The Use of Water Pricing as a Means for Enhancing Water Use Efficiency in Irrigation: Case Studies in Mexico and the United States

Purpose Water conservationists have been promoting a hierarchy of measures to preserve water resources in the face of decreasing freshwater availability in the world. However, applicability of water hierarchy to the construction industry is yet to be investigated. To fill this knowledge gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate water usage, water use efficiency, and conservation measures relevant to the construction operations. Design/methodology/approach A triangulation-based mixed-methods approach was adopted for the collection and analysis of data. First, four case studies were carried out to explore the current practices and the possibilities of applying the water hierarchy to the construction operations. This was followed by a questionnaire survey, administered among construction professionals to obtain their views and to verify the findings of case studies. Findings Strategies such as reuse and recycling were found to be less applicable and least preferred by the construction professionals compared to reduce, replace, and eliminate. Based on the research findings, three enabling measures, namely, regulation, responsibility, and reward, were found to enhance the effectiveness of these conservation strategies. Practical implications Knowledge on preferences of different water conservation measures among the construction professionals and their effectiveness on construction site could help the construction companies to device strategies to mitigate water wastage and enhance water use efficiency. It could also help policy-makers to develop guidelines that would have higher probability of acceptance among construction stakeholders. Originality/value The study proposes an extended water hierarchy (3R.6R) by integrating three enabling measures discussed above for the construction project sites.

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Furrow diking and the economic water use efficiency of irrigated cotton in the Southeast United States

Water Resources Management VI ◽

10.2495/wrm110241 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. C. Nuti ◽

C. C. Truman ◽

L. J. Krutz ◽

R. B. Sorensen ◽

M. C. Lamb

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Southeast United States ◽

Use Efficiency

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Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Root Growth, Soil Water Depletion, and Water Use Efficiency of Cucumber

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci16052-21 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Ved Parkash ◽

Sukhbir Singh ◽

Manpreet Singh ◽

Sanjit K. Deb ◽

Glen L. Ritchie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Crop Production ◽

The United States ◽

Soil Water Depletion ◽

Water Depletion ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Irrigation Levels

Water scarcity is increasing in the world, which is limiting crop production, especially in water-limited areas such as Southern High Plains of the United States. There is a need to adopt the irrigation management practices that can help to conserve water and sustain crop production in such water-limited areas. A 2-year field study was conducted during the summers of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate the effect of deficit irrigation levels and cultivars on root distribution pattern, soil water depletion, and water use efficiency (WUE) of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with four irrigation levels [100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] as main plot factor and two cultivars (Poinsett 76 and Marketmore 76) as subplot factor with three replications. Results showed that root length density (RLD) was unaffected by the irrigation levels in 2019. In 2020, the RLD was comparable between 100% and 80% ETc, and it was significantly higher in 100% ETc than both 60% Eand 40% ETc. Root surface area density (RSAD) was not significantly different between 100% and 80% ETc, and it was significantly lower in both 60% and 40% ETc than 100% ETc in both years. Soil water depletion was the highest in 40% ETc followed by 60% and 80% ETc, and it was least in 100% ETc in both years. Evapotranspiration (ET) was the highest in 100% ETc followed by 80%, 60%, and 40% ETc. The WUE was not statistically different among the irrigation treatments. However, numerically, WUE was observed in the following order: 80% ETc > 100% ETc > 60% ETc > 40% ETc. The RLD, RSAD, soil water depletion, and ET were not significantly different between ‘Poinsett 76’ and ‘Marketmore 76’. However, fruit yield was significantly higher in ‘Poinsett 76’ than ‘Marketmore 76’, which resulted in higher WUE in Poinsett 76. It can be concluded that 80% ETc and Poinsett 76 cultivar can be adopted for higher crop water productivity and successful cucumber production in SHP.

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The Policy of Irrigation Water Pricing in Pakistan: Aims, Assessment and Needed Redirections

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v32i4iipp.809-821 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 32 (4II) ◽

pp. 809-821 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Ghaffar Chaudhry ◽

Syed Abdul Majid ◽

Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry

Keyword(s):

Income Distribution ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Water Pricing ◽

Cost Recovery ◽

Farm Income ◽

Water Charges ◽

Use Efficiency

Pakistan operates the world's largest well-articulated irrigation system. Individual farms receive water from the gravity flow of a massive network of canals, distributaries and watercourses fed by the Indus River and its tributaries. In recent years public tubewells have become an additional, though somewhat limited, source of irrigation water. The canal system, which has been in operation for more than 100 years, is believed to have become too obsolete to cater for the needs of modern agriculture and is, therefore, in desperate need for rehabilitation. But resource-poor Pakistan cannot undertake the rehabilitation work on its own, and must depend on foreign loans or at least ensure full recovery of annual operation and maintenance (0 and M) expenditures [Chaudhry (1985); Duane (1975) and Hotes (1984)]. Apart from generating investment funds, the cost recovery, with higher water charges, would also lead to greater water-use efficiency and an equitable income distribution at the farm level [Chaudhry (1985) and Hotes (1984»). Can this all be accomplished by simply raising water charges? In this paper, we have attempted to answer this question. To answer the question systematically, we have divided the paper in five sections. The current state of Pakistan's irrigation system, water charges and cost recovery is discussed in Section 2. Section 3 deals with possible impact of rising water charges on cost recovery, investments, efficiency of water use and income distribution under the current system of water pricing. Section 4 presents policy alternatives that would ensure an effective cost recoyery, greater water-use efficiency and a more equitable distribution of farm income. Section 5 presents the summary and conclusions of the paper.

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