National Workshop on " Blueprint Water Accounting in India"

15 February 2017, New Delhi

Blueprint for a Water Accounting System in India

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Main elements to be considered for the development of the Blueprint

Alignment with International Standards: Handling clear and agreed concepts and taking advantage of worldwide experience

Ease of Implementation: Availability of the required datasets in India, either from direct sources as metering or from surrogate data able to feed a robust assessment

Fit and Complementarity: Fitting in general IWRM strategy and complementarity with other tools already in use or under development

Transparency and Involvement of States and Stakeholders: Provision of data, participation in discussions and acceptance of results

Short and Long Term Objectives: Selection of indicators and general framework to respond to both the immediate key issues as well as the medium and long term challenges for water governance in India

PQ-1 Increasing conflicts on water use and/or consumption between key economic sectors (urban, energy, agriculture, industry) and administrative areas (States, Districts) about sharing water resources and the benefits from their use

PQ-2 Deteriorating environment due to increased pressures (quality, quantity), providing less ecosystem services to people

PQ-3 Climate change effects on water use, and long-term development of economy, society and the environment

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

What are the overarching policy questions?

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

• Which area (state, district…) is consuming how much (of the available) water (by which sectors) What are the trends?

• Which would be a sustainable and equitable use? Which are the areas that are driving over-exploitation and conflicts?

• What are the expected consumption trends for the future (in sectors/areas)?

• How can future water consumption trends be influenced? Which policy options (governance, investments) shall be promoted (in which area/sector)?

• Which are the economic and social benefits and trade-offs of the current water use (area, sector)? How can benefits be increased/optimized?

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesWhich policy decisions must be informed? [1]

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

• How are areas/sectors benefitting from access to water in comparison to their role in contributing to the costs of water management adequately (e.g. by proportion of water use, benefits associated to water use, area, number of people, etc.)?

• How does water quality affect economic activity (agriculture and energy production) and society (health, well-being)?

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesWhich policy decisions must be informed? [2]

Indicators Other toolsWater Consumption IndexConsumption ratios (per capita, per hectare, per kw-h)Further Indicators can be developed in a second stage, on the basis of the Water Accounting SystemWater Productivity IndexCost recovery ratioWater Quality Index

Studies for defining sustainability thresholdsPhysical Water Supply and Use Tables from SEEA-WaterCase studies to evaluate impacts and potential responsesDSS modelling (to be developed under IWRM - RBMP)Hydrological modelling to feed DSS and SEEAWSEEAW Hybrid AccountsVirtual Water TradeSEEAW Water Emissions Accounts

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesIndicator - Water Consumption Index

  WCI=Abstraction  ( Irrigation  + Human  Supply  + Manufacturing  + Energy  + Others ) − ReturnsTARWR  ( Total  Actual  Renewable  Water  Resources )

Scale of application

Key data requirements

Formulation

Basin - State

Water abstraction by sectorEfficiency estimates by sectorWater resources assessment

Rationale Information on the level of pressures exerted by the different sectors on water resources.

European Union RBs. WEI+ Autumn 2005 (Use of freshwater resources)

Adimensional [hm3] / [hm3]

Policy relevance / use Focus on RB with higher values. Solutions for sustainable water quantity management. Establishment, implementation and monitoring of e-flows.

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesIndicator - Consumption ratios

  CR=Sectoral  consumption  ( abstraction   −  returns )Magnitude  of   the   driver  ( inhabitants ,  hectares ,  kw−h…¿

.¿

Basin – State – Irrigation District – Municipality – Energy production facility

Water abstractionEfficiency estimatesStatistics on drivers

Comparable information on consumption values for a specific sector (or even crop) in a State, basin or geographical unit

Ebro RBMP 2010-2015 (Spain). Irrigation water consumption (m3/ha)

m3 / inhabitant, m3 / ha, m3 / kwh

Reference to national and / or international benchmarks. Identification of inefficient use patterns and taking action

Scale of application

Key data requirements

Formulation

Rationale

Policy relevance / use

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesIndicator - Water Productivity Index

  WPI=Economic  OutputWater  Consumption  / Water   abstraction

Basin – State – Sector – Crop - Irrigation District

Water abstraction (Efficiency estimates)Economic output

Information on how much economic output is produced per cubic meter of fresh water (either consumed or abstracted)

Economic water productivity (EWP) of crop production in the Ganga RB in the period 2008-2011 (IWMI Research Report 167)

Rupee / m3

Scale of application

Key data requirements

Formulation

Rationale

Policy relevance / use Comparison of relative economic efficiency across sectors and territories, supporting objectives for economic performance and water use. Also to inform potential water re-allocation schemes

