Sustainable project management for water resource conservation: a systematic review
Abstract
This study conducted a systematic review to examine how project management influences the conservation of water resources amid contemporary environmental challenges. The analysis of 74 articles published in indexed journals between 2018 and 2023—focused on sustainability, environmental impact assessment, and water conservation—allowed identifying key trends: the increasing integration of sustainability into project planning and execution; the adoption of tools such as environmental impact assessment (EIA) and ISO 14001; and the implementation of innovative strategies aimed at efficiency and water preservation. The use of frameworks and standards such as PMBOK, GRI, AWS, and the incremental instream flow methodology (IFIM) also stands out, demonstrating a holistic view of sustainable project management related to water resources. The findings confirm that combining these methodologies strengthens operational efficiency, reduces environmental impacts, enhances institutional transparency, and promotes long-term sustainability. Moreover, there is a growing trend toward the institutionalization of environmental management through verifiable indicators, adaptive monitoring mechanisms, and community participation. Consequently, it is recommended to incorporate comprehensive practices and environmental assessment mechanisms throughout the entire project life cycle, consolidating water resource management as a strategic axis of sustainable development and contemporary environmental governance.
Keywords
Similar Articles
-
Model for the development of innovation projects in aviation technology: case study - digital test bench for GCU troubleshooting tests
Carlos Arturo Cabrera-Arias, Fabián Steven Garay-Rairan, Diana Carolina Contreras-Gutiérrez, Oscar Edilson Gómez-Vargas
-
Impact of subjective social norm in an intent to sustainable entrepreneurship:a case study with Colombian students
Edgar Julián Gálvez-Albarracín, Rafael Andrés Guauña-Aguilar, Rafael Ignacio Pérez-Uribe
-
Systems dynamics, a way to optimize risk management
Abel Aníbal Del Río Cortina, Beitmantt Geovanni Cárdenas Quintero
-
Performance and success measurement when managing projects. A public manager perspective.
Henry Mauricio Diez Silva, M. Amaya Pérez Ezcurdia, Faustino N. Gimena Pérez Ramos, Maricela I. Montes Guerra
-
Valoración de la gestión de proyectos en empresas de Bogotá: nivel de madurez en gestión de proyectos
Sigifredo Arce Labrada, Hermes A. López Sierra
-
Maturity in project management in 20 private higher education institutions in Colombia, according to the OPM3 model: proposal to implement a project office
Milton Mauricio Aguilar Sánchez
-
Caracterización del comportamiento emprendedor para los estudiantes de administración de la Universidad Nacional = Characterization of the enterpreneurial behavior of business administration students at Universidad del Rosario
Sergio Andrés Pulgarín Molina, Marleny Cardona Acevedo
-
Human talent management and profitability of the hotel sector in the region of Puno, Perú
Ludwing Roald Flores-Quispe
-
Impact of quality cost execution of construction projects in Colombia
César Augusto Silva Giraldo, Juan Sebastián Dugarte Mendoza, Aizar Mejía Jálabe
-
The ecotourism project management market, oriented to the international market, which impacts regional development through the application of PMBOK standards
Jaime Alberto Romero Infante, Henry Mauricio Díez Silva
Authors
References
Abdullah, S., Aznah, A., Hakim, M., Din, M., Ponraj, M. & Mat-Taib, S. (2022). Determination of critical environmental, social, infrastructure, and economic indicators as evaluation checklist for pre-project abandonment plan assessment in-line with sustainable development goal plan. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1091(1), 012044. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1091/1/012044
Abdul-Rahim, A., Sun, C. & Noraida, A. (2018). The impact of soil and water conservation on agricultural economic growth and rural poverty reduction in China. Sustainability, 10(12), 4444. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124444
Ahmadi, A., Delkhosh, F., Deshpande, G., Patterson, R. & Ruhe, G. (2023). Learning software project management from analyzing Q&A’s in the stack exchange. IEEE Access, 11, 5429-5441. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2023.3235953
Ahopelto, L., Veijalainen, N., Guillaume, J., Keskinen, M., Marttunen, M. & Varis, O. (2019). Can there be water scarcity with abundance of water? Analyzing water stress during a severe drought in Finland. Sustainability, 11(6), 1548. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061548
