Sectoral water footprint dynamics: An input-output structural decomposition analysis for Morocco

Water scarcity has become the most significant limiting factor for sustainable economic and social development in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Despite this, most current studies on water resources in the YRB from a water footprint (WF) perspective have focused on WF measurements and have explored the influencing factors of WF changes in certain industries, while the impact mechanisms driving regional WF changes remain unclear. To bridge this research gap, the WF of nine provinces in the YRB for 2012 and 2017 were quantified using an environmentally extended multi-regional input-output model (EE-MRIO), and the driving forces of regional WF changes were explored via structural decomposition analysis (SDA). The results showed that the WF of the YRB increased by 3.8% to 113.64 billion m3 between 2012 and 2017. With rapid economic development and enhanced inter-regional trade links, the external WF has played an important role in meeting local water demand. Technological advances and production structure adjustments contribute to the reduction of the WF, thus promoting the sustainable use and management of the YRB’s water resources. Both consumption patterns and final demand per capita have dominated the YRB’s WF growth, particularly in the economically developed middle and lower reaches, where urban household consumption drove the largest WF, accounting for over 40%. Therefore, in the future, continuous optimization of the consumption structure and guidance of green consumption awareness are expected to contribute more to the reduction in WF. The findings of this study reveal the primary causes of WF changes in the YRB and offer a theoretical justification for the formulation of water conservation and sustainable utilization policies.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v10i0.5642Health Prospect Vol.10 2011, pp.22-24

The degree of grain self-sufficiency is currently about 27% in South Korea which is why Korea is one of the largest net virtual water import countries. Agricultural water resources have been heavily developed from early 1970 for rice self sufficiency and agricultural water use is 48% to the total fresh water resources in Korea. Tracing the water footprint is quite important to set up the national water resources policy because agriculture for crop cultivation consumes a large amount of water. Thus, when considering the low food self-sufficiency and high portion of water use in agriculture, estimation of virtual water for paddy rice in Korea is required to analyze the national water balance. The aim of this study is to estimate the green, blue and grey water footprint of rice, using a higher spatial resolution than earlier studies and applying local data on actual irrigation. Green and blue water from rice fields is calculated using the water balance model in paddy field. The grey water footprint is estimated by referencing the several researches regarding discharge of T-N and T-P in paddy field. The total national water footprint for rice production was 9,275.9 m3/yr, and the direct and indirect water use accounted for 5,358.6 m3/yr and 3,917.3 m3/yr, respectively. Green, blue and grey water for rice production were estimated to be 1,865.4 m3/yr, 3,184.3 m3/yr, and 308.9 m3/yr except for indirect water use including percolation and residual soil moisture. The total volume of water used for one ton of rice was 840.8 m3/ton, and the green, blue, and grey water accounted for 292.8 m3/ton, 499.5 m3/ton, and 45.5 m3/ton, respectively. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for national agricultural water footprint and to assist the national water resources policy.

Xinjiang is home to one of the most serious resource-based water shortages, and at the same time, it is an important main production area of grain, cotton, and high-quality fruits and vegetables in China, placing a heavy burden on water resources. Based on this, this paper determines the basic condition of water resources in regions of Xinjiang using the water footprint method. It then identifies the drivers of water footprint changes using the population scale effect, policy support effect, investment–output effect, economic structure effect, water use efficiency effect, and water use structure effect via the LMDI decomposition model. Finally, this paper illustrates the trajectory of the regional water footprint through individual stochastic convergence. This study found the following: (1) The water footprint of Xinjiang showed a fluctuating upward trend, and the total water footprint varied significantly between regions. From a compositional standpoint, most regions were dominated by the agricultural water footprint, while spatially, the regional water footprint had a high distribution trend in the south and a low distribution in the north. (2) The driving effects of the water footprint, policy support, population scale, and water use structure were incremental, while the effects of water use efficiency, economic structure, and investment output were decremental. (3) Most regions in Xinjiang showed individual stochastic convergence trends, indicating that regions converged to their respective compensating difference equilibrium levels. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen R&D and the promotion of water use technology, further optimize the industrial structure, and leverage the positive effect of government investment to alleviate the regional water constraint dilemma and promote high-quality regional economic development.

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale (county-level) federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), the US Department of Energy (USDOE), and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the US water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. Four virtual water accounting scenarios were developed with minimum (Min), median (Med), and maximum (Max) consumptive use scenarios and a withdrawal-based scenario. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the US is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (FCUMed′) of the US is 589 m3 per capita (FWithdrawal′: 1298 m3 per capita; FCUMax′: 720 m3 per capita; FCUMin′: 198 m3 per capita). The US hydroeconomic network is centered on cities. Approximately 58 % of US water consumption is for direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total US blue water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the western US. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic-sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.

This article discusses where the water we use comes from, and the results of a recent nationwide pole that asked consumers if they knew where their water came from. The article provides examples from across the U.S. of how people, who know the source of their water, are more likely to protect it. In Latin America, the “water fund” was developed to generate money for watershed conservation. The article discusses “virtual water,” which is included in our individual “water footprint,” and provides an analysis of the average U.S. citizen's total water footprint, including both direct and indirect water use. A website is provided that will calculate your own personal water footprint.

