Green Water Footprint

Submitted By:
Trivedi Manushi B.
th
Sem : 5 semester
Reg.no : 06-0146-2013
Roll No: 14

Guided By:
D.K.Parmar
Assistant professor

Signature:

College of Agricultural Information Technology

CAIT, AAU
Anand
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Index
1. Introduction:. ............................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 History of water footprint: ................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Aim of water footprint: ...................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Example of water footprint calculation: ............................................................................ 4
1.5 Types of water footprint: ................................................................................................... 5
2. Green water footprint in assessment of water footprint: ............................................................. 5
2.1 Aim of Green water footprint: ........................................................................................... 5
2.2 Green water footprint calculation through CROPWAT model: ........................................ 6
2.2.1 CWR (crop water requirements) option in CROPWAT model: ............................. 6
2.2.2 Example of CWR: ................................................................................................... 7
3. Technology used in green water footprint: ................................................................................. 9
3.1 CROPWAT Software: ....................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Advanced CROPWAT 8.0 for windows:..10
3.3 Configuration of CROPWAT 8.0 for windows:...10
3.4 Other database and software:11
4. How to reduce Green water footprint: ...................................................................................... 11
5. Green water footprint of India: ................................................................................................. 11
6. Limitation of green water footprint: ......................................................................................... 12
7. Future challenges of green water footprint: .............................................................................. 13
8. Conclusion: ............................................................................................................................... 13
9. Bibliography: ............................................................................................................................ 14

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1. Introduction:
1.1 What is Water Footprint?

The water footprint concept was introduced by Arjen Hoekstra, from UNESCO-IHE in 2002. It
indicates water use instead of land use. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks
at both the direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an
individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used
to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced
by the business. Water use is measured in terms of water volumes consumed and/or polluted per
unit of time. The water footprint is a geographically explicit indicator that not only shows
volumes of water use and pollution, but also the locations.
1.2 History of water footprint:
The water footprint concept was introduced in 2002 by Arjen Y. Hoekstra from UNESCO-IHE
as an alternative indicator of water use. The concept was refined and accounting methods were
established with a series of publications from two lead authors A.K. Chapagain and A.Y.
Hoekstra from the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, later moved to WWF-UK and
University of Twente in the Netherlands respectively. The most elaborate publications on how to
estimate water footprints are a 2004 report on the "Water footprint of nations" from UNESCOIHE and the 2008 book Globalization of Water and the 2011 manual The water footprint
assessment manual: Setting the global standard.
1.3 Aim of water footprint:
Securing fresh and clean water for everyone.

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1.4 Example of water footprint calculation:

Fig.1 Calculation of water footprint of cotton shirt

A cotton shirt is made from cotton fabric, which is made from combed or carded cotton, which
is derived from cotton lint, which comes from seed cotton, which is harvested from the cotton
field. Indeed, before the final cotton textile reaches to the hands of a consumer it passes
through a number of intermediate processes and products. First the seed cotton is processed
into lint (we get only 350 kg of lint out of 1000 kg of seed cotton), then after carding, spinning
and weaving we get grey fabric (1000 kg of lint produces only 900 kg of grey fabric), then it goes
to the wet processing (bleaching and dying) and finishes as final printed cotton textile. It
requires about 30 m3 per ton for bleaching, 140 m3 per ton for dying and 190 m3 per ton for
printing. The average water footprint of printed cotton (for example a pair of jeans weighing 1
kilogram) is 11000 liters per kilogram. (1 m3= 1000 L, 1 ton= 1000 Kg)

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1.5 Types of water footprint:

1. Blue water footprint:
Blue water footprint is the volume of freshwater that evaporated/uses from the global
blue water resources (surface water and ground water) to produce the goods and services
consumed by the individual or community (either loss through evapotranspiration,
incorporated in products or transferred to non-blue catchments).
2. Green water footprint:
The green water footprint is the volume of water evaporated from the global green water
resources (rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture) during production or those
incorporated in products.
3. Grey water footprint:
The grey water footprint is the volume of polluted water that associates with the
production of all goods and services for the individual or community. The latter can be
estimated as the volume of water that is required to dilute pollutants to such an extent that
the quality of the water remains at or above agreed water quality standards.
2. Green water footprint in assessment of water footprint:
2.1 Aim of Green water footprint:
Decrease green water footprint(m3/ton) by increasing green water productivity(ton/m3)
in both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. Increase total production from rain-fed
agriculture.

