIWR) to changes in climate, for sixteen crops widely cultivated in four irrigation projects located in arid and semi-arid regions of Iraq. Using LARS-WG and five GCMs, the minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation were projected for three periods from 2021-2080 with 20-year steps (P1, P2, and P3) under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5. Weather data available for a reference period from 1990-2019 in four representatives' meteorological stations were used. The climate variables and other required data were inserted into the CROPWAT 8 NIWR tool. Findings revealed that the increase in the NIWR for the considered crops due to climate change falls in the range 0.1-42.4%, 1.8-44.5%, 1.2-25.1%, and 0.7-14.7% for the North Jazeera Irrigation Project (NJIP), Kirkuk Irrigation Project (KRIP), Upper Khalis Irrigation Project (UKIP), and Dalmaj Irri-gation Project (DLIP), respectively. Barley is more susceptible to changes in climate, whereas maize, potato, soybean, and millet are found to withstand changes in climate better than others. The novel outcomes of this study support optimal spatiotemporal allocation of irrigation water requirement and the sustainable management of water resources in a changing climate in arid and semi-arid regions.