Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps
Solar-powered irrigation systems are being scaled globally, especially in South Asia, to mitigate agriculture’s carbon emissions while addressing water–energy–food nexus challenges. However, this expansion raises concerns that solar irrigation could exacerbate groundwater overexploitation. Here we a...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Springer
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177978 |
| _version_ | 1855530630345916416 |
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| author | Alam, Mohammad Faiz Mitra, Archisman Mahapatra, Smaranika Pavelic, Paul Buisson, Marie-Charlotte Habib, A. Saha, T. K. Haque, A. Sikka, Alok |
| author_browse | Alam, Mohammad Faiz Buisson, Marie-Charlotte Habib, A. Haque, A. Mahapatra, Smaranika Mitra, Archisman Pavelic, Paul Saha, T. K. Sikka, Alok |
| author_facet | Alam, Mohammad Faiz Mitra, Archisman Mahapatra, Smaranika Pavelic, Paul Buisson, Marie-Charlotte Habib, A. Saha, T. K. Haque, A. Sikka, Alok |
| author_sort | Alam, Mohammad Faiz |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Solar-powered irrigation systems are being scaled globally, especially in South Asia, to mitigate agriculture’s carbon emissions while addressing water–energy–food nexus challenges. However, this expansion raises concerns that solar irrigation could exacerbate groundwater overexploitation. Here we assess groundwater trade-offs of solar irrigation deployment in Bangladesh by comparing farmers’ water use for dry season paddy cultivation under diesel pumps and a solarized fee-for-service model. After accounting for soil, variety, land type and sowing time, no significant difference in terms of water application was found between solar (694–1,014 mm) and diesel (663–775 mm) plots in 2021–22 and 2022–23. A marginal 4.2 percentage point increase in dry season paddy area was observed under solar irrigation. Groundwater modelling shows solar irrigation has minimal regional impact, though risks arise if water use and dry-season area increase significantly. These results provide empirical evidence of changes in farmers’ water use after the transition to solar irrigation, but they are highly context-specific. Further research and tailored policies—such as water-saving practices, volumetric pricing, targeted scaling and smart subsidies—will ensure sustainable solar irrigation upscaling. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace177978 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1779782025-12-08T09:54:28Z Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps Alam, Mohammad Faiz Mitra, Archisman Mahapatra, Smaranika Pavelic, Paul Buisson, Marie-Charlotte Habib, A. Saha, T. K. Haque, A. Sikka, Alok groundwater irrigation water solar powered irrigation systems pumps farmers water use Solar-powered irrigation systems are being scaled globally, especially in South Asia, to mitigate agriculture’s carbon emissions while addressing water–energy–food nexus challenges. However, this expansion raises concerns that solar irrigation could exacerbate groundwater overexploitation. Here we assess groundwater trade-offs of solar irrigation deployment in Bangladesh by comparing farmers’ water use for dry season paddy cultivation under diesel pumps and a solarized fee-for-service model. After accounting for soil, variety, land type and sowing time, no significant difference in terms of water application was found between solar (694–1,014 mm) and diesel (663–775 mm) plots in 2021–22 and 2022–23. A marginal 4.2 percentage point increase in dry season paddy area was observed under solar irrigation. Groundwater modelling shows solar irrigation has minimal regional impact, though risks arise if water use and dry-season area increase significantly. These results provide empirical evidence of changes in farmers’ water use after the transition to solar irrigation, but they are highly context-specific. Further research and tailored policies—such as water-saving practices, volumetric pricing, targeted scaling and smart subsidies—will ensure sustainable solar irrigation upscaling. 2025-11 2025-11-18T05:20:53Z 2025-11-18T05:20:53Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177978 en Limited Access Springer Alam, M. F.; Mitra, A.; Mahapatra, S.; Pavelic, P.; Buisson, M.-C.; Habib, A.; Saha, T. K.; Haque, A.; Sikka, A. 2025. Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps. Nature Water, 13p. (Online first). doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00534-4 |
| spellingShingle | groundwater irrigation water solar powered irrigation systems pumps farmers water use Alam, Mohammad Faiz Mitra, Archisman Mahapatra, Smaranika Pavelic, Paul Buisson, Marie-Charlotte Habib, A. Saha, T. K. Haque, A. Sikka, Alok Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title | Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title_full | Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title_fullStr | Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title_short | Bangladesh’s groundwater trade-offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar-powered pumps |
| title_sort | bangladesh s groundwater trade offs from decarbonizing irrigation through solar powered pumps |
| topic | groundwater irrigation water solar powered irrigation systems pumps farmers water use |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177978 |
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