Thematic Workshop
Theme 6
Water
Accounting
Emerging practices from Agricultural Water Management in Africa and the Near East
Livia Peiser, FAO Land & Water Division29 August 2017
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• Background and definitions
• Water Accounting approaches
• FAO applications
• Expanding practices
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION
Coping with water scarcity “an excess of aggregate water demand over
available supply in a specified domain”
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION
Water accounting – mapping supply and demand:
• Volumes
• Flows
• Quality
• Infra-structure
Water audits - mapping:
• Water management and governance
• Socio-economics and finance
• Legislations and institutions
“Systematic study of current
status and trends in water supply,
demand, accessibility, and use in a
given domain.”
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION
Coping with water scarcity: an action framework for
agriculture and food security
(FAO Water Report 38, 2012)
Water Accounting & Auditing
A sourcebook
(FAO Water Report 43, 2016)
From framework to sourcebook
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
WATER ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORKS
• Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water (SEEAW)
• Water availability cost curve
• Participatory groundwater monitoring
• Trading water rights (GPWARs)
• Water footprints
• Water accounting for firms
• Remote sensing based water accounting (Water
Accounting +)
• Water Accounting and Auditing – Problem focused
approach
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
MEASURES OF ACCOUNTING: Overall approach to WA&A
• Problem-focused:
Approach is tailored on
context-specific issues and
concerns
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
MEASURES OF ACCOUNTING
Component 1:
Land and water resources database
Component 2:
Water resources availability assessment
Component 3:
Water resources use assessment
Component 5:
Decision support tool
Component 4:
Water resources policy review
Component 6:
Water Audit concluding comprehensive and summary
reports
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
IMPLEMENTATION/EXPANDING PRACTICE
FAO applications
Completed studies
Ongoing / planned
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
IMPLEMENTATION/EXPANDING PRACTICE
• Merits:
Measures water consumption
Area based
Suitable for agriculture and natural land use
Cost effective monitoring tool
• Methodological challenges:
Not suitable for Industry and Municipalities
Withdrawals and return flow
Stakeholder engagement
Remote Sensing based water accounting
Theme 6:
Water Accounting
IMPLEMENTATION/EXPANDING PRACTICE
Monitoring consumptive water use over time: change in annual ETa shows irrigation expansion in southern Egypt
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