Comprehensive Assessment of Water Footprints and Water Scarcity Pressure for Main Crops in Shandong Province, China

Rapid economic development has posed pressure on water resources, and the potential for a water crisis has become an important obstacle to the sustainable development of society. Water footprint theory and its applications in agriculture provide an important strategic basis for the rational utilization and sustainable development of water resources. Based on the monthly meteorological observations and agricultural data of Shandong Province, CROPWAT 8.0 and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, the green, blue and grey water footprints of wheat, maize, cotton and groundnut from 1989 to 2016 were calculated and the spatial variations of water footprints for crops in different rainfall years were analyzed. Additionally, assessment of water stress for agricultural productions was conducted in this study. The results showed that the average water footprints of wheat, maize, cotton and groundnut were 2.02 m3/kg, 1.24 m3/kg, 7.29 m3/kg and 1.75 m3/kg, respectively in Shandong Province. A large amount of the average total water footprint was calculated for wheat (420.59 × 108 m3/yr), maize (222.16 × 108 m3/yr), cotton (72.70 × 108 m3/yr) and groundnut (50.07 × 108 m3/yr). The average total water footprint of the four crops was 765.52 × 108 m3/yr (29.98% blue) and exhibited a gradual decreasing trend over time. Specifically, the total water footprint of wheat was the highest among four main crops in Shandong Province and exhibited a decreasing trend during 1989–2016. The maize was ranked in the second place, and was the only crop still increasing rapidly. The spatial and temporal changes of water footprints for crops were obvious in different rainfall years. Additionally, agricultural productions in most regions were facing the threat of water scarcity. Therefore, the scientific planning of crop planting structures and rational control of sown areas of crops with large water footprints should be implemented in severely water-scarce regions. This study can give some suggestions on the adjustment of planting structure for the sustainable development of agriculture and the realization of efficient utilization of water resources.

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Analysis of Water Resources and Water Environmental Carrying Capacity of Animal Husbandry in China—Based on Water Footprint Theory

Water ◽

10.3390/w13233386 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 3386

Author(s):

Lin Yu ◽

Xuezhen Xiong ◽

Sayed Alim Samim ◽

Zhiquan Hu

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Resource ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Water Environment ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Resource Saving ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resource Carrying Capacity

Water shortage and water pollution have become the key factors restricting the sustainable development of animal husbandry in China. In this study, the water footprint model was used to analyze the water resource carrying capacity and water environment bearing pressure of animal husbandry in 31 provinces of China from 2001 to 2019. The findings indicate that: (1) The development of animal husbandry has exacerbated the regional water deficiency problem. Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Liaoning have become the most serious water deficit areas of animal husbandry in China. The decreasing water resource carrying capacity indicates that water resources are difficult in supporting the growth of animal husbandry; (2) the change of animal feeding structures has led to the decrease of gray water footprint and the alleviation of the water environment bearing pressure; however, the water environment of animal husbandry in northern China and the northwest is still overburdened, which poses a major challenge to the control of agricultural non-point source pollution; (3) furthermore, according to the spatial and temporal characteristics of the water resource carrying capacity and water environment bearing pressure, the main livestock-producing areas in the north are facing a profound “water-livestock” contradiction and showing an increasing trend. The research results will help decision-makers to adjust the development mode of animal husbandry, optimize resource allocation, and promote the sustainable development of resource-saving and environment-friendly animal husbandry.

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Water Resources Development in Nepal: Myths and Realities

Hydro Nepal Journal of Water Energy and Environment ◽

10.3126/hn.v23i0.20822 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. 22-29

Author(s):

Surya Nath Upadhyay ◽

Prakash Gaudel

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Resources Management ◽

Water Resources Development ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Resources Management ◽

Energy And Environment ◽

Societal Welfare ◽

Resources Development

Despite the ‘immense’ water resources available, Nepal has not been able to transform this abundance of water resources into desired economic growth and societal welfare. This paper attempts to analyze the reasons for such incessant challenges that loom over water resources development in Nepal. This paper finds that it is not the resource that limits the development of water resources, but the approaches and wishes that are framed on the foundation of persistent myths. Analyzing those myths, this paper highlights the realities in water resources management of Nepal, and suggests that without dismantling the existing myths, the sustainable development of water resources seems limited.HYDRO Nepal JournalJournal of Water, Energy and Environment Issue: 23Year: 2018

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An improved method for calculating regional crop water footprint based on hydrological process analysis

10.5194/hess-2018-125 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiao-Bo Luan ◽