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2.2 Green water footprint calculation through CROPWAT model:

2.2.1 CWR (crop water requirements) option in CROPWAT model:
Green and blue water evapotranspiration during crop growth can be estimated with the Food and
Agriculture Organizations CROPWAT model (FAO). The model offers two alternative options.
The simplest but not the most accurate option is the CWR(crop water requirements) option. In
this option, it is assumed that there are no water limitations to crop growth. The model
calculates: (i) crop water requirements (CWR) during the full length of the growing period under
particular climatic circumstances; (ii) effective precipitation over the same period; (iii) irrigation
requirements.
The crop water requirement is the water needed for evapotranspiration under ideal growth
conditions, measured from planting to harvest. Ideal conditions means that adequate soil water
is maintained by rainfall and/or irrigation so that it does not limit plant growth and crop yield.
Basically, the crop water requirement is calculated by multiplying the reference crop
evapotranspiration (ETo) by the crop coefficient (Kc):

CWR= KcETo

It is assumed that the crop water requirements are fully met, so that actual crop
evapotranspiration (ETc) will be equal to the crop water requirement: ETc = CWR.
The reference crop evapotranspiration ETo is the evapotranspiration rate from a reference
surface, not short of water. The reference crop is a hypothetical surface with extensive green
grass cover with specific standard characteristics and therefore the only factors affecting ETo are
climatic parameters. ETo expresses the evaporating power of the atmosphere at a specific
location and time of the year and does not consider the crop characteristics and soil factors. The
actual crop evapotranspiration under ideal conditions differs distinctly from the reference crop
evapotranspiration, as the ground cover, canopy properties and aerodynamic resistance of the
crop are different from the grass used as reference. The effects of characteristics that distinguish
field crops from grass are integrated into the crop coefficient (Kc). The crop coefficient varies

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over the length of the growing period. Values for Kc for different crops over the length of the
growing period can be taken from the literature.
one can calculate Kc as the sum of Kcb and Ke, where Kcb is the so-called basal crop coefficient
and Ke is a soil evaporation coefficient. The basal crop coefficient is defined as the ratio of the
actual crop evapotranspiration over the reference evapotranspiration (ETc/ETo). The soil
evaporation coefficient Ke describes the evaporation component of ETc. When the topsoil is wet,
following rain or irrigation, Ke is maximal; when the soil surface is dry, Ke is small and even
zero when no water remains near the soil surface for evaporation. Different irrigation techniques
wet the soil surface in different degrees. Sprinkler irrigation, for example, wets the soil more
than drip irrigation, resulting in a higher value for Ke directly after irrigation. This will translate
into a higher value for Kcand thus for ETc. The CROPWAT model, however, does not allow the
specification of Kcb and Ke separately; it requires specification of the resultant Kc. Besides, Kc
cannot be specified per day but only for three different periods in the growing period, so that the
effect of different irrigation techniques can be simulated in CROPWAT only by roughly
adjusting Kcas a function of the irrigation technique used.

2.2.2 Example of CWR:

Source of sugar beet area Monfreda Et al(2008)

Table: Planting and harvesting dates and yield for sugar beet production in Valladolid (Spain)
Crop

Planting Date

Harvesting Date

Yield

Sugar beet

1st April,2006

27th September,2006

81 ton/ha

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Month

Period

Stage

ETc

ETc

Peff

Irr.

