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International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
Understanding Water- Energy-Food Nexus from Mountain
Perspective
David Molden, Aditi Mukherji, Golam Rasul, Arun Shrestha,
Ramesh Vaidya, Shahriar M. Wahid and Philippus Wester
Presented by Golam Rasul and Aditi Mukherji
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Outline
1. Background & objective
2. Nexus challenges in South Asia
3. Role of Himalayas in Nexus security in South
Asia
4. Challenge in sustaining mountain ecosystems
5. Conclusions & Recommendations
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Water, Energy & Food Security: A common challenge
• Over 40% of the world's poor live in South Asia
• Growing water stress- 20% lack access to safe
drinking water
• Food-energy deficiency- 51%
• 63% population no access to modern energy
• Water, Energy & Food security is a common
challenge for SA
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Objective
• Mountains provide numerous goods & services – fresh water,
biodiversity, food, forest, medicinal products & energy.
• However, the role of mountains in nexus security is not fully
understood & recognized.
• Poor understanding may lead to inadequate action & further
degradation of critical resources including mountain
ecosystems
• With an example of the Himalayan ecosystem services &
their role in ensuring water, energy & food security in SA, we
argue that mountains deserve special attention in the
water-energy-food-nexus discourse.
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• 2. Nexus Challenges in South
Asia
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Nexus Challenges: Food Security
• With 3% of land, SA has to feed 20% population
• Per capita agricultural land declining
• Food production needs to be doubled in next 25
years
• Water demand for irrigation will increase about 70%
• Fertilizer demand will increase over 100%
• Rice & wheat- high water & energy demanding
• Intensification of agriculture has led to a great dependence on water & energy
• Competition for land for food & bio-energy crops & ecosystem services
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Nexus Challenges: Water Security
• Growing water demand for agriculture, energy, industry,
human & livestock
• Uneven endowment of water resources
• Almost 90% water is consumed by the agriculture sector
• About 20% of the population lack access to safe drinking
water
• Groundwater: 70-80% of the agricultural production depends
on groundwater irrigation
• Water pollution – arsenic, water borne diseases, high child
mortality, poor human health, salinization
• Growing water stress- Pakistan, India
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501
1841
4509
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated area in Bangladesh ‘000 ha
5.8
20.8
56
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated land as % of arable land,
Bangladesh
25,523
40,637
57,178
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated area in India ‘000 ha
16
25
35
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated land as % of arable land, India
Challenges: Irrigation Trend, Water Stress
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77
673
1,135
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1965 1985 2002
4
29
36
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated land as % of arable land, Nepal Irrigated land in Nepal, ‘000 ha
11,139
15,548
17,810
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
1965 1985 2002
62.9
77.6 83
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1965 1985 2002
Irrigated land in Pakistan, ‘000 ha Irrigated land as % of arable land, Pakistan
Challenges: Irrigation Trend, Water Stress
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Nexus Challenges: Energy Security
• Widening demand - supply gap
• 63% no electricity -65% use biomass for
cooking
• Shortage of energy impedes economic growth
• Meeting growing energy demand for agriculture,
water, industry & other economic activities
• High dependence on traditional sources, fossil
fuels, imported energy
• Reducing reliance upon fossil fuels & carbon
intensity
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Nexus Challenge: Climate change
• Climate change is a major
concern - alterations in
temperature & precipitation,
melting Himalayan glaciers,
degradation of natural
resources & environment
• Fresh water availability –
increased uncertainty
• Increased frequency of extreme
events, drought, floods,
variability in climate, affecting
monsoon patterns
1990-2080 (% change)
World
-0.6 to -0.9
Developed Countries
2.7 to 9.0
Developing Countries
-3.3 to -7.2
Southeast Asia
-2.5 to -7.8
South Asia
-18.2 to -22.1
Sub-Saharan Africa
-3.9 to -7.5
Latin America
5.2 to 12.5
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3. Role of Himalayas in Water,
Energy, and Food Security in
South Asia
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Himalayas – the water tower of Asia
•Himalayan freshwater
54,000 glaciers , covering 60,000 Km2
•Largest body of ice outside the Polar caps
• Store about 12,000 km3 of freshwater
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Indo-Gangetic Plain- bread basket of SA
• World’s largest irrigated agriculture in
IGBP
• Rice-wheat system
produces the bulk of the food-grains of SA
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Ground water recharge
•Himalayan watersheds are
natural storage of water
•Himalayas influences the
ground water condition of IGBP
- Recharge deep aquifers
•IGBP is rich in ground water –
replenish by rainfall, snow &
ice melting & seepage from
Himalayan watershed
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Monsoon Regulation
• Himalayas
regulates
micro-
climates, wind
& monsoon
circulation,
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Energy Security
• Himalayas have vital role in
energy security in SA
• Hydropower potential 500 GW
• Himalayas can provide access to
green energy
• Of the total hydropower potential in
India, 79% is in the Himalayan region
• Micro-hydropower
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Challenges of sustaining mountain Ecosystems
• No incentives to mountain communities to conserve mountain natural resources.
• Degradation of natural resources- forest, rangeland, soil, watershed, headwaters of Himalayan rivers
• Environmental degradation- biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, siltation, silting river beds, declining ground water recharge, drying up streams,
• Socio-economic impacts- topsoil loss, declining productivity, water shortages, livelihoods insecurity, food insecurity, energy insecurity
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Conclusions
• Need urgent action to sustainably manage
mountain ecosystems to ensure food, water &
energy security.
• Inter-country coordination & collaboration is critical
for long-term solutions for food, water & energy
security.
• A basin-level approach is required to manage
synergies & trade-offs in food, water, & energy
nexus.
• Mountain is global natural capital, it is common
interest & shared responsibility to protect the
mountain ecosystems
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Recommendations
• Recognize the role of mountain ecosystems, upstream-
downstream interdependencies
• Optimum development & sustainable use of water & energy-
micro & macro hydropower - demarcate fragile zones.
• Framework for regional cooperation for multiple uses of water
& benefit-sharing.
• Manage headwaters of the rivers & their watersheds.
• Provide incentives to mountain communities for sustainable
management of the headwaters.
• Promote nexus knowledge base to support decision-making
in managing trade-offs & promoting synergies
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Thank you Thank you
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Recommendations
• Provide alternative energy sources - to reduce black carbon emissions
• Develop micro & macro hydropower optimally- identify potential hydropower areas, demarcate fragile zones .
• Framework for regional cooperation for multiple uses of water for irrigation, energy, navigation, fisheries, domestic uses & for benefit-sharing.
• Promote interdisciplinary research & a nexus knowledge base to support decision-making in managing trade-offs & promoting synergies