UNESCO Chair and Delft University professor gave this presentation on why water accounting is important.

1. Why water accounting ?
Wim Bastiaanssen
• UNESCO Chair for Global Water Accounting
• Professor at Delft University of Technology

3. Developments and trends
• Growing population
• Expanding cities
• Increase food production
• Deforestation
• Wetland degradation
• Leisure
• Climate change

4. www.wateraccounting.org

6. Different professional languages
in water and environmental decision making processes

8. Objectives WA+
Operationalize a standard reporting system on water resources
conditions in river basins, including hydrology, water
management, land use and the services from consumptive use
based on open access data sources, and with a standard
terminology. Both current and future conditions can be assessed
sheets tables
maps

9. Why is ET so important ?
• The second largest component of the water balance
(after rainfall)
• Plants cannot live without ET (food, pastures, nature,
parks etc.)
• ET is consumptive use of water

11. Development of remote sensing technologies
Temperature

12. Models for crop production
Measured by satellites

13. Principles of water accounting

14. River basin management options
• Modify water flows
• Modify land use practices
Protected Land Use Utilized Land Use
Modified Land Use Managed Water Use

15. Protected Land Use Utilized Land Use
Modified Land Use Managed Water Use

16. Data sources will never be complete and made
fully accessible, especially when competition
on water resources increases
Ideal
data
Real
data

17. WA+ is mainly based on accessible satellite data
Eyeinthesky

18. Six key data sets from remote sensing
•Digital Elevation Model
•Land use
•Precipitation
•Evapotranspiration
•Net radiation
•Biomass production
In near future:
•Water levels
•Groundwater changes

19. Accounting sheets

20. WA+ Ca Basin

21. Digital Elevation Model - Ca Basin

22. Land use map - Ca Basin

23. Validation of different remotely sensed rainfall products against rain gauges
CHIRPS is our favorite

24. Yearly rainfall maps Ca Basin

25. Monthly validation

26. Yearly water yield (P – ET) maps – Ca basin

27. Monthly water yield maps (P – ET) – Ca basin

28. Monthly river flow in Ca basin at 6 gauging station

36. Examples ecosystem services
The Day Sub-basin

37. Evapotranspiration Red River
Courtesy: Gijs Simons
`Day Basin

38. Day Basin

39. Day Basin

40. Day Basin

41. Day Basin

42. Day Basin

43. Supporting slides

44. Provisioning services Technology Regulating services Technology
Fresh water yield - surface water Water balance from rainfall, ET
and soil moisture
Prevention of water erosion Surface runoff, green cover and
geographical information
Fresh water yield - groundwater Water balance from rainfall, ET
and soil moisture
Groundwater recharge Fraction of rainfall surplus in the
soil water balance
Water for irrigation Blue water consumption Water flow maintenance Baseflow in the soil water balance
Water for hydropower Blue water consumption Shift to drought resilient
agriculture
Difference actual and potential
crop transpiration
Water for wetlands Blue water consumption Nutritionally complete production Nitrogen levels taken up by crops
Water for groundwater dependent
ecosystems
Blue water consumption Carbon storage and sequestration
(incl. blue carbon)
NPP and land use
Crop yield (food) NPP and land use Reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions
Land use and soil moisture (i.e.
inverse aeration)
Crop yield (feed) NPP and land use Enhancing micro- and regional
climate cooling
Sensible and latent heat flux
Crop yield (fiber, fuel, other) NPP and land use Vector-borne water diseases Stagnant water bodies
Crop residues NPP and land use Reduce flood risk in populated
areas
Measuring flooded areas
Timber (forest plantations) NPP and land use Enhance floods in wetlands and
inundation areas
Measuring flooded areas
Reduce sedimentation in reservoirs Total suspended matter
Fuelwood (savannah) NPP and land use Reduce eutrophication in water Inverse modelling of spectral
reflectance
Improved natural livestock feed
production
NPP and land use Habitat quality including
agrobiodiversity
Heterogeneity of canopy cover and
spatial connectivity

47. Evaporation recycling and rainfall production

48. Atmospheric moisture recycling within basins is
scientifically proven
Van der Ent et al. (2012)

50. Components carbon pool
(Mton/ha)
LULC_name LULC C_above C_below C_soil C_dead
Paddy 1 2.6 0.7 54.0 0.5
Grass 2 8.0 8.0 25.0 3.0
Annual Crop 3 3.0 0.7 57.0 0.1
Perennial crops 4 10.0 0.7 65.0 0.1
Industrial tree 5 38.5 7.5 276.2 1.0
Orchard 6 125.0 5.0 115.0 1.0
Forest 7 200.0 100.0 318.2 65.0
Aquaculture 8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Saltmarsh 9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Resident 10 75.0 50.0 75.0 1.0
Buildup - resident area 11 3.0 0.7 57.0 0.0
River - canal 12 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

51. Loss of food production Eastern China
Poor practise
Good practise

52. Provisioning services Ground data Remote sensing Hydr. Modeling Unit Tools
1 Crop yield (food) X kg/ha NPP, Land use
2 Crop yield (feed) X kg/ha NPP, Land use
3 Crop yield (other) X kg/ha NPP, Land use
4 Timber (forest plantations) X kg/ha NPP, Land use
5 Aquaculture (ponds and cages) X kg/ha FAOSTAT
6 Crop residues X kg/ha NPP, Land use
7 Inland capture fishery X kg/ha FAOSTAT
8 Fuelwood X kg/ha NPP, Land use
9 Natural livestock feed production X kg/ha NPP, Land use
10 Water for irrigation X m3/ha SEB, Land use
11 Water for industry & domestic use X m3/ha FAOSTAT
12 Water for livestock X m3/unit SWAT groundwater
13 Water for hydropower X X m3/Kwh Water depth, lake area
Regulating services
14 Maintenance of baseflow (X) X m3/s SWAT
15 Groundwater recharge (X) X m3/ha SWAT
16 Meeting environmental flow requirements (X) X m3/s SWAT
17 Carbon sequestration X kg C/ha NPP, Land use
18 Greenhouse Gas Emissions X kg C/ha Land use
19 Micro-climate cooling X C SEB
20 Enhanced atmospheric moisture recycling (X) X m3/ha Van der Ent model
21
Mitigation extreme flood risk populated
areas
X X m3 m3 MIKE
22
Avoiding crop/livestock losses from water
stress
X kg/ha
SEB
23 Storage capacity X (X) X m3/m3
SWAT, water depth,
area
24 Reduce eutrophication in water X (X) % Chlorophyll model
25 Prevention of water erosion X (X) X kg soil/ha Vegetation cover, SWAT
Habitat services
26 Flora diversity X X No./ha Surveys, LAI
Cultural services
27 Leisure X No./ha Surveys?

53. www.wateraccounting.org

54. Qsw outlet

60. Surface water flow diagram