Ya-Li Yin ◽

Pu-Te Wu ◽

Shi-Kun Sun ◽

Yu-Bao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Use ◽

Crop Production ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Process Analysis ◽

Irrigation District ◽

Hydrological Process ◽

Total Water ◽

Crop Water ◽

Total Consumption

Abstract. Fresh water is consumed during agricultural production. With the shortage of water resources, assessing the water use efficiency is crucial to effectively managing agricultural water resources. The water footprint is a new index for water use evaluation, and it can reflect the quantity and types of water usage during crop growth. This study aims to establish a method for calculating the region-scale water footprint of crop production based on hydrological processes. This method analyzes the water-use process during the growth of crops, which includes irrigation, precipitation, underground water, evapotranspiration, and drainage, and it ensures a more credible evaluation of water use. As illustrated by the case of the Hetao irrigation district (HID), China, the water footprints of wheat, corn and sunflower were calculated using this method. The results show that canal water loss and evapotranspiration were responsible for most of the water consumption and accounted for 47.9 % and 41.8 % of the total consumption, respectively. The total water footprints of wheat, sunflower and corn were 1380–2888 m3/t, 942–1774 m3/t, and 2095–4855 m3/t, respectively, and the blue footprint accounts for more than 86 %. The spatial distribution pattern of the green, blue and total water footprint for the three crops demonstrated that higher values occurred in the eastern part of the HID, which had more precipitation and was further from the irrigating gate. This study offers a vital reference for improving the method used to calculate the crop water footprint.

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The fallacy of the water "sector" in water resources management

10.53014/wzno3305 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Colin Herron

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Water Resources Management ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Safety Zone ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Resources Management ◽

Support Programme ◽

Development Goals ◽

Water Community

Water resources are central to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, and should be viewed as a crosscutting connector - not a sector. The water community should do more to get outside its safety zone and work with all water-related sectors. The SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme is assisting countries to use water as a connector between their SDG targets.

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An improved method for calculating the regional crop water footprint based on a hydrological process analysis

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-22-5111-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 5111-5123 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xiao-Bo Luan ◽

Ya-Li Yin ◽

Pu-Te Wu ◽

Shi-Kun Sun ◽

Yu-Bao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Process Analysis ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Irrigation District ◽

Green Water ◽

Hydrological Process ◽

Total Water ◽

Crop Water

Abstract. Fresh water is consumed during agricultural production. With the shortage of water resources, assessing the water use efficiency is crucial to effectively manage agricultural water resources. The water footprint is an improved index for water use evaluation, and it can reflect the quantity and types of water usage during crop growth. This study aims to establish a method for calculating the regional-scale water footprint of crop production based on hydrological processes, and the water footprint is quantified in terms of blue and green water. This method analyses the water-use process during the growth of crops, which includes irrigation, precipitation, groundwater, evapotranspiration, and drainage, and it ensures a more credible evaluation of water use. As illustrated by the case of the Hetao irrigation district (HID), China, the water footprint of wheat, corn and sunflowers were calculated using this method. The results show that canal water loss and evapotranspiration were responsible for most of the water consumption and accounted for 47.9 % and 41.8 % of the total consumption, respectively. The total water footprint of wheat, corn and sunflowers were 1380–2888, 942–1774 and 2095–4855 m3 t−1, respectively, and the blue footprint accounts for more than 86 %. The spatial distribution pattern of the green, blue and total water footprints for the three crops demonstrated that higher values occurred in the eastern part of the HID, which had more precipitation and was further away from the irrigation gate. This study offers a vital reference for improving the method used to calculate the crop water footprint.

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Gender and Community Mainstreaming in Fog Water Collection Systems

Water ◽

10.3390/w10101472 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1472 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kayla Lucier ◽

Manzoor Qadir

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Shortages ◽

Fog Water ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Social Burden ◽

Water Collection ◽

Primary Water ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Water Scarce ◽

Fog Water Collection

Fog water collection is an emerging opportunity to combat local water shortages in water-scarce areas where sustainable access to water is unreliable, but fog events are frequent. Since fog water systems are implemented within or near communities, they eliminate or decrease the need to travel far distances for the collection of water during times of scarcity. As a result, these systems decrease the physical and social burden of water collection on women and girls, who are the primary water gatherers in most traditional communities. This is an important outcome because women and girls are disproportionately affected by water scarcity and are not seen as equals in water management, access, or control. This paper illustrates how several fog water collection projects have shown, empirically, that the positive outcomes for women and girls may include the freeing of time for domestic and educational pursuits, improved health outcomes, and improved perceptions of self and others’ perceptions of women. These findings are important at a time when the world at large is addressing the Sustainable Development Agenda, where Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 necessitates safe water and sanitation for all and SDG 5 ensures gender equality to empower all women and girls.

