What is Water Footprint And Why it is Important?

 

What is a water footprint?

The water footprint is a measure of humanity’s appropriation of fresh water in volumes of water consumed and/or polluted.

Why are water footprints important?

Freshwater is a scarce resource; its annual availability is limited and demand is growing. The water footprint of humanity has exceeded sustainable levels at several places and is unequally distributed among people. Good information about the water footprints of communities and businesses will help to understand how we can achieve more sustainable and equitable use of fresh water.

There are many spots in the world where serious water depletion or pollution takes place: rivers running dry, dropping lake and groundwater levels, and endangered species because of contaminated water. The water footprint helps to show the link that exists between our daily consumption of goods and the problems of water depletion and pollution that exist elsewhere, in the regions where our goods are produced. Nearly every product has a smaller or larger water footprint, which is of interest to both consumers that buy those products and businesses that produce, process, trade, or sell those products at some stage of their supply chain.

The three water footprints:

Green water footprint is water from precipitation that is stored in the root zone of the soil and evaporated, transpired, or incorporated by plants. It is particularly relevant for agricultural, horticultural, and forestry products.

Blue water footprint is water that has been sourced from surface or groundwater resources and is either evaporated, incorporated into a product, taken from one body of water and returned to another, or returned at a different time. Irrigated agriculture, industry, and domestic water use can each have a blue water footprint.

Grey water footprint is the amount of freshwater required to assimilate pollutants to meet specific water quality standards. The greywater footprint considers point-source pollution discharged to a freshwater resource directly through a pipe or indirectly through runoff or leaching from the soil, impervious surfaces, or other diffuse sources.