EL

WATER ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE

Water Sustainability: Basic Concept
Week 3 - Lecture 11

PT
Dr. MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

N SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES

IIT KHARAGPUR

1
What is Sustainability
 Ability to Sustain:

“Meeting current needs without compromising the opportunities of future

EL
generations to meet their needs ”
-World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

PT
“Development in a manner that can be maintained for an indefinite time
without causing unacceptable environmental, economic, or social
consequences.” N
-USGS (United States Geological Survey) Circular 1186, 1999

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 2
Water Sustainability

Sustainable water systems should

provide adequate water quantity

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and appropriate water quality for a
given need, without compromising

PT
the future ability to provide this
capacity and quality
N
Definitions usually involve a long-term view Image Source:
http://elementblue.com/2012/08/31/measurin
towards water sufficiency. g-sustainability-for-intelligent-water/
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 3
Water Sustainability

The 2010 Clarke Prize Lecture by Schoonr

defines Water Sustainability as “supplying
or being supplied with water for life or,

EL
perhaps more precisely, as the continual
supply of clean water for human uses and

PT
for other living things”.

Sustainability is about finding a balance

needs and realities.

N
between social, environmental and financial
Image Source: Sustainable Water, Eds. Charles
Ainger and Richard Fenner

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 4
Daly Rules for Sustainability
Former Chief Economist for the World Bank, Herman E. Daly, (Professor at
School of Public Policy, University of Maryland) suggests the following three
operational rules defining the condition of ecological sustainability:

EL
1) Renewable resources such as fish, soil, and groundwater must be used no
faster than the rate at which they regenerate.

PT
2) Nonrenewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels must be used no
faster than renewable substitutes for them can be put into place.
N
3) Pollution and wastes must be emitted no faster than natural systems can
absorb them, recycle them, or render them harmless.

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 5
Water Sustainability
 Non-Sustainable Management :
• Inadequate consideration of future generations

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• Undue recognition of the value and limits of water
• Singular decision making

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• Unreasonable use, unacceptable impacts, and high costs
• Imbalance between meeting societal and ecosystem needs
•
•
N
Inability to deal with droughts, climate change etc.
Lack of critical considerations: time costs and acceptable impacts

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 6
Water Sustainability
 Water Sustainability Recognizes :
• Present and future generations
• The value of water supply

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• Shared responsibilities
• Renewable but not limitless water supply

PT
• Stewardship
• Reasonable use and acceptable impacts
N
• Maintenance of integrity of societal and ecological systems
• Adaptability and flexibility to deal with uncertainties and risks
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
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Water Sustainability
 Concept of Sustainable Water Uses:

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Water withdrawal ≈ Water recharge

PT
[Both in terms of quality and quantity]

N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 8
WATER ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE

EL
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
Week 3 - Lecture 12

PT
Dr. MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

N SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES

IIT KHARAGPUR

9
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 Background:

• Scarcity and misuse of fresh water pose a serious and growing threat to

EL
sustainable development and protection of the environment.

• Human health and welfare, food security, industrial development and the

PT
ecosystems on which they depend, are all at risk, unless water and land
resources are managed more effectively in the present decade.
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 Background:

• Five hundred participants, including government-designated experts from a

EL
hundred countries and representatives of eighty international,
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations attended the

PT
International Conference on Water and the Environment (ICWE) in Dublin,
Ireland, on 26-31 January 1992.

N
• The experts saw the emerging global water resources picture as critical.

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 Background:

• At the closing session, the Conference adopted this Dublin Statement and

EL
the Conference Report.

• The problems highlighted were not speculative in nature; nor were they

PT
likely to affect our planet only in the distant future. They were there and the
future survival of many millions of people demanded immediate and
effective action. N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 Background:

• The conference participants called for:

EL
i. Fundamental new approaches to the assessment
ii. Development and management of freshwater resources

PT
• This could only be brought about through political commitment and
N
involvement from the highest levels of government to the smallest
communities.

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 Background:

• It was realized that the Commitment will need to be backed by the following:

EL
i. Substantial and immediate investments;
ii. Public awareness campaigns;

PT
iii. Legislative and institutional changes;
iv.
v.
N
Technology development;
Capacity building programmes.