ETgreen

mm/

mm/

mm/

Req.

mm/

day

period

period

mm/

period

period
Apr

Init

0.35

1.2

10.2

12.6

10.2

Apr

Init

0.35

1.13

11.3

13.8

11.3

Apr

Init

0.35

1.24

12.4

14.0

12.4

May

Init

0.35

1.35

13.5

14.5

13.5

May

Init

0.35

1.45

14.5

15.0

14.5

May

Dev

0.48

2.42

24.2

13.8

10.4

13.8

June

Dev

0.71

3.55

35.5

12.7

27.7

12.7

June

Dev

0.94

5.02

50.2

11.9

38.3

11.9

June

Mid

1.15

6.6

66.0

9.8

56.3

9.8

July

Mid

1.23

7.58

75.8

7.1

68.6

7.1

July

Mid

1.23

8.05

80.5

75.5

July

Mid

1.23

7.8

78.0

4.8

73.2

4.8

August

Mid

1.23

7.59

75.9

4.8

71.1

4.8

August

Late

1.23

7.39

73.9

3.3

70.6

3.3

August

Late

1.23

6.05

60.5

5.7

60.9

5.7

Sept

Late

4.65

46.5

8.9

37.5

8.9

Sept

Late

0.87

3.51

35.1

11.2

38.2

11.2

Sept

Late

0.76

2.6

26.0

7.8

18.2

7.8

Here, green water evapotranspiration (ETgreen) is calculated as the minimum of total crop
evapotranspiration (ETc) and effective rainfall (Peff), with a time step of ten days. The total
green water evapotranspiration is obtained by summing up ETgreen over the growing period

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3. Technology used in green water footprint:

3.1 CROPWAT Software:

CROPWAT is a decision support tool developed by the Land and Water Development Division
of FAO.
CROPWAT 8.0 for Windows is a computer program for the calculation
of crop water requirements and irrigation requirements based on soil,
climate and crop data. In addition, the program allows the development
of irrigation schedules for different management conditions and the
calculation of scheme water supply for varying crop patterns.
CROPWAT 8.0 can also be used to evaluate farmers irrigation
practices and to estimate crop performance under both rainfed and irrigated conditions.
calculation procedures used in CROPWAT 8.0 are based on the two FAO publications of the
Irrigation and Drainage Series, namely, No. 56 "Crop Evapotranspiration - Guidelines for
computing crop water requirements and No. 33 titled "Yield response to water".
As a starting point, and only to be used when local data are not available, CROPWAT 8.0
includes standard crop and soil data. When local data are available, these data files can be easily
modified or new ones can be created. Likewise, if local climatic data are not available, these can
be obtained for over 5,000 stations worldwide from CLIMWAT, the associated climatic
database. The development of irrigation schedules in CROPWAT 8.0 is based on a daily soilwater balance using various user-defined options for water supply and irrigation management
conditions. Scheme water supply is calculated according to the cropping pattern defined by the
user, which can include up to 20 crops.

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3.2 Advanced CROPWAT 8.0 for windows:

CROPWAT 8.0 is a Windows program based on the previous DOS versions. Apart from a
completely redesigned user interface, CROPWAT 8.0 for Windows includes a host of updated
and new features, including:

monthly, decade and daily input of climatic data for calculation of reference
evapotranspiration (ETo)

possibility to estimate climatic data in the absence of measured values

decade and daily calculation of crop water requirements based on updated calculation
algorithms including adjustment of crop-coefficient values

calculation of crop water requirements and irrigation scheduling for paddy & upland rice,
using a newly developed procedure to calculate water requirements including the land
preparation period

interactive user adjustable irrigation schedules

daily soil water balance output tables

graphical presentations of input data, crop water requirements and irrigation schedules

easy import/export of data and graphics through clipboard or ASCII text files

extensive printing routines, supporting all windows-based printers

context-sensitive help system

Multilingual interface and help system: English, Spanish, French and Russian

3.3 Configuration of CROPWAT 8.0 for windows:

CROPWAT 8.0 for Windows was developed using Visual Delphi 4.0 and runs on the following
Windows platforms: 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP and Vista.