Alade, W. (2020). Environmental and socio-economic impacts of ojodu-berger road upgrade, Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Construction Business and Management, 4(1), 24-33. https://doi.org/10.15641/jcbm.4.1.785
Alcácer Santos, C. (2019). Paradigmas de la gestión integrada del agua (I): una crítica evolutiva a la gestión integrada de los recursos hídricos (GIRH). Revista Científica Ecociencia, 6(2), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.21855/ecociencia.62.164
Almeida, J., da Silva, C., de Souza, C., García, P., Lins, G., Lenz, E., Aguiar, L., & García, V. (2020). Avaliação integrada de impactos ambientais da Usina Verde (COPPE/UFRJ). Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciências Ambientais, 11(7), 690-702. https://cienciasambientais.com/index.php/rica/article/view/CBPC2179-6858.2020.007.0053
Amoatey, C. & Danquah, D. (2018). Analysing project risks in Ghana’s real estate industry. Journal of Facilities Management, 16(4), 413-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/jfm-10-2017-0054
Arce-Villalobos, K., Arias-Castro, A., Hernández-Ugalde, K., Mora-Barrantes, J. & Sánchez-Gutiérrez, R. (2021). Impacto ambiental de diferentes sectores productivos de Costa Rica. Revista Tecnología en Marcha, 34(2), 76-87. https://doi.org/10.18845/tm.v34i2.4890
Aslam, S., Aftab, H., Martins, J., Mata, M., Qureshi, H., Adriano, A. & Mata, P. (2021). Sustainable model: recommendations for water conservation strategies in a developing country through a psychosocial wellness program. Water, 13(14), 1984. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13141984
Bagchi, R., Miah, M., Islam, S. & Shil, S. (2019). Impacts on environmental components of the proposed liquefied petroleum gas bottling and distribution plant at dacope khulna in Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, 11(1-2), 171-181. https://doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v11i1-2.43384
Bai, L., Wang, H., Huang, N., Du, Q. & Huang, Y. (2018). An environmental management maturity model of construction programs using the ahp-entropy approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(7), 1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071317
Banihashemi, S., Khalilzadeh, M., Zavadskas, E. & Antucheviciene, J. (2021). Investigating the environmental impacts of construction projects in time-cost trade-off project scheduling problems with cocoso multi-criteria decision-making method. Sustainability, 13(19), 10922. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910922
Beermann, K. (2021). Inspección al ciclo de vida de proyectos de construcción sostenible: hacia una hoja de ruta basada en biomimetismo y economía circular. Congreso Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología - Apanac. https://doi.org/10.33412/apanac.2021.3220
Belmar, I., Fernández, A. & Leal, G. (2020). Efectos del otorgamiento de derechos de agua en la disponibilidad de recursos hídricos en la cuenca del río Ñuble, Chile centro sur. Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 11(5), 225-273. https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2020-05-06
Bustos Saldaña, R. (2023). La dignidad de las personas en las investigaciones clínicas. Medicina y Ética, 34(1), 123-159. https://revistas.anahuac.mx/index.php/bioetica/article/view/1524
Carreón-Guillén, J., Bustos-Aguayo, J. y García-Lirios, C. (2023). Modelo factorial exploratorio de la gobernanza ecocéntrica en la era COVID-19. Revista Ajayu, 21(1), 74-90. https://doi.org/10.35319/ajayu.211199
Darmiatun, S. (2021). Community water conservation and village institutions: a model of water resource sustainability. https://doi.org/10.2991/aer.k.210810.056
Duque, J. & Supo, D. (2021). Mejora del desempeño de una empresa contratista y de servicios generales aplicando la metodología de la guía PMBOK en la gestión de proyectos. Ingeniería, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.26495/icti.v8i1.1538
Elagib, N. A., Gayoum, S. A., Basheer, M., Rahma, A. & Gore, E. (2019). Exploring the urban water-energy-food nexus under environmental hazards within the Nile. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 35, 21-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-019-01706-x
Fajardo Martínez, D. & Agudelo, R. (2019). Simulación de calidad del agua en la subcuenca río Alto Bogotá durante el periodo 2014-2016 haciendo uso de HEC-RAS. Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal - Recia, 11(2), 720. https://doi.org/10.24188/recia.v11.n2.2019.720
