Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”

Target 6.4 of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deals with the reduction of water scarcity. To monitor progress towards this target, two indicators are used: Indicator 6.4.1 measuring water use efficiency and 6.4.2 measuring the level of water stress (WS). This paper aims to...

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Autores principales: Vanham, D., Hoekstra, A.Y., Wada, Y., Bouraoui, F., Roo, A. de, Mekonnen, M.M., Bund, W.J. van de, Batelaan, O., Pavelic, Paul, Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M., Kummu, M., Rockström, Johan, Liu, J., Bisselink, B., Ronco, P., Pistocchi, A., Bidoglio, G.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89277
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author Vanham, D.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Wada, Y.
Bouraoui, F.
Roo, A. de
Mekonnen, M.M.
Bund, W.J. van de
Batelaan, O.
Pavelic, Paul
Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M.
Kummu, M.
Rockström, Johan
Liu, J.
Bisselink, B.
Ronco, P.
Pistocchi, A.
Bidoglio, G.
author_browse Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M.
Batelaan, O.
Bidoglio, G.
Bisselink, B.
Bouraoui, F.
Bund, W.J. van de
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Kummu, M.
Liu, J.
Mekonnen, M.M.
Pavelic, Paul
Pistocchi, A.
Rockström, Johan
Ronco, P.
Roo, A. de
Vanham, D.
Wada, Y.
author_facet Vanham, D.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Wada, Y.
Bouraoui, F.
Roo, A. de
Mekonnen, M.M.
Bund, W.J. van de
Batelaan, O.
Pavelic, Paul
Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M.
Kummu, M.
Rockström, Johan
Liu, J.
Bisselink, B.
Ronco, P.
Pistocchi, A.
Bidoglio, G.
author_sort Vanham, D.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Target 6.4 of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deals with the reduction of water scarcity. To monitor progress towards this target, two indicators are used: Indicator 6.4.1 measuring water use efficiency and 6.4.2 measuring the level of water stress (WS). This paper aims to identify whether the currently proposed indicator 6.4.2 considers the different elements that need to be accounted for in a WS indicator. WS indicators compare water use with water availability. We identify seven essential elements: 1) both gross and net water abstraction (or withdrawal) provide important information to understand WS; 2) WS indicators need to incorporate environmental flow requirements (EFR); 3) temporal and 4) spatial disaggregation is required in a WS assessment; 5) both renewable surface water and groundwater resources, including their interaction, need to be accounted for as renewable water availability; 6) alternative available water resources need to be accounted for as well, like fossil groundwater and desalinated water; 7) WS indicators need to account for water storage in reservoirs, water recycling and managed aquifer recharge. Indicator 6.4.2 considers many of these elements, but there is need for improvement. It is recommended that WS is measured based on net abstraction as well, in addition to currently only measuring WS based on gross abstraction. It does incorporate EFR. Temporal and spatial disaggregation is indeed defined as a goal in more advanced monitoring levels, in which it is also called for a differentiation between surface and groundwater resources. However, regarding element 6 and 7 there are some shortcomings for which we provide recommendations. In addition, indicator 6.4.2 is only one indicator, which monitors blue WS, but does not give information on green or green-blue water scarcity or on water quality. Within the SDG indicator framework, some of these topics are covered with other indicators.
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spelling CGSpace892772025-01-24T14:11:59Z Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress” Vanham, D. Hoekstra, A.Y. Wada, Y. Bouraoui, F. Roo, A. de Mekonnen, M.M. Bund, W.J. van de Batelaan, O. Pavelic, Paul Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M. Kummu, M. Rockström, Johan Liu, J. Bisselink, B. Ronco, P. Pistocchi, A. Bidoglio, G. water scarcity water stress water use efficiency water availability water quality sustainable development economic activities evaluation monitoring indicators environmental flows surface water reservoirs pollution environmental engineering Target 6.4 of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deals with the reduction of water scarcity. To monitor progress towards this target, two indicators are used: Indicator 6.4.1 measuring water use efficiency and 6.4.2 measuring the level of water stress (WS). This paper aims to identify whether the currently proposed indicator 6.4.2 considers the different elements that need to be accounted for in a WS indicator. WS indicators compare water use with water availability. We identify seven essential elements: 1) both gross and net water abstraction (or withdrawal) provide important information to understand WS; 2) WS indicators need to incorporate environmental flow requirements (EFR); 3) temporal and 4) spatial disaggregation is required in a WS assessment; 5) both renewable surface water and groundwater resources, including their interaction, need to be accounted for as renewable water availability; 6) alternative available water resources need to be accounted for as well, like fossil groundwater and desalinated water; 7) WS indicators need to account for water storage in reservoirs, water recycling and managed aquifer recharge. Indicator 6.4.2 considers many of these elements, but there is need for improvement. It is recommended that WS is measured based on net abstraction as well, in addition to currently only measuring WS based on gross abstraction. It does incorporate EFR. Temporal and spatial disaggregation is indeed defined as a goal in more advanced monitoring levels, in which it is also called for a differentiation between surface and groundwater resources. However, regarding element 6 and 7 there are some shortcomings for which we provide recommendations. In addition, indicator 6.4.2 is only one indicator, which monitors blue WS, but does not give information on green or green-blue water scarcity or on water quality. Within the SDG indicator framework, some of these topics are covered with other indicators. 2018-02 2017-11-09T04:43:37Z 2017-11-09T04:43:37Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89277 en Open Access Elsevier Vanham, D.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Wada, Y.; Bouraoui, F.; de Roo, A.; Mekonnen, M. M.; van de Bund, W. J.; Batelaan, O.; Pavelic, Paul; Bastiaanssen, W. G. M.; Kummu, M.; Rockstrom, J.; Liu, J.; Bisselink, B.; Ronco, P.; Pistocchi, A.; Bidoglio, G. 2017. Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress” Science of the Total Environment, 15p. (Online first). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.056
spellingShingle water scarcity
water stress
water use efficiency
water availability
water quality
sustainable development
economic activities
evaluation
monitoring
indicators
environmental flows
surface water
reservoirs
pollution
environmental engineering
Vanham, D.
Hoekstra, A.Y.
Wada, Y.
Bouraoui, F.
Roo, A. de
Mekonnen, M.M.
Bund, W.J. van de
Batelaan, O.
Pavelic, Paul
Bastiaanssen, Wim G.M.
Kummu, M.
Rockström, Johan
Liu, J.
Bisselink, B.
Ronco, P.
Pistocchi, A.
Bidoglio, G.
Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title_full Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title_fullStr Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title_full_unstemmed Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title_short Physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards SDG target 6.4: An evaluation of indicator 6.4.2 “Level of water stress”
title_sort physical water scarcity metrics for monitoring progress towards sdg target 6 4 an evaluation of indicator 6 4 2 level of water stress
topic water scarcity
water stress
water use efficiency
water availability
water quality
sustainable development
economic activities
evaluation
monitoring
indicators
environmental flows
surface water
reservoirs
pollution
environmental engineering
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89277
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