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