Water is a crucial resource for agrarian economies like Pakistan. It enables food production, agriculture and livestock raising, and is essential for sustaining human life. Importance of water for agrarian economy cannot neglected and should be the top most priority.
However, water resources are under increasing pressure from overuse and misuse, intersectoral competition, pollution and the vagaries of climate change. In this context, macroeconomic policies and sectoral policy are important determinants of demand and investment in the water sector.
Water for Food Production
Water is essential for agrarian economies as it allows the production of food crops and other products. Every calorie of plant food requires at least one litre of water, while one calorie of meat or dairy product can require up to 10 litres of water. Urbanization, agricultural land degradation, mandates on biofuels, drought and climate change are among the factors that are reducing available water for agriculture.
A growing population and global demand for food are putting increasing pressure on our Earth’s limited water resources, limiting our ability to feed the world. A “blue revolution,” a dramatic increase in irrigation and blue water food production, needed to meet these challenges and ensure the world’s food security.
The expansion of irrigation over economically water scarce croplands could contribute to the production of an additional 840 million calories per year. This would be equivalent to the total calorie production in 19 low-income countries, including Nigeria (where about 87 to 98 million people currently fed).
Good management practices
Irrigation can improve the productivity of crops and livestock if matched with good management practices. It also reduces the risks of contamination and increases water quality in the environment, which is important for human health.
However, this strategy can challenge by drought and climate changes. Longer dry spells and more erratic rainfall can lead to a significant reduction in soil moisture, which in turn affects crop yields and livestock production.
A number of sustainable irrigation options have developed to alleviate green water deficits that occur during dry seasons. These options include the use of decentralized water harvesting and storage facilities, such as ponds and tanks, and managed aquifer recharge systems (e.g., rain-fed irrigated aquifers) for short periods of green water shortage during crop growing season.
These solutions can be more cost-effective for small-scale farmers in water scarce lands and offer the potential to serve a larger range of cropping activities than large centralized irrigation infrastructure.
The global expansion of irrigation could provide an essential adaptation strategy to climate change and a means to mitigate the impacts of water scarcity, allowing a more reliable and resilient crop production to meet growing food demands. However, it is critical that the expansion of irrigation accompanied by good management practices and efficient water delivery systems that support increased agricultural productivity.
Water for Industrial Purposes
Water is crucial for many industrial sectors, including paper and pulp production, chemicals, mining and metal processing, and petroleum refining. These industries produce a wide variety of goods and services, including foods, medicines, and vehicles. The amount of water used in these industries called the “water intensity,” and it can be a valuable indicator for sustainable development and resource efficiency policies.
Water can draw from rivers, lakes and other natural sources. It is also use to cool machines and buildings, and to wash off materials mined underground. It is important to remember that any industrial water withdrawn must treated before it can be release back into the environment.
The use of water in industry is extensive, and it varies greatly from country to country. Electric power production, paper and pulp production, and other industries such as fertilizer production and chemical plants consume large amounts of water in their manufacturing processes.
Unlike agriculture, which relies primarily on evapotranspiration from crops, the use of water in industrial processes often requires pure water, or water that has purified from other contaminants. These water sources can be groundwater, surface waters, or municipal gray water.
In addition to the need for pure water, many of these industrial processes generate a lot of heat and need an equally large amount of water to cool their machinery. This water often taken from a reservoir or from an industrial waste disposal facility and processed in a way to remove excess heat, such as through a cooling tower.
Chemical pollution
A number of water-related pollution problems can arise from these types of processes, ranging from discharged solutes (chemical pollution) to increased water temperature (thermal pollution). The most common form of industrial pollution occurs from the cooling towers that are use to cool machinery at thermoelectric power plants, paper mills and other factories.
