Irrigation area, efficiency and water storage mediate the drought resilience of irrigated agriculture in a semi-arid catchment

We examined the effects of hydrological variables such as irrigation area, irrigation efficiency and water storage on the resilience of (mostly commercial) irrigated agriculture to drought in a semi-arid catchment in South Africa. We formulated a conceptual framework termed 'Water, Efficiency, Resilience, Drought' (WERD) and an accompanying spreadsheet model. These allow the resilience of irrigated agriculture to drought to be analysed via water accounts and a key resilience indicator termed Days to Day Zero (DDZ). This represents the number of days that a pre- and within-drought supply of catchment water available to irrigation is withdrawn down to zero in the face of a prolonged drought. A higher DDZ (e.g. >300 days) indicates greater resilience whilst a lower DDZ (e.g. <150 days) signals lower resilience. Drought resilience arises through land and water management decisions underpinned by four types of resilience capacities; absorptive, adaptive, anticipative and transformative. For the case study, analyses showed that irrigators, with currently approximately 23,000 ha under irrigation, have historically absorbed and adapted to drought events through construction of water storage and adoption of more efficient irrigation practices resulting in a DDZ of 260 days. However, by not fully anticipating future climate and water-related risks, irrigators are arguably on a maladaptive pathway resulting in water supply gains, efficiency and other practices being used to increase irrigation command areas to 28,000 ha or more, decreasing their capacity to absorb future droughts. This areal growth increases water withdrawals and depletion, further stresses the catchment, and reduces future DDZs to approximately 130 days indicating much lower drought resilience. Our approach, supported by supplementary material, allows stakeholders to understand the resilience consequences of future drought in order to; reconcile competition between rising water demands, consider new water storage; improve agricultural and irrigation planning; and enhance catchment governance.

An exploration of circular water management accountability: A case from Indonesia

Purpose

Palm oil is the leading commodity of the plantation sub-sector in Indonesia, providing a tremendous economic impact for the people and the government. However, the development of oil palm plantations raises the issue of environmental damage because oil palms use large quantities of water. The purpose of this study is to explore circular water management accountability practices through disclosures issued by each company and the effectiveness of water management voluntary disclosure under the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards on increasing stakeholder trust and reducing information asymmetry.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used secondary data collected from reports published by plantation sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) and accessible online. Analysis was performed using the method of Miles and Huberman (1992): data reduction, data presentation, conclusion drawing, and verification. Data reduction was conducted by identifying plantation sub-sector companies that reported water management practices consecutively from 2018 to 2020 and seeking all disclosures related to water management and circular water management practices with 3R indicators. Data presentation was carried out by presenting findings from circular water management disclosures and comparing inter-year circular water management accountability practices to examine reporting routines. Finally, conclusions were drawn and verified.

Findings

The results of this study show that only six of the 20 plantation sub-sector companies reported circular water management with 3R indicators for three consecutive years (2018-2020). Two of these six companies attached GRI index references to their reports consisting of GRI 303 (Water and Effluents) and GRI 306 (Waste), while the other four did not. In addition, water management voluntary disclosure under the GRI standards was shown to increase stakeholder trust and reduce information asymmetry.

Originality/value

This study raises the concepts of water accounting and circular water management accountability practices in plantation sub-sector companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).

Comprehensive Water Footprint of a University Campus in Colombia: Impact of Wastewater Treatment Modeling

Protection of water resources implies the responsible consumption, and the return of this resource with the best physicochemical conditions. In organizations, water is consumed both directly in their facilities and indirectly in the products or services acquired for their operation, requiring a water accounting based on the life cycle perspective. This study aims to assess the comprehensive water footprint of the main campus of the Technological University of Pereira (Colombia), based on the ISO 14046:2014 standard, and analyze the influence of wastewater treatment. Impacts on water scarcity were evaluated using the AWARE method, while the impacts on human health and ecosystems were evaluated using the ReCiPe method. Specific modeling of the wastewater treatment plants on campus was conducted. A total of 102,670 m³.y^-1 of water scarcity was accounted for. Water consumption per person was 17.8 m³ of which 86.2% corresponded to indirect activities. Similarly, indirect activities were responsible for more than 98% of the impacts on human health and ecosystems, where more than 95% were due to infrastructure construction and 2% due to electricity consumption. Although the wastewater treatment on campus reduced the impact on ecosystems by 14%, if a tertiary treatment was added, these impacts would have a 40% of additional reduction. Efforts in recycling programs were also quantified in 712 m³ of avoided water scarcity for secondary users. The findings suggest focusing actions on sustainable construction and purchases to improve water management in organizations.