BASIN-RELATED CURRENT RESEARCH AT IWMI
RIVER BASINS:CURRENT RESEARCH AT IWMIVladimir Smakhtin,
Inputs from Mark Giordano, Paul Pavlic, Matthew McCartney, C.T.
Hoanh, Guillaume Lacombe, Sonali Selamuttu, Robyn Johnston,
Charlotte MacAlister, Catherine Pfeifer, Mulugeta Lemenih,
Katherine Snyder, Simon Langan, Barbara van Koppen, Kai Wegerlich,
Jonathan Lautze, Diana Suhardiman, JP Venot, Dennis Wichelns, Akmal
Karimov, Upali Amarasinghe, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Luna Bharati, Fred
Kizito
1COVERAGE - GEOGRAPHYGlobalGanges and Indus NileVolta Syr-Darya
Zambezi, LimpopoMekongOther (Krishna, Godavari, Chao Praya) Water
for a food-secure world2COVERAGE - TOPICSManaging resources
variabilityWater infrastructureAllocate and manage water and land
to raise productivity, improve equity and safeguard
ESBenefit-sharingPolitical economy of policy selection
Water for a food-secure world3MANAGING VARIABILITY managed
aquifer recharge
Harvest only high floods (e.g. once in 4 years); Around 25%
MAFUse harvested water for agricultural production every
yearEstimated 100 km2 dedicated land necessary Some 270,000 ha
additional irrigation may be possible$200+ M /year income to
smallholder farmersFarmers must be encouraged to become flood
harvesters Desktop, preliminary study only. No precedents yetIF
SOME 15% OF INDIA TOTAL FLOW IS HARVESTED SIMILARLY, IT WILL
INCREASE WATER SUPPLY BY 285 KM3 ABOUT 50% OF TOTAL INDIA WATER
WITHDRAWAL AT PRESENT
Chao Praya, ThailandWater for a food-secure worlduse of
subsurface solution to manage variability.Pauls workIndia is a
speculative figure but is it not feasible to suggest the
possibility of capturing this water throughout the country? Can
this be an alternative to the National River Plumbing Project ?Will
it not be a more pro-poor alternative?
4
MANAGING VARIABILITY WATER STORAGE
Water for a food-secure worldExplain all this. Also one of the
Bonn 2011 Nexus messages - value natural infrastructure
5MANAGING VARIABILITY WATER STORAGEWhat is the best combination
of storage options that meet technical, environmental and social
objectives?
Can storage evaluation metrics be developed to facilitate
storage development planning?
Livestock storage NEED based on poor population density,
livestock density, rainfall pattern Projects in Volta, Nile, Nepal
Water for a food-secure worldMany options ranging from Many good
sites are already exploited, there will be hardly another Big Dam
Revolution, so wee need to turn to multiple storage options and
influence the structured plans of storage development in nations
and basinsMatthew and Lisas attempts to map various storage metrics
Conflicting trends: destruction of dams in USA vs the need to
develop them in Africa - look at the trends
6WATER INFRASTRUCTURE Improving livelihoods: Mekong Laos Nam
Nounang Reservoir:Suitability of land for recession agriculture -
based on access, slope stability, duration of land exposure to
drawdown
MekongHow dams can be constructed and operated to optimize
benefits for all ?
Testing local livelihood enhancement strategies around
reservoirs (recession agriculture, fishing)Reviewing policy and
legal frameworks to incorporate livelihoods in decision making in
hydropower development
Water for a food-secure worldThe MK1 project broadly comprises
on 3 components mentioned in slide:LivelihoodsPolicy and
institutionsDecisions Support System (DSS)
Lao PDR Site
Reservoir water level fluctuation and daily rainfall pattern for
Nam Gnouang reservoir.
MK1 is checking the feasibility of vegetable cultivation along
the reservoir draw down area one potential livelihood
diversification option. Vegetable cultivation in draw down area of
reservoir likely to be possible between November and May based on
rainfall patterns. This would assist communities living upstream of
the dam (adjacent to the reservoir) for example in the Keosengkham
Resettlement site highlighted in the slide.
MK1 is in discussions with the THPC (hydropower company)
regarding this. The company has been willing to consider this
option.
MK1 can provide some technical support on potential land uses
based on household survey results, consultations with the
community, relevant GIS data, single reservoir model and LUPAS
model.
The Nam Gnouang (NG) reservoir serves as a storage reservoir to
feed the downstream headpond of the THPC power station. The
expected draw-down and fill-up of the reservoir will cause the
water level to fluctuate between 420 m (minimum water level) and
455 m (full supply level) an amplitude of 35 m. This fluctuation in
water level will result in land fringing the reservoir and the
upstream river banks to be exposed for different durations
depending on elevation. The maximum extent of exposed land at the
lowest draw-down at 420 m is shown in the map in this slide (green
area). The contiguous water surface at 420 m is shown in blue. It
may appear that there is a lot of land that would be available for
seasonal cultivation. However the actual availability is
constrained by (a) the exposure duration that should be longer than
the cropping duration; and (b) the practical reach of villagers in
terms of walking distance or fuel cost if they travel by boat.
The simulated reservoir water levels (RWL) in Figure 4 are the
result of ResSim modeling. The exposure period of these
seasonally-inundated land increases with elevation. Land at high
elevation gets exposed earlier as the reservoir water is drawn down
and gets inundated later as the reservoir fills up. Early planting
on newly-exposed land can depend on residual moisture when the soil
is still wet, but would require rainfall when the land dries up. As
the draw-down occurs during the dry season, too early a planting
date may cause the crop to face a period of water shortage before
the rainy season starts, usually in March. Hence the duration of
use of the seasonally-exposed land for rainfed crops (the
cultivable period) may be further reduced by water
availability.
