Evaluation of historic, current and future water demand in the Olifants River Catchment, South Africa

by McCartney, Matthew P., Arranz, Roberto

Author	: McCartney, Matthew P., Arranz, Roberto
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 51
Release	: 2007
Genre	: Olifants River Watershed (South Africa)
ISBN	: 9290906723

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Water resource development has played a significant role in the expansion of agriculture and industry in the Olifants River Catchment. However, currently water deficit is one of the major constraints hampering development in the catchment; both the mining and agricultural sectors are producing below optimal levels because of their reliance on insufficient supplies. In this study, the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model was used to evaluate scenarios of historic, current and future water demand in the catchment. For each scenario, the WEAP model was used to simulate demand in five different sectors (rural, urban, mining, commercial forestry and irrigation) over a 70-year period of varying rainfall and hydrology. Levels of assured supply were estimated for each sector and the economic cost of failing to provide water was predicted. For the future scenarios, the impact of infrastructure development and water conservation measures were assessed. The study illustrates how a relatively simple model can provide useful insight for resource planning and management.

Evaluation of current and future water resources development in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia

by McCartney M. , Alemayehu T. , Shiferaw A. , Awulachew S.

Author	: McCartney M. , Alemayehu T. , Shiferaw A. , Awulachew S.
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 44
Release	: 2010
Genre	: Tana, Lake (Ethiopia)
ISBN	: 9290907215

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Lake Tana, located in the headwaters of the Blue Nile, is valuable for many people including the communities who live around the lakeshore and those who live immediately downstream. The area has been identified as a region for hydropower and irrigation development, vital for economic growth in Ethiopia. A multidisciplinary study was conducted to assess the possible impacts of this development. This study found that current development has benefited some local people but adversely affected others. Future development will exacerbate pressure on the lake. Hard choices must be made about how the water is best utilized. It is important that all stakeholders, including local people, are involved in the decision-making process.

River Basin Trajectories

by François Molle

Author	: François Molle
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 325
Release	: 2009
Genre	: Business & Economics
ISBN	: 1845935381

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This book contains 11 papers which cover a range of vital topics in the areas of water, agriculture, food security and ecosystems - the entire spectrum of developing and managing water in agriculture, from fully irrigated to fully rainfed lands. They are about people and society, why they decide to adopt certain practices and not others and, in particular, how water management can help poor people. They are about ecosystems - how agriculture affects ecosystems, the goods and services ecosystems provide for food security and how water can be managed to meet both food and environmental security objectives. This is the eighth book in the series.

Application of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) Model to Assess Future Water Demands and Resources in the Olifants Catchment, South Africa

by Roberto Arranz

Author	: Roberto Arranz
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 104
Release	: 2007
Genre	: Olifants River Watershed (South Africa)
ISBN	: 9290906545

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The Olifants catchment is one of 19 Catchment Management Areas in South Africa. Different water users (i.e., rural, urban, mining, subsistence and commercial irrigated agriculture, commercial forestry, industry and power generation) are present in the catchment. Rising population andincreasing water provision in rural areas, in conjunction with the development of the mining industry, the construction of new power generation plants, the implementation of environmental flows andthe need to meet international flow requirements are going to greatly exacerbate the complexity of future water resources management in what is already a water-stressed catchment. Being able to assess the ability of the catchment to satisfy potential water demands is crucial in order to plan for the future and make wise decisions. In this study, a scenario analysis approach was used in conjunction with the Water Evaluation And Planning model, in order to assess the impacts of possible water demands on the water resources of the Olifants catchment in 2025. Foreach scenario, the water resource implications were compared to a 1995 “baseline.” The model enabled analyses of unmet water demands, streamflows and water storage for each scenario. The model results show that for the different scenarios considered in this study the implementation of the Environmental Reserve (an instream requirement to guarantee the health of the riverine ecosystems) will increase the shortages for other sectors. The construction of the main water storage infrastructure proposed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, in conjunction with the application of Water Conservation and Demand Management practices, can reduce the unmet demands and shortfalls to levels lower than, or similar to, those experienced in the 1995 baseline. However, in all cases these interventions will be insufficient to completely meet the demands of all the sectors. A tight control of the growth in future demands is essential, although this may be difficult in a rapidly developing country like South Africa.

India's water future to 2025-2050: business-as-usual scenario and deviations

by Amarasinghe, Upali, Shah, Tushaar, Turral, Hugh, Anand, B. K.

