Global Landscape ForumWarsaw, 16-17 November 2013

WATER MANAGEMENT IN RURAL AREAS IN CHANGING CLIMATE

prof. Edward Pierzgalski Warsaw University of Life Sciences

STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

1. Main issues of water management in rural areas 2. Climate change versus water resources3. Water management in agriculture versus climate

change4. What should we do?5. Conclusions

MAIN ISSUES OF WATER MANAGEMENT IN RURAL AREAS

GEOMORPHOLOGY OF POLAND AND MAIN RIVER BASINS

4

25.4

49.7

16.2

5.6

0.2

2.9

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

0-100

100-200

200-300

300-500

500-1000

>1000m a.s.l.

%

WATER RESOURCES

• average annual precipitation

of 600 mm varies from 70%

to 130% of annual value,

• an average annual river runoff

1.630 m3/inhabitant/year,

(in Europe 4.000 m3),

• capacity of water reservoirs

approx. 6% of the average

annual runoff (lower than

in neighbouring countries where

it exceeds 10%).

WATER EXPLOITATION INDEX [%](EEA, 2012)

WATER MANAGEMENT - CRITICAL SITUATIONS

• Catastrophes

• Short or long term situation

Floods Droughts

Water surplus

Water deficits

The most important problems of water management are the quality of water and their temporal and spatial variability, including extreme hydrological events (droughts and floods as well as inadequate water conditions).

FLOODS AND FINANCIAL LOSSES

OCCURENCE OF FLOODS:• in the Vistula river basin – every 3 years• in the Oder basin – every 5 years• many local floods all over the country every year

TYPES OF FLOODSrainfallsnow meltingrapid heavy rainfall storm

LOSSES (bilions EUR)1997- 4,52001 -1,12010 - 4,1

Source: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

CLIMATIC BALANCE AND DROUGHT IN PERIOD 1951-2000

Number of cases

Source: Ekokonsult, 2010

CLIMATE CHANGE VERSUS WATER RESOURCES

IMPACT OF AIR TEMPERATURE RISE ON WATER RESOURCES

Decrease of water resources due to:

- decline of snow cover duration,- increase of ewapotranspiration.Direct effects: - drying of streams, lakes and water reservoirs,- lowering of groundwater level,- drying of soil.Other effects:- negative impact on agricultural production,- deterioration of ecosystem’s health,- decline of forests, - degradation of wetlands,- increase of greenhouse gases emissions.

WATER EXPLOITATIONINDEX FOR 2030 (abstraction)

Source: Ad de Roo et all: A multi-criteria optimization of scenarios for the protection of water resources in Europe. European Commission, JRC Scientific and Policy Report 2012

PROJECTED BEGINNING AND LENGTH OF THE GROWING SEASON

The beginning of the growing season (T >5oC) (Wrocław region)

Length of the growing season(Wrocław region)

Source: klimat.icm.edu.pl

days

date

PROBABILITY OF CORN MATURING IN THE THERMAL CONDITIONS IN PERIOD 1941-1991 COMPARED TO

THE PROJECTIONS FOR THE PERIOD 2001-2010

0 20 40 60 80 100 %

Source: Kozyra i Gorski 2004

1941-1990 2001-2010

2000 – 162 000 ha2011 – 426 000 ha

WATER MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE VERSUS CLIMATE CHANGE

Emission of greenhouses gases could be mitigate by proper regulation of soil moisture, specially in organic soils.

Scale of problem: Peatlands and organic soils cover 3-4 % of Earth’s area but contain 30 percent of the world’s soil carbon.

It was estimated that in Poland from 0,8 mln ha of wetlands (without forest fens) annual emission CO2

amounts to 14 mln tons (10 place in Europe).

Emission of CO2 depends on fens type, ground water level, temperature, land use, vegetation state and varies from 9 to 90 t ha-1 year-1.

It has been found that is a direct relation between amount of emissions CO2 and the ground water level. Emission of N20 varies from 9 to 60 kg ha-1 year-1

and also depends on drainage depth, soil moisture, fertilizers, temperature.