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesIndicator – Cost Recovery Ratio

(%)

State – Sector

Taxes and TariffsCosts of water services

Part of the investment for proper water management recovered by prices, direct taxes and tariffs. Differences suggest trade-offs and cross subsidies

Summary of cost recovery index based on SEEAW. Guadalquivir RB (Spain), 2012

Cost-recovery levels for water and sanitation services in the domestic sector (EEA, 2013)

Scale of application

Key data requirements

Formulation

Rationale

Policy relevance / use Setting appropriate incentives for better water use. Differences across sectors and territories suggest trade-offs and/ or cross subsidies

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

PQ-1. Sharing water resourcesIndicator - Water Quality Index

Quality classification based on multiple criteria (see Table)

State – Basin

Coliforms, pH, dissolved Oxygen, BOD,Free Ammonia, Conductivity, SAR

Classification of water quality to determine potential use, informing on boundaries for the utilization of specific sources for certain economic activities and/or human supply and the level of treatment needed

Central Pollution Control Board

Scale of application

Key data requirements

Formulation

Rationale

Policy relevance / use Evaluation of the adequacy of water quality to actual and / or intended use. Triggering action to recover status if values deviate from required standards

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

How much water shall be set aside (not used/consumed) for maintaining freshwater ecosystems?

How does water quality affect the environment and freshwater ecosystems?

PQ-2. Ecosystem ServicesWhich policy decisions must be informed? Indicators Other tools

No specific indicator suggested

Assessment of e-flows (rivers and deltas) and wetland water needs.Assessment of hydrological alterationDetermination of environmental objectives and adequate responses following DPSIRPossible implementation of SEEA- Ecosystem Accounting

WCI is an indicator of water stress but no international agreed threshold has been set so far: EEA suggests WEI+ > 20 % implies water resource is under

stress, while WEI+ > 40 % indicates unsustainability. Hoekstra et al. estimate blue water availability by reducing

total natural runoff by 80% to account for presumed e-flows

Water resources in Europe in the context of vulnerability — European Environment Agency

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

How will climate change trends affect water availability and consumption?

Which policy options (governance, investments) shall be promoted (in which area/sector) for climate change resilience?

PQ-3. Climate changeWhich policy decisions must be informed? Indicators Other tools

No specific indicator suggested

WCI, SEEAW and DSS reflecting impacts in NWR and their availabilityHydrological modelling to translate climate scenarios into water availability.Integrated analysis of cost and benefits of water policy

Examples of current vulnerabilities of freshwater resources and their management; in the background, a water stress map based on Alcamo et al

Reports from both the International Panel on Climate Change and the UN World Water Assessment Programme use indicators on water stress to illustrate current status of water quantity problems and to monitor the observed hydrological changes due to climate and analyzing the drivers of change for freshwater resources (climatic and non-climatic)

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

The SEEAW is a UN Standard developed to provide a conceptual framework for organizing economic and hydrological information, enabling a consistent analysis of the contribution of water to the economy and of the impact of the economy on water resources, thus helping to promote IWRM.

Framework: System of Environmental Economic Accounts for Water [SEEAW]

In combination with the RB Decision Support Systems, will help the GoI for:

Making informed decisions on the efficient allocation of water among users

Understanding the impacts of drivers on all users, including climate change

Helping to get the most value for money from investing in infrastructure

Getting stakeholders involved in decision-making

The SEEAW provides an information system to feed knowledge into the decision-making process, facilitating a more coordinated development of water resources. I is also a consistent framework to monitor indicators and to improve their quality.

Water Exploitation Index, Godavari River Basin

Highest WEI: 43.84 in 2002—03, a low rainfall yearLowest WEI: 10.33 in 1990-91, a high rainfall year

WEI Range Inference as per EU standards

No of years of occurrence

Less than 10%

Non-stressed

0

10-20% Low stress 6

20%-40% Water stressed

11

More than 40%

Severe water stress

3

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Water Consumption Index, Godavari River Basin

Highest WCI: 28.8 in 2002—03, a low rainfall yearLowest WCI: 6.45 in 1990-91, a high rainfall year

WCI Range

Inference as per literature Review

No of years of occurrence

<6% No stress 0

6-12% Low water stress

4

12-24% Water stressed

13

Above 24%

Severe water stress

3

Average WCI for European rivers is around 3%

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Water Exploitation Index, Brahmani-Baitarani River Basin

Highest WEI: 32.3 in 2004—05, a low rainfall yearLowest WEI: 6.45 in 1994-95, a high rainfall year