Author	: Amarasinghe, Upali, Shah, Tushaar, Turral, Hugh, Anand, B. K.
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 52
Release	: 2007
Genre	: Water resources development
ISBN	: 9290906871

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With a rapidly expanding economy many changes are taking place in India today. The business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, which assumes the continuation of current trends of key water demand drivers, will meet the future food demand. However, it leads to a severe regional water crisis by 2050, where many river basins will reach closure, will be physically water-scarce and will have regions with severely overexploited groundwater resources. While the alternative scenarios of water demand show both optimistic and pessimistic water futures, the scenario with additional productivity growth is the most optimistic, with significant scope for reducing future water demand.

Hydrological and environmental issues of interbasin water transfers in India: a case of the Krishna River Basin

by Smakhtin, Vladimir, Gamage, Nilantha, Bharati, Luna

Author	: Smakhtin, Vladimir, Gamage, Nilantha, Bharati, Luna
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 36
Release	: 2007
Genre	: Krishna River Watershed (India)
ISBN	: 9290906820

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This study attempts to examine those unique aspects of interbasin water transfer planning, which are of critical importance to the sustainable water resources development in India. It focuses on the crucial aspect of accurate quantification of surface water availability, which determines the entire feasibility of a water transfer. It also illustrates the impacts of upstream water resources development on the deltas’ environment thus justifying the deltas’ environmental flow requirements. The report targets government departments, research institutions and NGOs – primarily in India and other countries of the region – which are engaged or interested in issues of interbasin water transfer and environmental water management. The research intends to: contribute to the effectiveness of water resources planning and management in India; emphasize the need for urgent improvement of access to hydrometeorological data in the country; and aim to stimulate further debate on water transfers.

The lower Krishna Basin trajectory: relationships between basin development and downstream environmental degradation.

by

Author	:
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 38
Release	: 2008
Genre	: Watershed management
ISBN	: 9290906901

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Basin water development and rural dynamics in the Krishna Basin have led to a degradation of downstream ecosystems manifesting itself by salinizing soil and groundwater, increasing pollution, disappearing mangroves and desiccating wetlands. Reversing this evolution requires the formal recognition of the environment as a water user in its own right and the implementation of an environmental water provision. This provision should be based on a two-tier allocation system with assured discharges in the irrigation canals of the delta and to the ocean. This will lead to further commitment of water resources but this is needed to reconcile the social, economic and environmental objectives of a sustainable development. Other measures facilitating integrated natural resources management from the local to the basin level are needed too.

Changing consumption patterns: Implications on food and water demand in India

by Amarasinghe, Upali A., Shah, Tushaar, Singh, Om Prakash

Author	: Amarasinghe, Upali A., Shah, Tushaar, Singh, Om Prakash
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 48
Release	: 2007
Genre	: Food consumption
ISBN	: 9290906774

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Increasing income and urbanization are triggering a rapid change in food consumption patterns in India. This report assesses India’s changing food consumption patterns and their implications on future food and water demand. According to the projections made in this study, the total calorie supply would continue to increase, but the dominance of food grains in the consumption basket is likely to decrease by 2050, and the consumption of non-grain crops and animal products would increase to provide a major part of the daily calorie supply. Although the total food grain demand will decrease, the total grain demand is likely to increase with the increasing feed demand for the livestock. The implications of the changing consumption patterns are assessed through consumptive water use (CWU) under the assumptions of full or partial food self-sufficiency.

Climate change impacts on hydrology and water resources of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia

by Kim, U., Kaluarachchi, J. J., Smakhtin, V. U.

Author	: Kim, U., Kaluarachchi, J. J., Smakhtin, V. U.
Publisher	: IWMI
Total Pages	: 31
Release	: 2008
Genre	: Climate change mitigation
ISBN	: 9290906960

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The report evaluates the impacts of climate change on the hydrological regime and water resources of the Blue Nile River Basin in Ethiopia. It starts from the construction of the climate change scenarios based on the outcomes of several general circulation models (GCMs), uses a simple hydrological model to convert theses scenarios into runoff, and examines the impacts by means of a set of indices. The results, however uncertain with existing accuracy of climate models, suggest that the region is likely to have the future potential to produce hydropower, increase flow duration, and increase water storage capacity without affecting outflows to the riparian countries in the 2050s.