Land use land cover (LULC) changes can result in shortage of water, flood risk and soil erosion and thus contribute to the deterioration of living conditions. Understanding the impacts of LULC changes on water resources is therefore an important research issue for watershed management. Therefore, this paper discusses the impacts of LULC changes on surface runoff and sediment yield of Upper Tapi River Sub-basin, India using Soil and water assessment Tool (SWAT). The land use dynamics of the sub-basin was assessed through the analysis of four land use maps corresponding to year 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2016. It is found that from the year 1975 to 2016 agricultural area is increased by 18% whereas forest land and rangeland are decreased by 7% and 10% respectively. This land use change may lead to land degradation and ecological damages in the study area. These LULC maps were used to calibrate four separate SWAT models with the corresponding climate data from 1979 to 2013. These models performance are evaluated based on R², ENS and PBIAS values which indicate very good agreement between observed and simulated discharge. The impacts of LULC changes were assessed by four different scenarios in which climate data (1979-2013), Soil map and slope map were kept same, and only the land use maps were changed. The results of this study showed that LULC changes have resulted in corresponding increase in surface runoff, water yield, and sediment yield. The surface runoff has increased about 36% and water yield has increased about 22%. Similarly, sediment yield is also increased around 22% from the scenario S₁ to S₄. The outputs of this study could be used for soil and water conservation and river health protection in the Upper Tapi River Sub Basin.

In rapidly growing urban areas in India and the developing world, water demands typically exceed supply. While local governments may implement management programs to reduce demand for freshwater, water savings are dependent on the conservation behaviors of individuals. A household survey is presented here to examine residential water end uses and conservation behaviors in Jaipur, India. The survey explores end uses, engagement in conservation behaviors, and the influence of demographic factors, water sources, beliefs about water, and social pressures on these behaviors are tested. The survey was conducted at 248 households, including 29 households in the slums. Our study finds that while the majority of participants recognize the importance of water conservation, they do not necessarily conserve water themselves. Households report engaging most frequently in water-conservation behaviors that require little effort or financial investment. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results and subsequent pairwise comparisons indicate higher incomes, longer water-supply durations, and the belief that droughts are preventable are positively correlated with overall amenability to adoption of water-conservation behaviors and technology. Binomial logistic regression analysis indicates that being in the age group 26–35, having higher income, and giving a neutral response about the responsibility of the government to provide relief during a drought were all predictors of the installation of dual-flush (DF) toilets. Education levels and water awareness were found to have no correlation with conservation behaviors or amenability to conservation technology adoption. Results are applied to examine their possible implications from a demand-management perspective and provide suggestions for further research and policy decisions.