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3.4 Other Database and software:

AquaCrop(Software)
AquaMaps(Database)
ClimWat 2.0 for CROPWAT(Database)
ETo Calculator(Software)
WasteWater(Software)

4. How to reduce green water footprint:

Apply anti-transpiration to the crops like Silicic acid, ABA, Wax, Lubricant etc.
Apply mulching technique into the farm.
Avoid higher wind blower fan system in green house technique because if wind will
increase then transpiration will also increase.
Increase the shelter effect by roof or cloth or any other material.

5. Green water footprint of India:

Traditionally countries formulate national water plans by looking how to satisfy water users.
Even though countries nowadays consider options to reduce water demand in addition to options
to increase supply, they generally do not include the global dimension of water management. In
this way they do not explicitly consider options to save water through import of water-intensive
products.

In the period 19962005 was the total water footprint was largest for India (1047 Gm3yr1),
China (967 Gm3yr1) and the USA (826 Gm3yr1).

At the country level, the largest total water footprints were estimated for India, China, the USA,
Brazil, Russia and Indonesia. These six countries together account for about half of the global
total water footprint related to crop production. The largest green water footprints are also found
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in these six countries: India, China, the USA, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia. At sub-national level
(state or province level), the largest green water footprints can be found in Uttar Pradesh (88
Gm3yr1), Maharashtra (86 Gm3yr1), Karnataka (65 Gm3yr1), Andhra Pradesh (61
Gm3yr1), and Madhya Pradesh (60 Gm3yr1), all in India. The largest blue water footprints
were calculated for India, China, USA and Pakistan. These four countries together account for 58
%of the total blue water footprint related to crop production. At sub-national level, the largest
blue water footprints were found in: Uttar Pradesh (59 Gm3yr1) and Madhya Pradesh (24
Gm3yr1) in India; Punjab (50 Gm3yr1).

6. Limitations of Green water footprint:

It focuses on the use of freshwater resources in the light of limited supplies. It does not
address water issues that are not scarcity-related, such as flooding or lack of
infrastructure for proper water supply to poor communities. It also does not address
environmental issues other than freshwater scarcity.
Water footprint assessment focuses on analysing freshwater use in view of limited
freshwater resources; it does not address other environmental themes such as climate
change, depletion of minerals, fragmentation of habitats, limited land availability or soil
degradation, nor does it address social or economic themes such as poverty, employment
or welfare.

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7. Future challenges in green water footprint:

A major question will often be how to handle the lack of required data. What default data
should be used under such circumstances and what simplifications can be reasonably
made? A major challenge is therefore to develop more detailed guidelines regarding what
default data can be used when accurate local estimates are not available. In this context it
is relevant to develop a database with default water footprint estimates for a large variety
of processes and products, differentiating between production regions (such as countries).
This would be very helpful for assessing the water footprints of consumers or producers,
who know what they buy but often do not know all relevant details on the production and
supply chain of the things they buy.

An issue that has not yet received sufficient attention is how to handle variability and
change in time.

What can best be taken as a period of analysis: five years, ten or even more? When will it
be possible to analyse a trend in time.

An interesting development is the use of remote sensing to estimate green and blue water
footprints in agriculture at a high spatial and temporal resolution but further research is
necessary to validate this approach and make it operational

8. Conclusion:
The water footprint is a technique by which we can measure how much amount of water we have
used and how much amount of water we use further. Basically it is decision support system for
water use of individual as well as of nation. Though India does not have many implementation of
this concept but in the future for water resource planning this concept will be proved as an
essential concept.

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9. Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_use
file:///Z:/seminar/TheWaterFootprintAssessmentManual_2.pdf
http://www.fao.org/nr/water/infores_databases_cropwat.html
http://kb.osu.edu/rest/bitstreams/224479/retrieve

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