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
• In commending this Dublin Statement to the world leaders assembled at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in
Rio de Janeiro in June 1992,

EL
• The Conference participants urge all governments to study carefully the

PT
specific activities and means of implementation recommended in the
Conference Report, and to translate those recommendations into urgent
N
action programmes for Water And Sustainable Development.

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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Four Guiding Principles:

• Principle No. 1 - Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to

EL
sustain life, development and the environment: Since water sustains life,
effective management of water resources demands a holistic approach,

PT
linking social and economic development with protection of natural
ecosystems. Effective management links land and water uses across the

N
whole of a catchment area or groundwater aquifer.

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Four Guiding Principles:

• Principle No. 2 - Water development and management should be based on

EL
a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy-makers at all
levels: The participatory approach involves raising awareness of the

PT
importance of water among policy-makers and the general public. It means
that decisions are taken at the lowest appropriate level, with full public

N
consultation and involvement of users in the planning and implementation
of water projects.

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Four Guiding Principles:
• Principle No. 3 - Women play a central part in the provision, management
and safeguarding of water: This pivotal role of women as providers and

EL
users of water and guardians of the living environment has seldom been
reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and

PT
management of water resources.
• Acceptance and implementation of this principle requires positive policies to
address women’s specific needs and to equip and empower women to
N
participate at all levels in water resources programmes, including decision-
making and implementation, in ways defined by them.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Four Guiding Principles:
• Principle No. 4 - Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and
should be recognized as an economic good: Within this principle, it is vital

EL
to recognize first the basic right of all human beings to have access to clean
water and sanitation at an affordable price. Past failure to recognize the

PT
economic value of water has led to wasteful and environmentally damaging
uses of the resource.
• Managing water as an economic good is an important way of achieving
N
efficient and equitable use, and of encouraging conservation and protection
of water resources.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Based on the four guiding principles, the Conference participants developed

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recommendations which enable countries to tackle their water resources
problems on a wide range of fronts.

PT
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Alleviation of poverty and disease:

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Priority be given in water resources development and management to the
accelerated provision of food, water and sanitation to the unserved millions

PT
(more than a quarter of the world’s population still lacking the basic human
needs of enough food to eat, a clean water supply and hygienic means of
sanitation). N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Protection against natural disasters:

EL
Lack of preparedness, often aggravated by lack of data, means that droughts
and floods take a huge toll in deaths, misery and economic loss. Economic

PT
losses from natural disasters, including floods and droughts, increased three-
fold between the 1960s and the 1980s. Development is being set back for
N
years in some developing countries, because investments have not been
made in basic data collection and disaster preparedness.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
• . SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
22
IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Protection against natural disasters:

EL
Projected climate change and rising sea-levels will intensify the risk for
some, while also threatening the apparent security of existing water

PT
resources. Damages and loss of life from floods and droughts can be
drastically reduced by the disaster preparedness actions recommended in
N
the Dublin Conference Report.

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Water conservation and reuse (Multiple uses of water):

EL
Compliance with effective discharge standards, based on new water
protection objectives, will enable successive downstream consumers to

PT
reuse water which presently is too contaminated after the first use.

N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Sustainable urban development:

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Marginal costs of meeting fresh demands are growing rapidly. Future
guaranteed supplies must be based on appropriate water charges and

PT
discharge controls. Residual contamination of land and water can no longer
be seen as a reasonable trade-off for the jobs and prosperity brought by
industrial growth. N
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IIT KHARAGPUR
 WATER ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE

EL
Action Agenda in the Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
Week 3 - Lecture 13

PT
Dr. MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

N SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES

IIT KHARAGPUR

26
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Alleviation of poverty and disease:

EL
• Protection against natural disasters:

PT
• Water conservation and reuse (Multiple uses of water):

N
• Sustainable urban development:

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Agricultural production and rural water supply:

EL
Achieving food security is a high priority in many countries, and agriculture
must not only provide food for rising populations, but also save water for

PT
other uses. The challenge is to develop and apply water-saving technology
and management methods, and, through capacity building, enable
N
communities to introduce institutions and incentives for the rural population
to adopt new approaches, for both rainfed and irrigated agriculture.
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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Agricultural production and rural water supply:

