dr. suresh babu iewp @ workshop on water allocation, water economics and eflows in river basin...
TRANSCRIPT
India-EU Water PartnershipWorkshop on Water Allocation, Water Economics and Eflows
In River Basin Management
14-15 September 2016, New Delhi
Environmental flows in India: Case studies, achievements and future work
September 15, 2016
Outline
• E-flows: Our journey so far• Understanding trade offs and economics • Setting the scene for E-flows Implementation
(including material transport)
temporal and spatial variations in quantity and quality of water
required for freshwater and estuarine systems to perform their natural ecological functions
and supports the spiritual, cultural
and livelihood activities that depend on them
1. E-flows: journey so far
Biodiversity
Fluvial geomorphology
Cultural and religiousSocio-economical
Hydraulics
Water Quality
Hydrology
Holistic Methodology
River Health Classes
• Near-pristine: Reaches with minimal human interference
• Slightly Modified: Reaches with some evidence of human interference, but still functionally intact.
• Moderately Modified: Reaches with clear evidence of human interference, but still largely functionally intact.
• Degraded: Reaches with evidence of considerable human interference and functionally disturbed.
• Critically Degraded: Reaches dominated by human interference
• Himachal Pradesh E-flows Policy 2005– 15% of lean flows
• Expert Appraisal Committee on Hydropower and River Valley Projects (66th meeting)– Lean season: 20% of average discharge in four leanest months– Non monsoon, non lean season: 20-30% of inflows– Monsoon period: 30% of the cumulative inflows during the
monsoon period • GRBMP (2015): Aviral Dhara • Committee on E-flows
E-Flows during Kumbh 2013
The X-axis indicates the levels, which has been marked at a pillar of Shastri Bridge (u/s of Sangam, Allahabad); whereas the Y-axis shows the dates from 12 January to 31 March 2013.
12/1/2013
14/1/2013
16/1/2013
18/1/2013
20/1/2013
22/1/2013
24/1/2013
26/1/2013
28/1/2013
30/1/2013
1/2/2013
3/2/2013
5/2/2013
7/2/2013
9/2/2013
11/2/2013
13/2/2013
15/2/2013
17/2/2013
19/2/2013
21/2/2013
23/2/2013
25/3/2013
27/2/2013
1/3/2013
3/3/2013
5/3/2013
7/3/2013
9/3/2013
11/3/2013
13/3/2013
15/3/2013
17/3/2013
19/3/2013
21/3/2013
23/03/2013
25/03/2013
27/03/2013
29/03/2013
31/03/2013
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Observed current flows (in cumec) Recommended E-Flows (in cumec)
Discussion points
• How to go beyond Ganga and few hydro power projects?
• Basin wise E-flows assessments under a national programme – Is this possible?– Capacity & resources needed? – Responsibility? Centre, State and/or both– Timelines
2. Understanding tradeoffs
Bhimgoda Barrage_UGC
Narora Barrage_LGC
India
8 Branches
28 distributaries
86 minors
19 Districts
126 villages
9 Divisions
Sample size: 540
400 women
35 officials
Understanding trade-offs
Water allocations
Water use
Agriculture practices
Policy and pricing
Institutions
Water resources allocation
Leaving water for the Ganga
6%
94%
UGC
Disagree
Agree
20%
80%
LGC
Disagree on Canal water transfer to maintain depth
Agree on Canal water transfer to maintain depth
Transfer of saved water to Ganga
Change in cropping pattern
Extension of cropped/irrigated area
Intensive irrigation
Sacrifice for E-Flow
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0%
53.9%
1.6%
2.4%
42.0%
UGC
Number of respondents
Change in cropping pattern
Extension of cropped/irrigated area
Intensive irrigation
Sacrifice for E-Flow
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0%
23.3%
5.8%
21.4%
49.4%
LGC
Number of respondents
Groundwater use
,
Head Middle Tail7476788082848688909294 92.4
80.7
92
UGC
Head Middle Tail88
90
92
94
96
98
10097.9
94.4
91.9
LGC: Reach wise % of farmers using ground water usage
% of farmers using ground water
Irrigation methods
12; 5%
244; 95%
UGC
Flood-ingBasin
10; 4%
249; 96%
LGC
FloodingBasin
Soil health and input management
11.7%
88.3%
UGC
Soil testing done Soil testing not done
Soil testing done
Soil testing not done
Fertilizer application based on testing
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%
8.0%
86.5%
5.5%
LGC
Trade off analysis
Costs and benefits• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: 4 groups of
ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural. – Provisioning: Fishery, Agricultural crops (Food); River bed farming;
Drinking Water– Regulating services: Carbon Sequestration; Microclimate regulation; – Cultural: Forest Tourism; cultural/religious tourism
• Various flow regimes are associated with various services provided by the ecosystem, and might entail changes in the target groups who receive the services.