Background and Objectives: One of the practical strategies for managing water resources is to estimate the plant's water needs and determine the amount of water used in the various stages of crop production. In order to calculate the amount of water consumed by agricultural products in the growth stages, the virtual water index and water footprint are used. Water footprint in a product is defined as the volume of fresh water used in it's production. Water footprint is defined as an indicator for the allocation of fresh water resources that provides valuable insights into the environmental impact of producing a product. Water footprint index shows actual consumption of water in three components: blue, green and gray, which is now considered in the direction of modern management of water resources with an integrated approach. In order to properly assess water consumption in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to study the water footprint index in different climates. Materials and Methods: To conduct the research, meteorological data were first obtained from the Meteorological Organization.Then the water needs of sugar beet, potato, forage corn and tomato plants in Hamedan, Ahvaz, Shahrekord, Mashhad and Isfahan climates were calculated from the CropWat software. The yield of the crop and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer used were obtained from the agricultural jihad of each province. crop yield and the parameters required in the calculations were calculated and aggregated through agricultural statistics Then, the average volume of water consumption, virtual water, water footprint and water use efficiency of these products were calculated for the statistical period of 2011-2017. Chapagin et al. (2006) Method was used to calculate water footprint. Results: In the present study, water consumption for agricultural products was investigated. The results showed that among the studied products, the potato plant with 2945.4 m3/ton in Ahvaz city with hot and humid climate has the highest water footprint and sugar beet with 906.1 m3/ton in climate cold and dry of Mashhad has the least water footprint. The highest amount of virtual water used for the studied plants is potato (0.84 m3/kg), tomato (0.51 m3/kg), sugar beet (0.46 m3/kg) and forage corn (0.39 m3/kg) was respectively to the climate of Ahwaz, Shahrekord, Ahwaz and Isfahan. The lowest amount of water consumption efficiency (1.2 kg/m3) also belonged to the potato in Ahvaz climate. The lowest virtual water and the highest water consumption efficiency for the studied plants were obtained in Hamedan climate. Conclusion: In the present study, water consumption for agricultural products was investigated. The results showed that the volume of water consumed in the studied products varies in different climates. According to the obtained results, it can be said that the climate of Hamedan due to the low amount of virtual water (0.29, 0.3, 0.19 and 0.14 m3/ kg) and high water consumption efficiency ( 3.43, 3.3, 5.19 and 7.46 kg/m3) for potatoes, tomatoes, sugar beets and fodder corn, respectively, compared to other climates studied for cultivation of all four the product is more suitable. Hence, according to recent droughs and water shortage, available water resources should be used accurately and decision must be made for cultivating the products with less water requirement and better performance.

Uncovering regional disparity of China's water footprint and inter-provincial virtual water flows

The water footprint (WF) concept is a generally accepted tool introduced in 2002. Many studies applied water footprinting, indicating impacts of human consumption on freshwater, especially from agriculture. Although the WF includes supply chains, presently it excludes irrigation supply chains and non-beneficial evapotranspiration, and calculations for agriculture start from crop water requirements. We present a conceptual framework distinguishing between traditional (net) WFs and proposed gross WFs, defined as the sum of net WFs and irrigation supply chain related blue WFs and as the sum of green WFs and green WFs of weeds. Many water management studies focused on blue water supply efficiency, assessing water losses in supply chain links. The WF concept, however, excludes water flows to stocks where water remains available and recoverable, e.g. to usable groundwater, in contrast to many water management approaches. Also, many studies focused on irrigation technology improvement to save water. We argue that not only irrigation technology should be considered, but whole water supply chains, also distinguishing between surface and groundwater, to improve efficient blue water use in agriculture. This framework is applied to the Pakistani part of the Indus basin that includes the largest man-made irrigation network in the world. The gross blue WF is 1.6 times the net blue WF leading to a K value (ratio of gross and net blue WF) of 0.6. Surface water losses vary between 45 and 49 %, groundwater losses between 18 and 21 %. Presently, efficient irrigation receives much attention. However, it is important to take irrigation supply chains into account to improve irrigation efficiency. Earlier WF studies showing water scarcity in many regions underestimate agricultural water consumption if supply chains are neglected. More water efficient agriculture should take supply chain losses into account probably requiring water management adaptations, which is more a policy than an agriculture task.

With growing water scarcity and water quality deterioration, water resource assessment has become a major focus of research in many areas of the world. Understanding water consumption and its structure is essential for assessing a city's ability to achieve sustainable water resource utilisation. Based on the concept of the water footprint (WFP), we quantified direct and indirect water consumption in various sectors and used a water stress index (WSI) and water self-sufficiency (WSS) to evaluate the sustainability of water resource use in Lijiang City. The results showed that the WFP of the city in 2008 was 995 Mm3, and that the average WFP per capita was 815 m3, with a WSI of 8.36% and WSS of 100%. Agricultural water use was responsible for 93% of total local water consumption, with 62% for crops and 38% for animals. Lijiang City will face little stress from water resource use in the short term; however, its water use efficiency is relatively low, and the current water resource use is unsustainable in the long term. We recommend the assessment of direct and indirect water use as a necessary step in developing effective water management policies.