In general, the use of water in agrarian economies depends on a combination of factors such as the quality and availability of local resources, the availability of infrastructure and governmental management of water supplies. In the United States, for example, farmers have begun to invest in hardware- and software-based solutions that help manage their water resources more efficiently. This type of technology can improve yield and reduce costs by reducing evaporation and fertilizer usage, as well as by identifying areas where irrigation is ineffective and where more water could save.
Water for Waste Disposal
Agrarian economies play a crucial role in alleviating poverty and feeding the world’s growing population. However, agrarian economies have been under tremendous pressure from other forms of economic growth such as industrialization and emergence of white-collar jobs.
Water is an essential resource for agrarian economies. This is because it can use to produce food, fuel, and other necessities. It also plays an important role in waste disposal.
In many countries, water is a scarce resource and it is important to use water wisely. This includes the proper management of groundwater resources, the collection of rainwater and the use of irrigation technologies.
Irrigation technology
Irrigation technology has helped to increase crop yields in developing countries. This is a result of multiple factors, including the use of high yielding varieties and fertilizers (‘green revolution’ technology).
The use of water to grow crops has also shown to reduce pollution risks from agricultural practices that are detrimental to water quality. This is particularly true of leaching from livestock effluents.
Animal waste
This is because animal waste can cause a wide range of water pollution problems, including algal blooms and the spread of pathogens.
In addition, the accumulation of wastes in a confined space such as a farm can create environmental hazards. This is why it is vital to dispose of these wastes in a safe and environmentally friendly way.
Water is also a valuable resource for industrial purposes, such as the manufacture of chemicals and plastics. It is also use to wash and rinse goods in the processing industries and for manufacturing of food products and industrial equipment.
The demand for water for non-agricultural purposes is rising in response to increasing populations and urbanization. This demand has an adverse impact on agriculture, because existing urban supplies typically polluted and new urban supplies have to transported from far away sources.
Water scarcity is a serious issue that affects the world’s agriculture sector, and it requires the implementation of policies that improve the allocation of water for agricultural use. These policies intended to ensure that water allocated in a fair and equitable manner to both rural and urban areas, allowing farmers to continue their productive activities in an environmentally sustainable way.
Water for Sanitation
Water is an important factor for the development of agrarian economies. It helps to produce food and other goods in these economies. It is also a source of drinking water for the population and provides sanitation services.
Agricultural production requires a lot of water, and it is necessary to manage this water properly so that the crops can be grow safely. This can do through irrigation and other methods. It can also manage through wastewater management systems. The quality of the water is crucial for the health of the people who consume it, and it can affect the quality of the crops as well.
The importance of water for agriculture reflected in the fact that agriculture accounts for 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawals worldwide. However, water is a precious resource and it must be used wisely to meet the global demand for food.
Water scarcity is a major issue that can cause economic and social difficulties in many parts of the world. This is because people are not able to access water in the required quantity and quality.
A lack of access to water can lead to disease and poverty. Various studies have shown that access to water can help improve the health of communities and increase the productivity of households. In addition, it can increase the income of individuals.
Moreover, it can also protect the environment and help avoid natural disasters such as earthquakes and droughts. This is because water can reduce the damage that occurs during these disasters.
In order to achieve better water supply and sanitation, countries need to adopt strategies that focus on the entire value chain of water. This includes the sourcing of water, treatment and distribution, as well as monitoring and enforcement of service standards (Waddington and others 2009).
Strengthen sanitation facilities in rural areas
Another strategy is to strengthen sanitation facilities in rural areas. This is a process that involves the construction of public toilets and latrines in rural areas, as well as the use of alternative sources of water, such as pit or septic tanks. It is considering a supply-side approach that works without hardware subsidies and facilitates communities to recognize the problem of open defecation and take collective action to become “open defecation free.”
Water and sanitation are essential for economic growth in most countries. Despite the importance of these sectors, they often not taken seriously. Consequently, it is difficult for these sectors to achieve high levels of development.
Recommended readings:
- How to Get Involved on World Water Day
- Water Borne Diseases – Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
- What Is Pollution?