Adjusting the ground water table it is possible to reduce emissions of CO2 and N20 significantly.

Methane emission

Source: J. Turbiak,2012

Ground water depth [cm]

CH4 emission[mg m-2 h-1]

Total CH4 emissionin growing seasonkg ha-1

0 10,1 50225 7,9 36150 4,0 19875 2,9 141

Shaping of appropriate water conditions in the forests increases the wood production which increase sequestration of CO2.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WATER RESOURCES

Problems: - technically difficult,

- economically expensive,- environmentally negative.

Source: EEA Eldred 2.08

(European Lakes, Dams and Reservoirs

Database), 2008.

SOLUTIONS?The main ways:water saving, water recyckling, water harvesting.Tools:legislation,economy mechanisms,proper water infrastructure and its operationmonitoring and controlling systems,research and technology development,participation of all sectors,education

Land use

Area [mln ha]

totalarea

ameliora-tive area

in this

drained area irrigated area

Arable land

12,11 4,63 [38,2 %]

3,98 [86 % ]

0,05 [1,08 %]

Meadows and pasture

3,18 1,79 [56,3 %]

0,40[22,3 %]

0,36 [20,1 %]

Forests 9,27 0,95 [10,3 %]

DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION AREA

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PROBLEMS OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS1. Age of drainage and irrigation systems.2. The legislation.3. Operation and management.4. The economic condition of the agricultural sector.5. Others.

YEAR

Number of water

companies

Change compared

to 2000 year

2000 2748

2005 2450 - 298

2010 2290 - 458

2011 2292 - 45624

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1951-1955

1956-1960

1961-1965

1966-1970

1971-1975

1976-1980

1981-1985

1986-1990

1991-1995

Recla

imed

area

[th

ousa

nds h

ectar

es]

agricultural lands

forest areas

ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS OF AMELIORATIVE MEASURES

• acceleration of the water cycle in the catchment area,

• reduction of water resources,• transfer of pollutions from the surface of the fields

by ditches to surface water bodies,• increased leaching of chemicals in drainage areas,• destruction of wetland habitats and organic soils,• impact on emission of greenhouses gases.

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MITIGATION OF NEGATIVE RESULTS

• conversion drainage systems into controllable (equiped existing drainage systems with control devices),

• retention drainage outflow in ponds,• mitigation of organic soils degradation by precise

regulation of ground water level,• recirculation of water on ameliorative objects,• restoration of wetlands,• operation of ameliorative systems on protected areas

according to the requirements of protection tasks on these areas.

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RETENTION OF DRAINAGE OUTFLOW IN PONDS

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RESTORATION OF WETLANDS

28

CONTROL MEASURES

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„Increase of retention ability and mitigation of flood and drought in lowland forest ecosystems”

Basic data of the project: - 34 mln Euro, - 4100 small water storage and retention structures: -water reservoirs, -water dammning structures, -restoration of forest wetland.

„Mitigation of water erosion in mountainous areas and maintenance of torrents and connected infrastructure in good state”

Basic data of the project: - 35 mln Euro, - 129 ponds and reservoirs, - protection of slopes areas against water erosion(53 km of skidding paths),- conservation of 173 km of torrents erosion.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Water management in rural areas play important roles in: adaptation of land for agricultural and forestry production, control of water balance in scale of watershed, protection against floods and droughts, shaping proper water conditions in natural environment, development of non-productivity functions of rural areas (recreation, tourism, ecotourism).

2. Water is a key factor in aspect of climate change. Water management may help in adaptation to projected climate change as well may be important tool in mitigation of climate changes. The basic condition for the fulfillment of those roles is appropriate infrastructure and its operation. In Poland, there is an urgent need for technological modernization of existing irrigation and drainage systems and for improvement their operation and maintenance.

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3. All strategies, programmes and plans of water management should not be based on historical observations only, but should consider the likely scenarios of climate change.

Thank you for your attention