Extreme weather events have affected the environment and water resources in Taiwan for the last two decades. Heavy rainfall, typhoons, and rising sea levels have caused severe flooding along the Southwest Coast in Taiwan. Yunlin County, an important agricultural region, will be significantly affected by climate changes, especially in coastal areas with severe land subsidence. Therefore, using the concept of the water footprint and questionnaire surveys, this study examines personal water footprints in townships in Yunlin County to explore the effectiveness and sustainability of water management. The purpose of the water footprint concept is to quantify environmental burdens imposed by individuals’ demand for water. An individual water footprint involves direct and indirect water usage that is associated with personal habits. Analytical results show that the most individual water consumption is highest along coastal areas, such as Kouhu and Taixi, and mountainous areas, such as Gukeng, Douliu, and Linnei. Furthermore, one-way ANOVA of individuals’ daily water footprint reveals that individual water footprints vary significantly among Douliu, Gukeng, and Mailiao. The mean daily water footprint per capita in Douliu and Gukeng significantly exceeds that in Mailiao. This study considers the location quotients of industries in these three townships, which indicate that the location quotients of the accommodation and food and beverage industries in Douliu and Gukeng significantly exceed those of Mailiao. The individual virtual water use that is associated with the aforementioned industries is large. Clearly, individual water use habits in townships are related to the industry type. Douliu and Gukeng are major centers of the tertiary industry, which has a higher location quotient than in Mailiao. Mailiao is a major center of manufacturing as a secondary industry. Therefore, flourishing regions with tertiary industries have high virtual water consumption. These findings suggest that personal water use habits can explain why personal water footprints are larger in Yunlin County than in other counties in Taiwan.

System dynamics simulation and scenario optimization of China's water footprint under different SSP-RCP scenarios

Water is essential for live, freshwater supplies around the world are under significant pressure because of increasing consumption and pollution. Egypt suffers from water scarcity due to the increase in the population and the lack of integrated management of water resources, resulting in a gap between the available water resources and the required water consumption. Many studies were done to improve irrigated agriculture's efficiency on water consumption and crop yields for saving water in irrigated agriculture to achieve water management sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this work is reviewing of the previous studies of crop water footprint accounting as a diagnostic tool to identify the hotspots of irrigated agricultural systems Water footprint as one of the tools of integrated water management. The water footprint (WF), which is an indicator that includes both direct and indirect water use, is a metric for determining how much freshwater a product consumes during its life cycle. It helps in providing water quantities to obtain the highest water efficiency to obtain the highest return of one cubic meter of water. And, it also helps to improve the strategies of sustainable agriculture and the structure of international trade. Water footprint necessitates the need to integrate water resources management policies agricultural and trade policies to feed in a comprehensive country water accounting system.

Scarcer water resources, stricter water regulations, decline in ore grade and increasing controversy on water use between local communities and mining operators have raised awareness of good water stewardship as being vital to running commercially viable mining operations. Water footprint assessment (WFA) is a holistic methodological framework that allows detailed quantification of direct and indirect water use in different sectors at various spatial and temporal scales. The ultimate aim of this study is to identify water footprint (WF) reduction targets, formulate response strategies to minimize water consumption and pollution and therefore improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the mining processes. The assessment will eventually serve as a model for other mines in northern China with water scarcity issues. The paper describes the preliminary WFA of copper cathodes, with particular emphasis on the methodology, approach, degree of details and areas for consideration. It focuses from ore extraction to final discharge to the river. Significant WF contribution is found in the process rather than the supply chain. The explorative approach applied in this real case scenario and the findings contribute to the literature body of the WFA field. This case study can provide helpful guidance for WFA practitioners when applying this methodological framework in addressing particular issues in mining processes.

The present study aimed to assess water footprint in the production and export of rice in India. From recent few years, the water footprint conception in full swing to inward detection around the world. The amplified attention in the water footprint has impelled the trade of commodities between countries. Water footprint in the rice field is a sign of water use that exhibits direct and indirect water usage in the rice field. Rice is an important food crop in India. It accesses the flows of water virtually between countries/regions of the world to illustrate the dependency of countries/regions on water resources with other countries/regions under diverse feasible futures. Hence, it is gaining consequence to calculate the water foot print in production as well as export of rice. The Indian rice production and export of rice was calculated by using international trade and domestic production data. The study results indicated that the global footprint of rice production was 235774 Mm3 per ton which was 53 % of green water footprint, 41 % of blue water footprint and 6 % of grey water footprint for 2018-19. The virtual water flowed in trade was 24354 Mm3/year and the percolation was 16924 Mm3/year since rice is a more water consuming crop. The share of basmati and non-basmati trade accounted was 16 % and 42 %, respectively. Virtual water trade in rice can be minimized by exporting less water demand and high-value crops, proper water harvesting structures and other agronomic practices.