EL
The rural population must also have better access to a potable water supply
and to sanitation services. It is an immense task, but not an impossible one,

PT
provided appropriate policies and programmes are adopted at all levels-
local, national and international.
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Protecting aquatic ecosystems:

EL
Water is a vital part of the environment and a home for many forms of life on
which the well-being of humans ultimately depends. Disruption of flows has

PT
reduced the productivity of many such ecosystems, devastated fisheries,
agriculture and grazing, and marginalized the rural communities which rely
on these. N
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Protecting aquatic ecosystems:

EL
Various kinds of pollution, including transboundary pollution, exacerbate
these problems, degrade water supplies, require more expensive water

PT
treatment, destroy aquatic fauna, and deny recreation opportunities.
Integrated management of river basins provides the opportunity to
N
safeguard aquatic ecosystems, and make their benefits available to society
on a sustainable basis.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Resolving water conflicts:

EL
Ideally, the effective integrated planning and development of transboundary
river or lake basins has similar institutional requirements to a basin entirely

PT
within one country. The essential function of existing international basin
organizations is one of reconciling and harmonizing the interests of riparian
N
countries, monitoring water quantity and quality, development of concerted
action programmes, exchange of information, and enforcing agreements.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Resolving water conflicts:

EL
In the coming decades, management of international watersheds will greatly
increase in importance. A high priority should therefore be given to the

PT
preparation and implementation of integrated management plans, endorsed
by all affected governments and backed by international agreements.
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
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The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• The enabling environment:

EL
Implementation of action programmes for water and sustainable
development will require a substantial investment, not only in the capital

PT
projects concerned, but, crucially, in building the capacity of people and
institutions to plan and implement those projects.
N
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• The knowledge base:

EL
Measurement of components of the water cycle, in quantity and quality, and
of other characteristics of the environment affecting water are an essential

PT
basis for undertaking effective water management. Research and analysis
techniques, applied on an interdisciplinary basis, permit the understanding
N
of these data and their application to many uses.

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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• The knowledge base:

EL
With the threat of global warming due to increasing greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere, the need for measurements and data

PT
exchange on the hydrological cycle on a global scale is evident. All countries
must participate and, where necessary, be assisted to take part in the global
N
monitoring, the study of the effects and the development of appropriate
response strategies.
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Capacity building:

EL
All actions identified in the Dublin Conference Report require well-trained
and qualified personnel. Countries should identify, as part of national

PT
development plans, training needs for water-resources assessment and
management, and take steps internally and, if necessary with technical co-
N
operation agencies, to provide the required training, and working conditions
which help to retain the trained personnel.
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Capacity building:

EL
Governments must also assess their capacity to equip their water and other
specialists to implement the full range of activities for integrated water-

PT
resources management. This requires provision of an enabling environment
in terms of institutional and legal arrangements, including those for effective
N
water-demand management.

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
The Dublin Statement on Water Sustainability
 The Action Agenda:

• Awareness raising:

EL
It is a vital part of a participatory approach to water resources management.
Information, education and communication support programmes must be an

PT
integral part of the development process.

N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
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IIT KHARAGPUR
WATER ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE

EL
Water Sustainability: Viewpoints
Week 3 - Lecture 14

PT
Dr. MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

N SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES

IIT KHARAGPUR

40
Elements to a Sustainable Water Future

EL
PT
N
Image Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/07/sustainable-cities-water-index-asia/#x40s8oy4WwvjqAKt.97

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 41
Viewpoints for Sustainable Management of Water

→ Economic viewpoints (Economic feasibility)

EL
→ Social viewpoints (Social responsibility)

PT
→ Ecological viewpoints (Environmental integrity)

N
→ Engineering viewpoints (Technologically sound)

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 42
Viewpoints for Sustainable Management of Water
→ Economic viewpoints
(Economic feasibility)

EL
→ Social viewpoints
(Social responsibility)

PT
→ Ecological viewpoints
(Environmental integrity)

→ Engineering viewpoints
(Technologically sound)
N
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability_accounting

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 43
Viewpoints for Sustainable Management of Water
• Water policies pursue multiple objectives, which can be structured around four
“sustainable dimensions”

EL
→ Environmental objectives.
→ Financial objectives.