Fernández-Vargas, G. (2020). La gobernanza del agua como marco integrador para el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en Latinoamérica. Revista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.31910/rudca.v23.n2.2020.1561
Fernández Ríos, L. S. (2022). Jerarquización de impactos ambientales en proyectos hidroeléctricos establecidos en ecosistemas de montaña. LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, 3(2), 677-690. https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v3i2.129
Ferreira de Araújo Lima, P., Marcelino-Sádaba, S. y Verbano, C. (2021). Successful implementation of project risk management in small and medium enterprises: A cross-case análisis. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 14(4), 1023-1045. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-06-2020-0203
Figueroa Elenes, J., Rentería Escobar, R. y Urbano, P. (2023). La gestión de los recursos hídricos en el municipio de Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. Revistas Cuadernos de Trabajo de Estudios Regionales en Economía Población y Desarrollo, 13(73), 3-42. https://doi.org/10.20983/epd.2023.73.1
Fuentes-Bargues, J., Bastante-Ceca, M., Ferrer-Gisbert, P. & González-Cruz, M. (2020). Study of major-accident risk assessment techniques in the environmental impact assessment process. Sustainability, 12(14), 5770. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145770
Gadhi, T., Ali, I., Mahar, R., Maitlo, H. & Channa, N. (2021). Waste heat and wastewater recovery in textile processing industry: A case study of adopted practices. Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 40(3), 606-616. https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.2103.14
Gárate Ríos, J., Palomino Alvarado, G., Pereyra Gonzales, T. V. & Torres Delgado, F. (2021). Water resources management: an international literature review. Sapienza: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(1), 186-199. https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v2i1.49
García Rodríguez, E. (2022). Simulación del hábitat potencialmente utilizable (HPU) por la especie Chondrostoma polylepis, en un río, utilizando el sistema PHABSIM. Ciencia Nicolaita, (85). https://doi.org/10.35830/cn.vi85.667
Gaurkhede, N., Adane, V. & Khonde, S. (2021). Identification of interruptions in urban drainage systems and their sustainable solutions for alleviating flood risk in Mumbai, an Indian megacity. Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.5595/001c.30705
Giraldo Brito, J. (2020). Propuesta para sostenibilidad del servicio ecosistémico hídrico en sistemas productivos del grupo asociativo ASOENSAY. Ingeniería y Región, 23, 7-19. https://doi.org/10.25054/22161325.2246
Godoy Ponce, S. C., Beltrán Dávalos, A. A., León Chimbolema, J. G. y Sánchez Moreano, E. S. (2019). Evaluación socioeconómica de disposición a pagar por aprovechamiento y preservación del recurso hídrico en Cubijíes. Ciencia Digital, 3(2.6), 406-421. https://doi.org/10.33262/cienciadigital.v3i2.6.574
Gómez-Reina, G. A. & Sánchez-Ayala, M. A. (2023). Análisis comparativo de los métodos de gestión de proyectos de las pymes de Guayaquil, Ecuador con la metodología basada en PMBOK. MQR Investigar, 7(1), 3099-3113. https://doi.org/10.56048/MQR20225.7.1.2023.3099-3113
Haque, F. & Jones, M. (2020). European firms’ corporate biodiversity disclosures and board gender diversity from 2002 to 2016. The British Accounting Review, 52(2), 100893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2020.100893
Heiner, M., Galbadrakh, D., Batsaikhan, N., Bayarjargal, Y., Oakleaf, J., Tsogtsaikhan, B. Evans, J., & Kiesecker, J. (2019). Making space: Putting landscape‐level mitigation into practice in Mongolia. Conservation Science and Practice, 1(10), e110. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.110
Hilimire, K. & Greenberg, K. (2019). Water conservation behaviors among beginning farmers in the western united states. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 74(2), 138-144. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.74.2.138
Holland, D., Janét, K. & Landrum, A. (2019). Experience is key: examining the relative importance of factors influencing individuals’ water conservation. Water, 11(9), 1870. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091870
Huang, X., Wang, L. & Lu, Q. (2018). Vulnerability assessment of soil and water loss in loess plateau and its impact on farmers’ soil and water conservation adaptive behavior. Sustainability, 10(12), 4773. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124773
