Global Water Issues and Insights (original) (raw)
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The Value of Water: Economics of Water for a Sustainable Use
The following work deals with a very controversial but nevertheless very important topic in the sustainable management of water as a natural resource: the value of water and the macroeconomics of water. Population growth, increasing demand, climate change and declining water supplies present a short- and medium-term outlook where water stress and shortages may keep arising. Water stress is a situation that arises “… when water demand is more important than the amount available for a specified period or when it is restricted by its low quality.” This in turn “… causes deterioration of resources fresh water in terms of quantity (aquifer overexploited, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.).” (UNEP, 2012) If global patterns continue, we can see that we are headed into an increasingly complex landscape where water mismanagement increasingly compromises water availability. Added to this we have the phenomenon of climate change, which is already having an impact on water systems and cycles globally. This is why we must change the ethnocentric approach of our current development model, where resources are exploited without regard for the future. This analysis will use another approach based on sustainable development, and will go beyond ideological approaches and economic or political agendas, to treat water management and the macroeconomics of water pragmatically. Life on the planet depends on our success to manage our water resources in an efficient, responsible and fair manner; this paper provides the general guidelines and practical recommendations to do so.
Water as an Economic Good: A solution or a problem
1998
IIMI's mission is to foster and support sustainable increases in the productivity of irrigated agriculture within the overall context of the water basin. In serving this mission, IIMI concentrates on the integration of policies, technologies and management systems to achieve workable solutions to real problems-practical, relevant results in the field of irrigation and water resources.
The economic conception of water
Water Crisis: myth or reality, 2006
This chapter explains the economic conception of water-how economists think about water. It consists of two main sections. First, it reviews the economic concept of value, explains how it is measured, and discusses how this has been applied to water in various ways. Then it considers the debate regarding whether or not water can, or should, be treate'tl as an economic commodity, and discusses the ways in which water is the same as, or different than, other commodities from an economic point of view. While there are some distinctive emotive and symbolic features of water, there are also some distinctive economic features that make the demand and supply of water different and more complex than that of most other goods.
Measuring and enhancing the value of agricultural water in irrigated river basins
Irrigation Science, 2007
This paper provides an overview of the issues in and approaches to measuring and enhancing the value of agricultural water in large irrigated river basins. It develops a framework and a set of indicators for valuing agricultural water by looking into various dimensions and underlying key factors that influence the value of water at micro, meso and macro levels. The indicators are applied to recent, primary-and secondary-level empirical data from the Indus basin Irrigation system of Pakistan. In addition, the paper compiles recent estimates of the value of agricultural water from 40 settings in 23 countries. Finally, the paper outlines measures for enhancing the value of agricultural water. The paper makes four main points: (1) The popular productivity indicators based on crop output do not capture the full range of benefits and costs associated with agricultural water use. (2) The value of agricultural water may not be as low as it is generally perceived or estimated when all major uses and direct and indirect benefits of water at various levels are properly accounted for. (3) The value of water varies across time and space, and the value to stakeholders at various scales (farmer, system manager, basin planner and national policy maker) could be quite different. For example, the estimate of agricultural water value in the upper Indus basin in Pakistan varies from US$0.04/m 3 at the farm scale to US$0.22/m 3 at the national scale. The farm-scale value is more relevant, e.g., for agricultural water charging policies, but for water-sector investments and allocation decisions, the national-scale value is important. The decision-making processes related to water sector investments, allocations, management, and charging/ cost recovery schemes could be potentially misguided if key dimensions of water value that are related to water availability and use, benefits/costs, and temporal and spatial aspects are not properly accounted for in valuation. (4) Efforts should be directed not only at increasing the productivity of water in terms of mass of output per unit of water, but also the overall benefits or value of water at various levels for larger growth and poverty alleviation impacts, considering the sustainability of the systems.
Changing Perspectives on the Economics of Water
This paper provides an overview of the special issue on "Water policy, productivity and economic efficiency". In particular, it includes an overview of key topics on the future of water as a productive factor, in the context of alternative uses and perspective scenarios. The selected papers cover a wide range of relevant economic issues and are presented in three categories: productivity assessment, institutional framework and mechanisms, and governance aspects. The paper concludes by discussing future research challenges in this field.
Water Management - an Important Challenge for Modern Economics
2015
Water resources are one of the most important issues of our time. Representatives of the world's countries and experts of the region invest all their time and skills in devising the proper way of managing the integration of the concept of sustainable development. Also, the goal of every state in the management of these resources is to find the right ratio of the public and the private sector in the management of water supply, most of the reasons are to avoid any kind of conflict because of water resources. The same conflicts are very divisive in terms of physical confrontations, protests and the spread of various diseases in the area with contaminated water. For these reasons, it is crucial to recognize and correct implementation of the process of water resources management, to adjust it with the concept of sustainable development in the future.
Accounting for water use: Terminology and implications for saving water and increasing production
Agricultural Water Management, 2011
Scarcity and competition for water are matters of increasing concern, as are potential shortages of food. These issues intersect both within the agricultural sector and across all water using sectors. Irrigation is by far the largest user of water in most water-scarce countries, and is under pressure to reduce utilisation (to release water to other sectors, including the environment) and use water more productively to meet demands for food and fibre. The terminology for such intra-and inter-sectoral analysis must be unambiguous across sectors so that interventions and their impacts are properly understood. Such terminology, based on previous work and debate, is set out. Implications for a better understanding of the scope for improved productivity of water in agriculture are traced, and some examples are given using data from recent research submissions, demonstrating the benefits of precise water accounting.
University of Tehran, College of Aburaihan, 2022
Economic valuation of water has an important and decisive role in the efficient allocation of water resources, appropriate policies and effective decisionmaking. The literature of the country contains a large number of articles and significant efforts in the field of economic valuation of water. The extent and diversity of Published studies requires that a general overview of the economic valuation of water in the country be provided by reviewing these studies. In this article, by extracting, categorizing and analyzing the existing studies on water valuation in different sectors of the economy, we try to reach a general conclusion about the policies proposed and common methods in these studies. In addition, this paper attempts to identify study gaps by critique of the methods used and, finally, offers suggestions for future research in the field of water economic valuation. According to the summary, increasing the price of water in all uses, including industrial, urban and agricultural uses, is recommended. The conditions for water value-based pricing are available for industrial and urban use, and in the agricultural sector requires government support and technology development. The economic value of water-related ecosystem services is among the highest levels of economic value in water uses. Therefore, it is recommended that conservation of natural flow in aquatic ecosystems be a priority for resource allocation.