• Monetary valuation of each flow regime is one of the ways to evaluate the scenarios, understand the trade-offs, and help in allocation of water across sectors.
24
Cost-benefit analysis of environmental flows
Nilanjan Ghosh, Suresh Babu
Scenarios
• Business-As-Usual: Baseline valuation of the ecosystem services of the current hydrological regime;
• Alternate scenarios: – Flow Regime Change: Degraded, Improved, Diversionary.– Demand Management Scenario: Changes in Allocation
Patterns, Better Management Practices.– Institutional Changes: Pricing regimes, participatory
irrigation management
Water resources allocation
How do we redraw the pie ?
Discussion points
• Lessons from integrating e-flows into water allocations?
• How trade-offs analysed and managed• Examples of research on surface-groundwater
interactions?• Understanding the impacts on ecology
3. Setting the scene for implementation
1st EFA training
2nd EFA training
Pilot EF Implementation
Main River Implementation
E Flows assessm
ent and im
plementation
Stakeholder Engagement
Policy & Legislation
IWRM Process
Social and Policy Process
Timeline for E Flows development
10 to 20 years
Source: Prof Jay O Keffee
At n
ation
al le
vel
Rāmgangā river is rejuvenated, by ensuring aviral dhara, nirmal dhara and maintaining ecosystem services and functions, providing long term water security to all stakeholders.
Basin Governance (management & stakeholder behaviour)
River and ecosystem health
• Sustainable water management• E-flow releases required
• Improved water use efficiency
Flows and connectivity are maintained in the river and floodplains
Benefits to society
Water supply for people, agriculture,
and industry
Urban wetlands and
floodplains maintained or
improved
Groundwater recharge areas
protected and water levels maintained or
improved
Water quality meets
prescribed standards
Integrated urban water management
adopted
Freshwater-related livelihoods supported
Risks from flooding and water borne diseases reduced
Cultural and spiritual
opportunities
Ecotourism developed and expanded
Visio
n, g
oals,
and
obj
ectiv
es
Breeding populations of
critically endangered
species established
Planning regulations to
support habitat protection
Improved knowledge of risks and resilience
to climate change and natural disasters
Pollution load
reduced
Support for collective conservation action by stakeholders
Integrating into basin plans
Regulation and policy
Basin Governancemanagement & stakeholder behaviour
Fisheries management
Improved water use efficiency
Climate change policy
Contingency planning for disasters
Dam operation rules
Integrated urban water management
adopted
Stra
tegy
and
acti
ons
Planning regulations to
support habitat
protection
Improved knowledge of risks and resilience
to climate change and natural disasters
Pollution load
reduced
Support for collective conservation action by stakeholders
River health monitoring
Climate change and biodiversity
Future development
Impact of sand mining
Response to natural disasters
Promotion of clean technology
Ecosystems-based urban planning
Biodiversity and habitat protection and restoration
E-flow releases required
Sustainable water
management
Water allocations, trade-offs
Capacity building of stakeholder groups
Capacity building for government agencies, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Civil Society
Participatory groundwater management
Improved river bed farming
Improved farming (land, water, agriculture) practices
Climate changeWater use efficiency programs
Research, assessment & monitoring
Capacity building & stakeholder engagement
Goal
s
Key challenges
• Lessons from E-flows policies• How to integrate E-flows into basin plans • Road map for E-flows mainstreaming and
implementation • Examples of implementation, monitoring
Implementation Challenge
Tom Lequesne et.al