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]. (2022). Climate change 2022 – impacts, adaptation and vulnerability: Working group II contribution to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]. (2023). AR6 Synthesis Report. Climate change 2023. https://doi.org/10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.001
Ivanova, Y., Domínguez, E. y Sarmiento, A. (2018). Evaluación del efecto sobre el metabolismo hídrico de la ciudad Bogotá como respuesta al cambio en el modelo de gestión del agua en los años 90. Ambiente y Desarrollo, 22(42), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11144/javeriana.ayd22-42.eesm
Karimi, H., Neamat, S. & Galali, S. (2020). Application of mathematical matrices for environmental impact assessment, a case study of thermal power plant. Journal of Applied Science and Technology Trends, 1(1), 13-16. https://doi.org/10.38094/jastt1111
Kavand, H., Ziaee, S. & Najafabadi, M. (2023). The impact of water conservation policies on the reallocation of agricultural water-land resources. Frontiers in Water, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2023.1138869
Kitchenham, B., & Charters, S. (2007). Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering (Version 2.3, EBSE Technical Report EBSE-2007-01). Keele University and University of Durham. https://legacyfileshare.elsevier.com/promis_misc/525444systematicreviewsguide.pdf
Kwasi Osei, B. (2023). Indigenous water resource conservation practices in contemporary Ghanaian society. Universal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.31586/ujssh.2023.573
Leal Paredes, M. (2020). Las competencias blandas en los gerentes de proyecto de las organizaciones. Res Non Verba Revista Científica, 10(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.21855/resnonverba.v10i1.286
Li, P., Chien, H., Chang, P., Chou, S. & Tai, C. (2022). Water management strategies on campus: an integrated approach. Journal of Sustainability Perspectives, 2(1), 73-79. https://doi.org/10.14710/jsp.2022.15469
Ma, M., Lv, J., Su, Z., Hannaford, J., Sun, H., Qu, Y., Xing, Z., Barker, L., & Wang, Y. (2020). Linking drought indices to impacts in the Liaoning province of China. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 383, 267-272. https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-383-267-2020
Ma, P., Lyu, S., Diao, Z., Zheng, Z., He, J., Su, D. & Zhang, J. (2022). How does the water conservation function of Hulunbuir forest-steppe ecotone respond to climate change and land use change? Forests, 13(12), 2039. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122039
Magagni, M., Rizzi, C., Lannacci, M., Capponi, E. & Bizzaro, B. (2020). Alliance for water stewardship: a network of sustainable water stewards in Italy. Hydrology, 8(4), 98-103. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hyd.20200804.16
Mahato, A., Upadhyay, S. & Sharma, D. (2022). Global water scarcity due to climate change and its conservation strategies with special reference to India: A review. Plant Archives, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2022.v22.no1.009
Meléndez Madroñero, G., Pérez Taguada, Y. P. & García Noguera, L. J. (2022). Reflexiones sobre la educación ambiental mediada por las TIC para promover la conservación del recurso hídrico entre estudiantes del Centro Educativo Divino Niño, Taminango (N). Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 6(3), 3205-3238. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v6i3.2457
Menchaca Dávila, S. & Ríos Fuentes, L. M. (2020). Análisis diacrónico de la contaminación por cadmio en la microcuenca del río Pixquiac, Veracruz. UVserva, (9), 8-19. https://doi.org/10.25009/uvs.v0i9.2644
Molchanova, T., Shelkovkina, N., Гребенщикова, Е., Bibik, I., Lylyk, S., Gorbacheva, N., & Rozovik, A. (2023). Monitoring and evaluation of the passage of high water and floods in 2018 in the amur region. E3s Web of Conferences, 371(01083). https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202337101083
Morales-Novelo, J. A. & Rodríguez-Tapia, L. (2020). Sustentabilidad de la huella hídrica en la cuenca del valle de México. Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua, 11(4), 58-100. https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2020-04-03
Mwanga, E. (2022). Tanzanian environmental impact assessment laws and practice for projects in world heritage sites. The Journal of Environment & Development, 31(1), 88-107. https://doi.org/10.1177/10704965211073587
Naouel, D. (2021). Planning and management of water resources in the context of economic development and climate change in Algerian highlands by the weap model, case of the great el tarf basin (northwestern Algeria). Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports, 31(1), 200-215. https://doi.org/10.2478/ceer-2021-0015