PT
→ Economic objectives.
→ Social objectives.

• N
These objectives often support each other and on the other hand may cause
potential conflicts within each other.
Source: OECD (2010a), Pricing Water Resources and Water Sanitation Services

MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 44
Viewpoints for Sustainable Management of Water
Policy objectives and
their components

EL
PT
N
Source: OECD (2010a), Pricing Water Resources and Water Sanitation Services

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 45
WATER ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE

EL
Water Sustainability: Conflicts in Viewpoints
Week 3 - Lecture 15

PT
Dr. MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI

N SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES

IIT KHARAGPUR

46
Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water
• With the multidimensional aspect of water values and uses, conflicts
arise in:

EL
 Sectoral distribution of water in case of limited availability
 Meeting ecological needs vs Human uses

PT
 Equitable distribution vs most rewarding allocation

N
 Cost recovery vs Affordability

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Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water

• The community wanting the demand is unable to afford the expenses

• The cost involved in improvement is higher than the value of the

EL
demanded environmental functions (which decreases economic
efficiency)

PT
• The community is not willing to provide support to the increase in the
N
price of water. [Willingness to pay]

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IIT KHARAGPUR 48
Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water

Financial Sustainability vs Economic Efficiency vs Social Concerns

• Economic efficiency objectives focus on allocating water resources to the

EL
most beneficial uses. Generally, the Marginal Cost pricing is preferred by
economists. However, it is inconsistent with the need of stable revenue

PT
flows.

N
• The social considerations enforces the affordability over the financial
sustainability.

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 49
Viewpoints for Sustainable Management of Water
Trade-off in
Policy objectives

EL
PT
N
Source: OECD Studies in Water: Water and Cities Ensuring Sustainable Futures.

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Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water
Trade-off between Ecological sustainability vs. Social concerns
 Sacrifice on ecological demands for fulfilling municipal demands

EL
 ‘Polluter Pay Principle’ may go against affordable development

PT
Trade-off between Ecological sustainability vs. Financial sustainability

N
 Higher environmental standards will increase the cost of water /
wastewater management (treatment) provisions.

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Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water
Trade-off between Ecological sustainability vs. Economic sustainability
 The most economically efficient allocation (with the highest financial

EL
return) may not be in line with ecological needs, or water savings.

PT
Trade-off between Social concerns vs. Economic sustainability
 Priority to domestic uses, or to high-value uses like industrial processes
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 52
Conflicts in Sustainable Management of Water
Trade-off between Social concerns vs. Financial sustainability
 Full cost recovery through tariffs or ensuring affordability

EL
 Universally low tariffs for all or income based pricing structure

PT
Trade-off between Financial sustainability vs. Economic sustainability

N
 Water pricing for economic efficiency – long-term marginal cost (MC)
 Water pricing from the utilities perspective – MC pricing + fixed costs

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SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 53
Example: Sustainable Withdrawal
A 2000 hectare sized town with 40% paved area, holding a population of 1 Lakh, withdraws water
from a Lake of volume 1500 m3, and from groundwater if needed. The lake is recharged from the
urban runoff generated within the town, and town's treated sewage (75% of water consumed).

EL
Suggest the sustainable water withdrawal rates from lake and groundwater for the water demand of
(a) 120 LPCD, (b) 250 LPCD.

PT
Given:
• Annual Rainfall = 1200 mm.
•
•
N
Annual infiltration = 250 mm (from non-paved area only).
Annual evaporation (from paved) area = 200 mm
• Annual evapotranspiration (from non-paved area) = 300 mm
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 54
Example: Sustainable Discharge Quality
20 MLD Wastewater of a town is being released in a river of flow rate 10 m3/s where water travels
for 20 Hrs before next withdrawal point. Natural decay decreases BOD in the water following first
order with a rate kinetics of 0.008 d-1. If influent BOD of the sewage stream is 240 mg/L what

EL
percentage removal is required before discharge in the river, so that BOD at withdrawal point does
not increase above 10 mg/L.

PT
N
MANOJ KUMAR TIWARI
SCHOOL OF WATER RESOURCES
IIT KHARAGPUR 55
 N
PT
56 EL