It is to be noted that the draw-down (DD) period is longer
(averaging 8.25 months) than the fill-up period (averaging 3.75
months). Also the draw-down profile is more consistent (being
controlled by reservoir operation) while the refilling profile is
more variable (being dependent on river inflow and rainfall
patterns). This means that farmers would not be sure when their
growing season will be over, i.e. when the fields are flooded.
7
WATER INFRASRUCTUREEvaluating scenarios of CC and water
infrastructure development
Schematic of the Volta Basin with both existing and planned
development
A1B scenario with three different development scenarios
Projects in Volta, Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Indus Water for a
food-secure worldWATER INFRUSTRUCTURE AND ES Regulating functions
of wetlands and floodplains: Zambezi
Method to quantify natural flow regulating impacts of
floodplains for decision-makingPotential for a similar much larger
study on natural water infrastructure
Water for a food-secure world
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND
ES
Sudd (Southern Sudan) understanding ET and impacts of upstream
water developments on it using RSVolta: Valuation of ES and
Identification of hot spots for interventions to reduce land and
water degradationSEDIMENT YIELDEVAPOTRANSPIRATIONWater for a
food-secure worldSlide Narrative:
We estimated the ability of vegetation to keep soil in place on
a given pixel by comparing erosion rates on that pixel to what
erosion rates would be on that pixel with no vegetation present
(bare soil) with the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem
Services And Tradeoff) Model.
Results indicate that the spatial patterns of sediment yield
were higher in the northern portions of the basin.
This area had a sediment yield of the range 20-60 t ha-1yr-1
which is an area with a high density of small reservoirs while the
southern portion show less than 3 t ha-1yr-1
Sub-basin areas associated with net sediment losses greater than
the threshold in the Basin (about 20 t ha-1yr-1) are characterized
by steep slopes, poor vegetative cover and high population
pressures. The modeling procedure through the InVEST platform was
used as an operational technical tool to identify vulnerable-spots
that require management interventions in order to minimize land and
water degradation within the Volta Basin.
Valuation results indicate a net savings of 40% if interventions
are implemented in vulnerable spots which would enhance other
ecosystem services such as biodiversity and water quality.
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND
ES:Environmental flows in the Upper Ganges, India Huge tropical
river- done first time ever in the worldIconic river cultural and
spiritual anglesMulti disciplinary Expert Panel approachLarge
capacity building
Ganges111.4 ObjectivesALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED
PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES: Water footprint of crops and
production systems
Milk Punjab and all-IndiaCoffee Global and Viet NamBiofuels
Thailand and Malaysia Milk- Best in terms of land useMilk- wheat
-Best in terms of water useWater for a food-secure worldUse all
India Milk rather and / Coffee globalMention coffee12ALLOCATION OF
RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES - Blue Nile
Proportion of rainfall used by various hydrological
processesAssessment of feasibility of Rainwater management systems
(RMS) under different water resource, policy and socioeconomic
scenarios
Willingness to adoptMapping suitability ofmanagement strategies
Mapping ES based on LULC and how ES change under different
management strategies
Current ES value distribution, USD/ haWater for a food-secure
worldN4 looks first biophysical perspective (suitable); then from
economic (feasible?). If you CAN grow apples soil and water wise,
can you sell them if you have no access to market?...Could be
endless number of scenario development AfromaisonThis project aims
to Link field scale and with Basin scale.Terraces map- Catherine
Pfiefer combined detailed survey of households where it was adopted
with There is an old standard valuation guidelines of ES it was
applied to LULC (right map, Mulugetu). The relative value is more
of an interest than absolute in $Other interventions injection
wells, mulching, silt traps etcThe Hill picture shows the nested
grid/ sub-grid effects that interventions may be different because
of the altitude (landscape)- that are not seen in a basin scale
13ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND
ES : Critically evaluating concepts of basin management
Understanding policy making processes that govern basin management
& planning: Volta, Mekong, Limpopo and Aral Sea Basins
Designing participatory approach to implement IWRM policies, at
national level, Volta
Examining how RBOs relate to the existing formal institutions
for water management (local government and line agencies) and
informal water management at community level - Limpopo and
elsewhere in SSA
Water for a food-secure worldALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR
IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES : Examining Transboundary
Water Issues Analyzing commissions such as the MRC and issues of
legal plurality in transboundary basin contexts
Examining the entire body of transboundary water law to derive
lessons on such issues and data and information sharing, flow
variability and conflict resolution
Applying insights to particular regions, e.g. Central Asia
Fergana Valley, Syr Darya BasinSuitability of groundwater
banking As a solution to transboundary disputesWater for a
food-secure worldBENEFIT SHARINGExamining the role, or lack
thereof, of Payment for Environmental Services in basin management-
Mekong, NepalWater for a food-secure worldPOLITICAL ECONOMY OF
POLICY SELECTIONExamining the role of scientific assessments in
shaping basin scale development (e.g. hydropower debates in the
Mekong)
Conceptualizing community-driven MUS through local government as
a possible missing institutional link between basin organizations
and water users: the possibility of bottom-up IWRM.
Establishing Innovation Platforms at local community and
regional levels (Nile) - the mechanisms of exploring and advancing
tailor made institutional / biophysical interventions that improve
NRM Water for a food-secure worldTHANK YOUWater for a food-secure
world