WEI Range Inference as per EU standards

No of years of occurrence

Less than 10%

Non-stressed

15

10-20% Low stress 4

20%-40% Water stressed

1

More than 40%

Severe water stress

0

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Water Consumption Index, Brahmani-Baitarani River Basin

Highest WCI: 19.44 in 2004—05, a low rainfall year

Lowest WCI: 1.93 in 1991-92, a high rainfall year

WCI Range

Inference as per literature Review

No of years of occurrence

<6% No stress 16

6-12% Low water stress

3

12-24% Water stressed

1

Above 24%

Severe water stress

0

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Relationship between Rainfall and WCI

73% of variation in WCI in Godavari and 84% of the variation in WCI in Brahmani-Baitarani is explained by the annual rainfall.

Multiple-regression model can also be developed.

Useful for predicting WCI with respect to known magnitude of a rainfall.

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Key questions

Level of Granularity Proposed (e.g. river basin, sub basin, State, irrigation district etc.)

Timeframe: Actions to be implemented phase-wise

Governance: Alignment between Central Government and the States

Data Availability: Center vs state; other agencies

Additional suggestions?

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Institutional set-up. Data management in the EU

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

• River basin boundaries• Region (cross-check with measures, e.g. Rural development Plans)• Supply systems: quantitative water management• Water bodies - DPSIR

Institutional set-up. Granularity of the assessment

Annual irrigation water needs in Guadalquivir RBD (m3/ha)

m3/ha

Supply Systems in Guadalquivir RBD Status of Surface WBs in Guadalquivir RB (2015)

m3/ha

HighGood

ModeratePoor

Bad

1. Set-up of a shared governance system for water data between the GoI and States, and likely other institutions• Datasets shall be provided by different competent authorities, with quality check• Openness to incorporate data from additional sources, like Districts, municipalities or NGOs2. Strengthening of the Analytical capacity of available datasets• Increase policy dialogue with WRIS, increase internal analytical capacity for developing relevant policy messages,

and/or subcontracting of a support team for the analysis (e.g. EEA ETCs)• Set-up of an Advisory Board with (remunerated) experts to participate in the formulation of the assessments3. Need for a better communication, accessibility and transparency of datasets available• Exchange and pre-validation of data and results with (concerned) States and other institutions, before the launch of

public communications• Recognize uncertainties and data gaps, develop a working platform with concerned States and other institutions to

agree on technical and political aspects of data management• Improve relevance of currently displayed information and messages• Improve access to full datasets

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Institutional set-up: Recommendations for India

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Next steps 1: Possible timeline1 Feb 2017 Scoping exercise for identifying needs, approach, strategy and possible partners2 Mar 2017 Set-up of institutional arrangements & ToR 3 Jun 2017 Set-up of the WRIS for SEEA-W water accounting framework

4 Sep 2017 “Trust building” training and agreement with (GoI, State and other) authorities. Check of first results. Technical guidance?

5 Sep-Dec 2017 Refining of first results: “Manual” reception and incorporation of data

6 Dec 2017 – Feb 2018 On-site validation of reported data with inspections and metering

7 Mar 2018 First edition of the water use/consumption map/indicator (output) – Publication and presentation

8 Apr 2018 Follow-up “trust building” feedback workshop with authorities 9 Next reporting and data validation cycle

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Next steps 2: Organisation

Key messages co-definition

ConsultantsData gathering & management

Data analysis

MoWR, RD & GRAdvisory Group

States & other authoritiesCoordination

Data provision & validation

Project Management UnitStrategy and analysis

Data gathering & managementStakeholders involvement

Strategy and analysisData gathering & management

Stakeholders involvement

Support 2030WRG & IEWPsupportcoordinate

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Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

Establish Project Management Unit within CWC Defining ToR for support and consultancies Revisiting ambition and scope with Advisory Group and consultants

3 river basins (Krishna, Godavari and Mahanadi) State-related data, further granularity tbd Sector-based (agriculture, livestock, urban, industrial, energy) data , further

granularity tbd Yearly data, further granularity tbd SEEA-W Accounting tool Indicators. WCI, further indicators tbd

Next steps 3: What to do now?

Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

ANNEX. Structure of the Draft Report

1. Introduction and Framework2. Executive Summary3. Existing Water Databases, Indicators, and Approaches for Water Accounting In India4. Water Accounting5. Water Management Indicators6. Blueprint for Water Accounting System in India

6.1. Targets and Key Messages6.2. Water Management Indicators6.3. Water Accounts6.4. Other Water Management Tools6.5. Stepwise Approach for a Water Information System in India

7. Recommendations and Learned Lessons for the Implementation of the Blueprint