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Groundwater is a key resource, and its management is vital to rural communities' development. However, inappropriate actions can affect its sustainability. This study aims to analyse the scientific literature on groundwater management in rural communities, using the Scopus database for bibliometric research analysis and a systematic literature review for identifying sustainable groundwater management strategies. The methodology comprised i) selection, processing and classification of data, ii) application of bibliometrics, and iii) a systematic review for identifying sustainable water management strategies. The bibliometric analysis contemplated 1,247 scientific documents. An exponential growth of publications in the study field since its inception (1936) is evident, highlighting scientific collaborations between China, the United States, India, Australia and France. Seven study areas stood out: agriculture and climate change, water management and geographic information systems, water quality, remote sensing, hydrochemistry in arid regions, and nitrate and hydrogeochemical pollution. Research trends in recent years include the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), recharge, sustainability, drainage, and land subsidence. The systematic review of 67 documents allowed the identification of social, political, economic, environmental, and academic/technical strategies for sustainable groundwater management, highlighting four central cores to be worked on: strengthening top-level design, establishing groundwater monitoring and early warning, innovating agricultural water-saving technologies, and carrying out public education on science and technology. This research provides a vision of the strategies for the sustainability of groundwater resources in aquifer-dependent areas and highlights the key areas to develop for groundwater sustainability in a rural context, in alignment with 1, 2, 6 and 15 Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water Sowing and Harvesting (WS&H) is an ancestral knowledge widely used as a sustainable technique in water management. This study aims to analyse the importance, promotion, and cultural heritage of WS&H techniques through a literature review in Ecuador, considering applications of ancestral techniques by region (coastal, Andean and insular) with a strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats (SWOTs) analysis and a focus group for a strategy proposal of the water supply. The methodology of this study includes the following: (i) an analysis of the evolution of WS&H studies in Ecuador; (ii) a presentation of WS&H techniques and their applications; and (iii) the contribution of WS&H to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), complemented by a SWOTs analysis. The results show that, in Ecuador, WS&H is a method of Nature-based Solutions (NbSs) applied to the problems of water scarcity and is affordable, ecological, and has high efficiency, improving agricultural productivity and guaranteeing water supply for human consumption. The Manglaralto coastal aquifer, a case study in the coastal region of Ecuador, involves WS&H management and artificial aquifer recharge. WS&H structures became a reference for the sustainable development of rural communities that can be replicated nationally and internationally as a resilient alternative to water scarcity and a global climate emergency, contributing to the SDGs of UNESCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide earthquakes have caused a total of 719,501 human victim and 1,344.8 billion dollars in economic losses between 2000-2021. The Santa Elena province (Ecuador) is classified as an area of high seismic danger, according to the Ecuadorian Construction Standard (NEC). This coastal province has 70% of informal housing construction, structural problems and poor construction processes can be seen with the occurrence of these natural phenomena. This study aims to propose technical-economic rehabilitation solutions in informal housing constructions, through modelling and structural analysis, that guarantee occupational safety and the recovery of the structural capacity of the housing, case study (pilot). The applied methodology consisted of four phases: i) information on the pilot case study and its environment; review of the building regulations, ii) laboratory tests on soil characteristics, iii) structural modelling and analysis using SAP2000 software, and iv) structural support and rehabilitation solutions. The results indicate that the columns of the first floor require reinforcement because the average cross-section of the columns is less than the local construction regulations and defined by the criteria of experts in the construction sector. The structural elements of the second floor also require repair to reduce bending moments and distribute loads to the ground. The idea of innovation is the configuration of a protocol with construction methods for existing and new buildings, as tools for local authorities to promote reinforcement in areas of high seismic vulnerability, and thus a territorial order in the construction sector. This research recommends structural rehabilitation with reinforcements and structural repairs to guarantee its ability to withstand an earthquake and ensure the occupational well-being of inhabitants. This methodology can be replicated in houses with similar structural characteristics in Ecuadorian coast, considering SDGs 3, 9, and 11, which address health and well-being, industry, innovation and infrastructure, and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the American continent, the movement of tectonic plates causes seismic activity that generates earthquakes. Some countries of America are located on the western fringe of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which involves several tectonic plates, such as Nazca, Cocos, and North American, among others. This study aims to analyse the scientific production of Earthquakes in America (EiA) using Web of Science and Scopus databases, to understand the origin (first publications in the area), intellectual structure (bibliometric maps), and research trends (topics for future works). The methodology was based on: (i) criteria for database selection (reasons for selecting Scopus and Web of Science), (ii) data processing (merging databases, deleting duplicates or erroneous documents, and the selection of bibliometric software), and (iii) analysis of intellectual structure (performance of scientific publications using bibliometric maps). The EiA has greatly impacted academia since its first publication in 1861, analysing 6553 scientific publications from the western part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It includes the most representative subduction zones in the world, with major records in the last nine years, having contributions mainly from Mexico, France, Guatemala, and Chile. Finally, the trend topics aligned to EiA are ground motion models, seismic hazards, and induced seismicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]