Ozcan-Deniz, G. & Zhu, Y. (2017). Multi-objective optimization of greenhouse gas emissions in highway construction projects. Sustainable Cities and Society, 28, 162-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.09.009
Padilla, W., Pino, R. y Amaya, A. (2021). Factores que impactan en los criterios de éxito de los proyectos en Perú y Ecuador: el rol moderador de las competencias del director de proyecto. Información Tecnológica, 32(4), 133-146. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-07642021000400133
Palomino Salazar, E. (2022). Estudio de la gobernanza de proyectos en una institución financiera pública, Lima 2022. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 6(6), 172-186. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v6i6.3481
Pulgarín-Franco, J. & Mejía-Gutiérrez, J. (2017). Política pública para la gestión integral del recurso hídrico en Quindío-Risaralda 2008-2015. Gestión y Ambiente, 20(1), 38-49. https://doi.org/10.15446/ga.v20n1.61337
Qiu, Y., Liu, Y., Liu, Y., Chen, Y. & Liu, Y. (2019). An interval two-stage stochastic programming model for flood resources allocation under ecological benefits as a constraint combined with ecological compensation concept. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 1033. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16061033
Restrepo, C. & Gómez, N. (2021). Aplicación de la teoría del cambio para la gestión de proyectos públicos. Revista Innovación y Desarrollo Sostenible, 1(2), 61-73. https://doi.org/10.47185/27113760.v1n2.30
Rosario Villarreal, M. A., Ocaña Fernández, Y., Capillo Chávez, C. H., Lavado Rodríguez, A. B., El Homrani, M. y Arias Romero, S. M. (2019). Factores que inciden en la gestión de proyectos de investigación científica. Apuntes Universitarios, 9(1), 67-46. https://doi.org/10.17162/au.v9i1.349
Saénz Arteaga, A., Ostos, J., Bremser, K. y Lizarzaburu, E. (2019). Estudio exploratorio en gestión de proyectos. Memoria Investigaciones en Ingeniería, (17). https://doi.org/10.36561/ing.17.5
Sánchez Rodríguez, A. N., Carriel Bustamante, V. V. & Castillo Ortega, Y. (2021). Modelo de gestión sostenible de los recursos hídricos de la microcuenca alta del río Santa Rosa. Ciencia Digital, 5(1), 182-196. https://doi.org/10.33262/cienciadigital.v5i1.1532
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: an overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Tong, X., Linderman, K. & Zhu, Q. (2022). Managing a portfolio of environmental projects: focus, balance, and environmental management capabilities. Journal of Operations Management, 69(1), 127-158. https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1201
United Nations [UN]. (2023). The sustainable development goals report 2023: Special edition. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/
Valencia, V., Rodríguez, T. y Rincón, M. Á. (2021). ISO 14001 una alternativa de gestión ambiental en las empresas colombianas a favor de la calidad del agua, 2013-2019. Revista de Jóvenes Investigadores AD Valorem, 4(1), 7-32. https://doi.org/10.32997/RJIA-vol.4-num.1-2021-3432
Veijalainen, N., Ahopelto, L., Marttunen, M., Jääskeläinen, J., Britschgi, R., Orvomaa, M. Belinskij, A., & Keskinen, M. (2019). Severe drought in Finland: modeling effects on water resources and assessing climate change impacts. Sustainability, 11(8), 2450. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082450
Vélez, S., Zapata, J. y Henao, A. (2018). Gestión de proyectos: origen, instituciones, metodologías, estándares y certificaciones. Entre Ciencia e Ingeniería, 12(24), 68-76. https://doi.org/10.31908/19098367.3818
Wang, T., Jian, S., Wang, S. & Yan, D. (2022). The driving factors of water use and its decoupling relationship with economic development: a multi-sectoral perspective. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2195749/v1
Zhang, D., Shen, J., Sun, F., Bo, L., Wang, Z., Zhang, K. & Lin, L. (2019). Research on the allocation of flood drainage rights of the Sunan canal based on a bi-level multi-objective programming model. Water, 11(9), 1769. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091769
Zhou, J., Li, Q., Wang, L., Lei, L., Huang, M., Xiang, J. Feng, W., Zhao, Y., Xue, D.,Liu, C., Wei, W., & Zhu, G. (2019). Impact of climate change and land-use on the propagation from meteorological drought to hydrological drought in the eastern Qilian mountains. Water, 11(8), 1602. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11081602