Cross-basin comparisons of water use, water scarcity and their impact on livelihoods: present and future

Harrington, Larry; Cook, Simon; Lemoalle, Jacques; Kirby, Mac; Taylor, Clare; Woolley, Jonathan

doi:10.1080/02508060802661584

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The total hydrographic basin -as defined by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) -has an area of 1 137 819 km 2 . Other authors (Babel and Wahid, 2008;Eastham et al, 2010;Harrington et al, 2009;Hoekstra and Mekonnen, 2011;Jain et al, 2009) indicate an area range from 1 080 000 to 1 218 500 km 2 . Of a total population of about 237 million ( Fig.…”

Section: Generalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dependent on the source and the assessed period, water consumption by crops in the whole basin is estimated in the range 117 to 143 km 3 (GWSP, 2008;Immerzeel et al, 2010;Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2010b). Harrington et al (2009) (GWSP, 2008;Kreutzmann, 2011). Irrigation efficiencies are low.…”

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) identifies substantial higher values of precipitation for the basin, i.e. 762-824 km 3 (Eastham et al, 2010;Harrington et al, 2009). Especially for the mountainous part of the basin the latter authors state much higher precipitation values, e.g.…”

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Indus basin in the framework of current and future water resources management

Laghari

Vanham

Rauch

2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

194

112

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Abstract. The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. The Indus Basin is shared by 4 countriesPakistan, India, Afghanistan and China. With a current population of 237 million people which is projected to increase to 319 million in 2025 and 383 million in 2050, already today water resources are abstracted almost entirely (more than 95 % for irrigation). Climate change will result in increased water availability in the short term. However in the long term water availability will decrease. Some current aspects in the basin need to be re-evaluated. During the past decades water abstractions -and especially groundwater extractionshave augmented continuously to support a rice-wheat system where rice is grown during the kharif (wet, summer) season (as well as sugar cane, cotton, maize and other crops) and wheat during the rabi (dry, winter) season. However, the sustainability of this system in its current form is questionable. Additional water for domestic and industrial purposes is required for the future and should be made available by a reduction in irrigation requirements. This paper gives a comprehensive listing and description of available options for current and future sustainable water resources management (WRM) within the basin. Sustainable WRM practices include both water supply management and water demand management options. Water supply management options include: (1) reservoir management as the basin is characterised by a strong seasonal behaviour in water availability (monsoon and meltwater) and water demands; (2) water quality conservation and investment in wastewater infrastructure; (3) the use of alternative water resources like the recycling of wastewater and desalination; (4) land use planning and soil conservation as well as flood management, with a focus on the reduction of erosion and resulting sedimentation as well as the restoration of ecosystem services like wetlands and natural floodplains. Water demand management options include: (1) the management of conjunctive use of surface and groundwater; as well as (2) the rehabilitation and modernization of existing infrastructure. Other demand management options are: (3) the increase of water productivity for agriculture; (4) crop planning and diversification including the critical assessment of agricultural export, especially (basmati) rice; (5) economic instruments and (6) changing food demand patterns and limiting post-harvest losses.

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Section: Generalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Indus basin in the framework of current and future water resources management

Laghari

Vanham

Rauch

2012

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

194

112

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“…Increasing livestock numbers will add to the demand for water, particularly in the production of livestock feed: one cubic metre of water can produce anything from about 0.5 kg of dry animal feed in North American grasslands to about 5 kg of feed in some tropical systems (Peden et al 2007). Integration of crop and livestock production gives better water productivity than either enterprise alone Harrington et al, 2009). Nevertheless, water used for feed production constitutes some 90% of water used for livestock and there are significant opportunities to improve efficiency through feed management strategies, water management and animal management (Peden et al, 2007;Descheemaeker et al, 2010) and will be essential if water scarcity issues are to be addressed as part of the solution to sustainable intensification.…”

Section: Environmental Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Investment Opportunities for Ruminant Livestock Feeding in Developing Countries

Thorpe¹,

Baker²,

Tarawali³

2012

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“…The strong link between water provision and poverty alleviation has been highlighted in many studies (Sullivan 2002;Cohen and Sullivan 2010) though the causes of poverty and their relation to water are very complex (Molle and Mollinga 2003;Komnenic et al 2009;Harrington et al 2009). As sound water resources management is paramount to governments, river basin authorities and development agencies, an increased understanding of a region's water poverty or prosperity is imperative when targeting strategic measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Water Poverty to Water Prosperity—A More Participatory Approach to Studying Local Water Resources Management

Wilk

Jönsson

2013

Water Resour Manage

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The Water Poverty Index (WPI), a tool designed for integrated analysis of water issues, was set-up in a community in Madhya Pradesh, India through a transparent and participatory process. Though the aim of the WPI is to primarily use existing statistical data, quantitative information from census and local records was combined with qualitative data from community interviews and participatory exercises. The inclusion of community chosen indicators and the adjustment of values so that higher numbers represent water prosperity rather than water poverty, led to the Water Prosperity Index (WPI + ). The WPI + score was contrasted with the WPI at community level. It was also calculated for two community areas with different caste and socioeconomic characteristics and weighted separately according to water issues prioritized by men and women. The WPI + revealed a great difference in water access between the two areas and in prioritized issues between men and women illustrated in the importance of appropriate spatial representation and gender sensitive assessment for revealing important disparities. Results also showed that highly aggregated data hide these differences making it more difficult to target the most vulnerable groups when planning measures to increase equitable water allocation. While quantitative data revealed an important perspective of the water situation, qualitative data about adequacy of resources, services or institutions, improved understanding of which issues to prioritize. A valid and useful community water index must be based on representative participation, transparency and local influence on the methodology and subsequent results.2

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Cross-basin comparisons of water use, water scarcity and their impact on livelihoods: present and future

Cited by 21 publications

References 5 publications

The Indus basin in the framework of current and future water resources management

The Indus basin in the framework of current and future water resources management

Identifying Investment Opportunities for Ruminant Livestock Feeding in Developing Countries

From Water Poverty to Water Prosperity—A More Participatory Approach to Studying Local Water Resources Management

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