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The legal regime of the Mekong River: a look back and some proposals for the way ahead

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2009.060 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 798-821 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Bennett L. Bearden

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

River Basin ◽

Lao Pdr ◽

Mekong River ◽

Legal Regime ◽

Mekong River Basin ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Mekong River Commission ◽

Development Paradigm

In 1957, the four lower Mekong River states jointly organized the development of the basin and established a legal regime that has spanned five decades of cooperation. In 1995, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam concluded the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin and formed the Mekong River Commission, which has been lauded as the most progressive of river institutions and a model for the world. At the core of the 1995 Mekong Agreement is the concept of sustainable development. Guided by this sustainable development paradigm, the Lower Mekong River Basin states attempt to balance the maintenance of water quantity with protection of water quality, and agree to cooperate and use the Mekong's water resources in a manner in which the river system's environmental conditions and ecological balance are conserved and maintained. However, development of the Mekong and its tributaries has rendered the efficacy of the Mekong legal regime to support holistic water resources management questionable. More than ten years of experience has shown that there are aspects of the 1995 Mekong Agreement that should be strengthened in order to secure the environmental, economic and social benefits that it promises.

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Calculation and Analysis of Water Footprint in Shunyi District of Beijing

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.295-298.964 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 295-298 ◽

pp. 964-969 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Su Ling Liu ◽

Yu Xin Wang ◽

Xiao Hui Mao

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Water Resource ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Water Resources Carrying Capacity ◽

Per Capita

The water footprint and consumption pattern is an effective tool for quantitifying the volume of water resources consumption in certain region [ ].Shunyi’s water footprint in the period 2006-2010 is calculated in this article from the view of virtual water. The general water footprint in Shunyi District at the year 2010 reached 790 million m3 and water footprint per capita was 536.48 cubic meters. Shunyi 's water resource quantity per capita was 501.27 m3 in the same year and the Water Scarcity Index was 1.98. The result of calculation shows that the water resource volume of exploitation in Shunyi District of Beijing has been beyond the water resources carrying capacity.

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Study on Warning Methods of Irrigation Reservoirs

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.353-356.2492 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 353-356 ◽

pp. 2492-2495

Author(s):

Xiao Na Guo ◽

Sheng Le Cao ◽

Cui Song Yu ◽

Cong Qi Zheng ◽

Jun Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Water Resources ◽

Early Warning ◽

Quantitative Method ◽

Total Water ◽

Resources Management ◽

Development Control ◽

Flood Season ◽

Irrigation Reservoir ◽

Red Line

Reservoir warning is an important part of the red line of water resources development control. Based on the red line of total water in three red lines, this paper put forward firstly the quantitative method for determining water supply line and warning area of irrigation reservoirs, and presented the definition and method of irrigation reservoir warning. Taking the Douyazi reservoir in Jiaonan for example, early warning results based on warning period, which was divided into three months and non-flood season, were given. It provided technical support for implementation of the most strict resources management and sustainable development of the economic society.

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The water footprint of Indonesian provinces related to the consumption of crop products

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-14-119-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 119-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 87

Author(s):

F. Bulsink ◽

A. Y. Hoekstra ◽

M. J. Booij

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Virtual Water ◽

Grey Water ◽

Water Flows ◽

External Water ◽

Water Scarce ◽

Water Accounts ◽

National Water

Abstract. National water use accounts are generally limited to statistics on water withdrawals in the different sectors of economy. They are restricted to "blue water accounts" related to production, thus excluding (a) "green" and "grey water accounts", (b) accounts of internal and international virtual water flows and (c) water accounts related to consumption. This paper shows how national water-use accounts can be extended through an example for Indonesia. The study quantifies interprovincial virtual water flows related to trade in crop products and assesses the green, blue and grey water footprint related to the consumption of crop products per Indonesian province. The study shows that the average water footprint in Indonesia insofar related to consumption of crop products is 1131 m3/cap/yr, but provincial water footprints vary between 859 and 1895 m3/cap/yr. Java, the most water-scarce island, has a net virtual water import and the most significant external water footprint. This large external water footprint is relieving the water scarcity on this island. Trade will remain necessary to supply food to the most densely populated areas where water scarcity is highest (Java).

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