Soil is one of the largest ecosystems being ignored by human activities. Our farming practices and urban constructions have contributed to its degradation, with far-reaching consequences for the water cycle’s equi- librium.Reconnect with nature and learn the methods to assist in its recovery are essential for the survival of all inhabitants on this planet.  My degree project consists of a large research into the water cycle of urban areas, studying the particular case of Stockholm, that leads to the problems of degraded soil. The aim is to understand the relation- ship between water cycle and soil ecosystems and explore potential solutions.  As a result, I have designed KURITA, a learning tool founded upon the ecofeminism values of care, that serves as a learning method for citi- zens to reconnect with soil values and actively participate in its restor- ative process.

Several studies indicates China is experiencing a water crisis, were several regions are suffering of severe water scarcity and rivers are heavily polluted. On the other hand, water is used inefficiently and wastefully: water use efficiency in the agriculture sector is only 40% and within industry, only 40% of the industrial wastewater is recycled. However, based on statistical data, China’s total water resources is ranked sixth in the world, based on its water resources and yet, Yellow River and Hai River dries up in its estuary every year. In some regions, the water situation is exacerbated by the fact that rivers’ water is heavily polluted with a large amount of untreated wastewater, discharged into the rivers and deteriorating the water quality. Several regions’ groundwater is overexploited due to human activities demand, which is not met by local. Some provinces have over withdrawn groundwater, which has caused ground subsidence and increased soil salinity. So what is the situation in China? Is there a water crisis, and if so, what are the causes?This report is a review of several global water scarcity assessment methods and summarizes the findings of the results of China’s water resources to get a better understanding about the water situation. All of the methods indicated that water scarcity is mainly concentrated to north China due to rapid growth, overexploitation from rivers and reduced precipitation. Whereas, South China is indicated as abundant in water resources, however, parts of the region are experiencing water scarcity due to massive dam constructions for water storage and power production. Too many dam constructions in a river disrupts flow of the river water and pollutants are then accumulated within floodgates.Many Chinese officials and scholars believe that with economic growth comes improved environmental quality when the economy has reached to a certain of per-capita level. However, with the present water situation it is not sustainable or possible for China to keep consuming and polluting its water resources. Improvement of environmental quality does not come automatically with increased income, and policies, laws and regulations are needed in order to stop further deterioration of the environment.China’s water situation is not any news and the key factor is human activities, but the question is how to solve it. China’s water crisis is much more complex than over exploitation of groundwater and surface water. There are three water issues in China: “too much water – floods, too little water – droughts, and too dirty water – water pollution” (Jun & Chen, 2001). Thus, solving China’s water crisis is a huge challenge to solve without negatively affecting the economic growth.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-06-05T16:44:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA MÔNICA ALMEIDA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGSA PROFISSIONAL 2017..pdf: 1010028 bytes, checksum: 0641cec4c7e40576dc584bd9884fb25f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-05T16:44:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA MÔNICA ALMEIDA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGSA PROFISSIONAL 2017..pdf: 1010028 bytes, checksum: 0641cec4c7e40576dc584bd9884fb25f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Este estudo trata da análise dos conflitos pelo uso da água ocorridos na região paraibana da bacia hidrográfica do rio Piancó-Piranhas-Açu na busca de solução, sob a ótica dos instrumentos de gestão e dos mecanismos, dos conflitos apresentados pela literatura jurídica. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão bibliográfica, por meio do levantamento de todos os diplomas legislativos em vigor, tanto na esfera federal, como na esfera estadual, que se refiram à gestão de recursos hídricos, assim como a consulta a doutrinas jurídicas e artigos publicados em periódicos da Capes; utilizando como período delimitador os anos de 2013 a 2016. Priorizou-se a consulta aos artigos revisados por pares. Também se verificou a existência de processos administrativos e judiciais na área da pesquisa. E, finalmente, foi realizada coleta de informações “in loco” com agentes públicos acerca dos procedimentos para concessão de outorgas e possível ocorrência de conflitos entre cidadãos. A proposta de análise dos conflitos pela água teve como motivação o quadro crítico que assola o semiárido brasileiro, com grandes períodos de ausência de chuvas e, ainda assim, os usuários (em sentido amplo) continuam desperdiçando o uso da água, sem a consciência de que se trata de um recurso limitado. Como elemento de gestão e recurso limitado, a água traz muitas discussões jurídicas, inclusive, quanto à viabilidade do seu acesso, principalmente, em propriedades privadas, assim como a discussão acerca da efetividade de aplicabilidade dos instrumentos de gestão desse recurso natural. Como resultado, observou-se a necessidade da uma melhor integração do cidadão-usuário da água no sistema de gerenciamento para que conheça as suas fases e procedimentos, a definição dos órgãos públicos e suas funções, para que se possa colaborar mais ativamente com a eficiência da política nacional de recursos hídricos. / This study deals with the analysis of conflicts over the use of water in the Paraiba region of the Piranhas-Açu River basin and its solution form, from the point of view of the management tools and mechanisms for conflict resolution presented in the legal literature. The methodology used was the bibliographical revision, by means of the survey of all the legislative diplomas in force, as much in the federal sphere, as in the state sphere, that they refer to the management of water resources, as well as the consultation to legal doctrines and articles published in periodicals Of Capes, using as a delimiting period the years of 2013 to 2016. Prioritized the consultation of articles peer reviewed. It was also verified the existence of administrative and judicial processes in the research area. The proposal for the analysis of water conflicts was motivated by the critical situation that plagues the Brazilian semi-arid region, with periods of heavy rainfall, and yet users (in a broad sense) continue to waste water, without the awareness of That it is a limited resource. As a management element and limited resource, water brings many legal discussions, including the feasibility of its access, mainly in private properties, as well as the discussion about the applicability effectiveness of the natural resource management tools.