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Water Footprint

Groundwater - Nation’s water lifeline suffering multiple crisis – A presentation by Himanshu Thakker

This presentation by Himanshu Thakker, South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and people (SANDRP) deals with key groundwater policy concerns - framework and equity issues, the emerging realities and responses. It begins with a description of the basic characteristics of groundwater and how the resource has become a private property resource by use and legal situation.

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Down the drain – Exploring traditional water systems - A film by Tarun Jayaram

 

Where does our water come from? Where does it go? Can the Yamuna ever be a river again? 

These are some of the questions which led Tarun Jayaram, the film-maker to explore traditional water systems in the country. From the documentary’s opening moments, the director engages us with a beautifully shot array of footages ranging from pilgrims taking a holy dip of Ganges to beautiful baolis and tankas of Rajasthan to the ancient town of Hampi in Karnataka, while establishing how rivers have been an integral part of Indian culture and how its rich tradition of harvesting rainwater needs to be re-established to deal with the present day water crisis. Over the refreshing images and soothing audio, it advocates the need for community participation in rejuvenating the traditional methods of rainwater harvesting. 

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Location

Varanasi, UP, India
Latitude: 25.317645, Longitude: 82.973914

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Women at the center of climate friendly approaches to agriculture and water use - A report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

IATPThis report by Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy identifies three principles and two sets of policy-level interventions necessary to enhance water and food security for marginalised communities by drawing on the experiences of the Tamilnadu Women’s Collective (WC), a state-level federation of women’s groups from 1,500 villages, in the context where communities all around the world are struggling to find ways to cope with changes affecting food and water security because of the phenomenon of climate change.

The report argues that many a times, new food and water security policies at the national and international level tend to be narrow, look at each of these issues in isolation and  undermine food and water security strategies adopted by individuals and households from marginal groups. Adaptation strategies to address food security focus almost exclusively on increasing agricultural production, while ignoring health and cultural aspects of the food being produced, and the role of agriculture as a means for rural viability. Read More

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The Water Footprint Assessment Manual: Setting the global standard – Methods for water footprint accounting by the Water Footprint Network

WFNThis book by Earthscan contains the global standard for ‘water footprint assessment’ as developed and maintained by the Water Footprint Network (WFN). It covers a comprehensive set of definitions and methods for water footprint accounting. It shows how water footprints are calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses. It also includes methods for water footprint sustainability assessment and a library of water footprint response options.

A shared standard on definitions and calculation methods is crucial given the rapidly growing interest in companies and governments to use water footprint accounts as a basis for formulating sustainable water strategies and policies. The current manual is an updated, revised and expanded version of Water Footprint Manual: State of the Art 2009, published by the WFN in November 2009 (Hoekstra et al, 2009a). This new edition has been produced after intensive consultations with partners and researchers worldwide. Directly following the publication of the Water Footprint Manual, all partners of the WFN were invited to provide feedback on the manual.

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The Water Footprint Assessment Manual: Setting the global standard – Methods for water footprint accounting by the Water Footprint Network (2011)3.16 MB
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Water footprint assessments of dehydrated onion products of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd – A report by IFC

This work on water footprint assessments represents a pioneering effort on documenting the water consumption in Jain Irrigation Systems Limited’s (JISL) production of dehydrated onions and of micro-irrigation systems. It also assesses the sustainability of this water consumption and formulate response strategies. Read More

Location

Jalgaon, MM, India
Latitude: 21.013321, Longitude: 75.563972

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Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative - Improving Sugarcane Cultivation in India - Training Manual developed by WWF India and ICRISAT

Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative - Improving Sugarcane Cultivation in India - Training Manual developed by WWF India and ICRISATSustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) is an approach to the cultivation of sugarcane, that can reduce inputs - water, chemical fertilizers, seed material and farm space - while improving sugarcane production significantly. It also reduces crop duration and provides a longer period of the cane crushing season to the sugar industry.

This farm-based approach (as opposed to crop-based) also gives farmers options to grow intercrops, such as pulses to improve their income. Most importantly, SSI reduces the overall pressure on water resources and contributes to recovery of ecosystems. It conserves soil moisture, thereby allowing for growing of dryland crops in the same region.Read More

SSI is inspired from the successful approach of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) paddy cultivation, which like SSI, originated from farmers and civil society to improve agricultural productivity while reducing pressure on natural resources.

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Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative - Improving Sugarcane Cultivation in India - Training Manual developed by WWF India and ICRISAT (2009)2.33 MB
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Water Footprint Manual: State of the art - A method of water footprint assessment by the Water Footprint Network (November 2009)

he Water Footprint Manual, 2009 by the Water Footprint Network is a comprehensive and up-to-date outline of the method of water footprint assessment. It introduces 
how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses. 
The concept is introduced as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, as against the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. 
The hidden water use behind products are measured over the full supply chain and water consumption volumes are measured by source and polluted volumes by type of 
pollution. All components of a total water footprint are specified geographically and temporally. Blue water (surface and groundwater), green water (rainwater stored 
in the soil as soil moisture) and grey water (polluted water) footprints are defined and are included along with the indirect water use in measuring the overall water 
footprints.
The core of the manual deals with the four distinct phases in water footprint assessment: (1) setting goals and scope; (2) water footprint accounting; (3) water 
footprint sustainability assessment; (4) formulation of response. The goals and scope would vary for national governments, river basin authority, company etc. Water 
footprint accounts give spatiotemporally explicit information on how water is appropriated for various human purposes. The manual articulates the need for clarity 
about the inventory boundaries, about where to truncate the analysis, at what level of spatiotemporal explication and for which period of data when setting up a water 
footprint account. It in addition deals with difficult questions like whether to include the water footprint of labour, transport or energy applied in a production 
system in the assessment of the water footprint of the final product. 
The manual then goes on to state the inventory boundaries of water footprint sustainability assessment. The sustainability of a water footprint is viewed upon from 
different perspectives: the environmental, social and economic perspective. Besides, sustainability is measured at different levels: local (e.g. violation of local 
environmental flow requirements), catchment or river basin level (e.g. contribution to the violation of environmental flow requirements downstream). In addition, the 
water footprint of a product has implications beyond the level of a particular river basin. In the section on water footprint accounting the coherence between various 
sorts of water footprint accounts is looked at. The manual presents complex equations explicating the water footprints due to processes and products and has sections 
dealing with calculation of (a) green, blue and grey water footprint of growing a crop or tree (b) green and blue evapotranspiration using the CWR (Crop Water 
Requirements) option in the FAO’s CROPWAT model (c) green and blue evapotranspiration using the ‘irrigation schedule option’ in the CROPWAT model. The manual also 
presents the data sources for the calculating these.

Water Footprint Manual - Cover PageThe Water Footprint Manual (2009) by the Water Footprint Network (WFN) is a comprehensive and up-to-date outline of the method of water footprint assessment. It introduces how water footprints can be calculated for individual processes and products, as well as for consumers, nations and businesses.Read More

The concept is introduced as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, as against the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. The hidden water use behind products are measured over the full supply chain and water consumption volumes are measured by source and polluted volumes by type of pollution. All components of a total water footprint are specified geographically and temporally. Blue water (surface and groundwater), green water (rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture) and grey water (polluted water) footprints are defined and are included along with the indirect water use in measuring the overall water footprints.

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