BASIN-RELATED CURRENT RESEARCH AT IWMI

RIVER BASINS:CURRENT RESEARCH AT IWMIVladimir Smakhtin,

Inputs from Mark Giordano, Paul Pavlic, Matthew McCartney, C.T. Hoanh, Guillaume Lacombe, Sonali Selamuttu, Robyn Johnston, Charlotte MacAlister, Catherine Pfeifer, Mulugeta Lemenih, Katherine Snyder, Simon Langan, Barbara van Koppen, Kai Wegerlich, Jonathan Lautze, Diana Suhardiman, JP Venot, Dennis Wichelns, Akmal Karimov, Upali Amarasinghe, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Luna Bharati, Fred Kizito

1COVERAGE - GEOGRAPHYGlobalGanges and Indus NileVolta Syr-Darya Zambezi, LimpopoMekongOther (Krishna, Godavari, Chao Praya) Water for a food-secure world2COVERAGE - TOPICSManaging resources variabilityWater infrastructureAllocate and manage water and land to raise productivity, improve equity and safeguard ESBenefit-sharingPolitical economy of policy selection

Water for a food-secure world3MANAGING VARIABILITY managed aquifer recharge

Harvest only high floods (e.g. once in 4 years); Around 25% MAFUse harvested water for agricultural production every yearEstimated 100 km2 dedicated land necessary Some 270,000 ha additional irrigation may be possible$200+ M /year income to smallholder farmersFarmers must be encouraged to become flood harvesters Desktop, preliminary study only. No precedents yetIF SOME 15% OF INDIA TOTAL FLOW IS HARVESTED SIMILARLY, IT WILL INCREASE WATER SUPPLY BY 285 KM3 ABOUT 50% OF TOTAL INDIA WATER WITHDRAWAL AT PRESENT

Chao Praya, ThailandWater for a food-secure worlduse of subsurface solution to manage variability.Pauls workIndia is a speculative figure but is it not feasible to suggest the possibility of capturing this water throughout the country? Can this be an alternative to the National River Plumbing Project ?Will it not be a more pro-poor alternative?

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MANAGING VARIABILITY WATER STORAGE

Water for a food-secure worldExplain all this. Also one of the Bonn 2011 Nexus messages - value natural infrastructure

5MANAGING VARIABILITY WATER STORAGEWhat is the best combination of storage options that meet technical, environmental and social objectives?

Can storage evaluation metrics be developed to facilitate storage development planning?

Livestock storage NEED based on poor population density, livestock density, rainfall pattern Projects in Volta, Nile, Nepal Water for a food-secure worldMany options ranging from Many good sites are already exploited, there will be hardly another Big Dam Revolution, so wee need to turn to multiple storage options and influence the structured plans of storage development in nations and basinsMatthew and Lisas attempts to map various storage metrics Conflicting trends: destruction of dams in USA vs the need to develop them in Africa - look at the trends

6WATER INFRASTRUCTURE Improving livelihoods: Mekong Laos Nam Nounang Reservoir:Suitability of land for recession agriculture - based on access, slope stability, duration of land exposure to drawdown

MekongHow dams can be constructed and operated to optimize benefits for all ?

Testing local livelihood enhancement strategies around reservoirs (recession agriculture, fishing)Reviewing policy and legal frameworks to incorporate livelihoods in decision making in hydropower development

Water for a food-secure worldThe MK1 project broadly comprises on 3 components mentioned in slide:LivelihoodsPolicy and institutionsDecisions Support System (DSS)

Lao PDR Site

Reservoir water level fluctuation and daily rainfall pattern for Nam Gnouang reservoir.

MK1 is checking the feasibility of vegetable cultivation along the reservoir draw down area one potential livelihood diversification option. Vegetable cultivation in draw down area of reservoir likely to be possible between November and May based on rainfall patterns. This would assist communities living upstream of the dam (adjacent to the reservoir) for example in the Keosengkham Resettlement site highlighted in the slide.

MK1 is in discussions with the THPC (hydropower company) regarding this. The company has been willing to consider this option.

MK1 can provide some technical support on potential land uses based on household survey results, consultations with the community, relevant GIS data, single reservoir model and LUPAS model.

The Nam Gnouang (NG) reservoir serves as a storage reservoir to feed the downstream headpond of the THPC power station. The expected draw-down and fill-up of the reservoir will cause the water level to fluctuate between 420 m (minimum water level) and 455 m (full supply level) an amplitude of 35 m. This fluctuation in water level will result in land fringing the reservoir and the upstream river banks to be exposed for different durations depending on elevation. The maximum extent of exposed land at the lowest draw-down at 420 m is shown in the map in this slide (green area). The contiguous water surface at 420 m is shown in blue. It may appear that there is a lot of land that would be available for seasonal cultivation. However the actual availability is constrained by (a) the exposure duration that should be longer than the cropping duration; and (b) the practical reach of villagers in terms of walking distance or fuel cost if they travel by boat.

The simulated reservoir water levels (RWL) in Figure 4 are the result of ResSim modeling. The exposure period of these seasonally-inundated land increases with elevation. Land at high elevation gets exposed earlier as the reservoir water is drawn down and gets inundated later as the reservoir fills up. Early planting on newly-exposed land can depend on residual moisture when the soil is still wet, but would require rainfall when the land dries up. As the draw-down occurs during the dry season, too early a planting date may cause the crop to face a period of water shortage before the rainy season starts, usually in March. Hence the duration of use of the seasonally-exposed land for rainfed crops (the cultivable period) may be further reduced by water availability.

It is to be noted that the draw-down (DD) period is longer (averaging 8.25 months) than the fill-up period (averaging 3.75 months). Also the draw-down profile is more consistent (being controlled by reservoir operation) while the refilling profile is more variable (being dependent on river inflow and rainfall patterns). This means that farmers would not be sure when their growing season will be over, i.e. when the fields are flooded.

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WATER INFRASRUCTUREEvaluating scenarios of CC and water infrastructure development

Schematic of the Volta Basin with both existing and planned development

A1B scenario with three different development scenarios

Projects in Volta, Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Indus Water for a food-secure worldWATER INFRUSTRUCTURE AND ES Regulating functions of wetlands and floodplains: Zambezi

Method to quantify natural flow regulating impacts of floodplains for decision-makingPotential for a similar much larger study on natural water infrastructure

Water for a food-secure world

ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES

Sudd (Southern Sudan) understanding ET and impacts of upstream water developments on it using RSVolta: Valuation of ES and Identification of hot spots for interventions to reduce land and water degradationSEDIMENT YIELDEVAPOTRANSPIRATIONWater for a food-secure worldSlide Narrative:

We estimated the ability of vegetation to keep soil in place on a given pixel by comparing erosion rates on that pixel to what erosion rates would be on that pixel with no vegetation present (bare soil) with the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services And Tradeoff) Model.

Results indicate that the spatial patterns of sediment yield were higher in the northern portions of the basin.

This area had a sediment yield of the range 20-60 t ha-1yr-1 which is an area with a high density of small reservoirs while the southern portion show less than 3 t ha-1yr-1

Sub-basin areas associated with net sediment losses greater than the threshold in the Basin (about 20 t ha-1yr-1) are characterized by steep slopes, poor vegetative cover and high population pressures. The modeling procedure through the InVEST platform was used as an operational technical tool to identify vulnerable-spots that require management interventions in order to minimize land and water degradation within the Volta Basin.

Valuation results indicate a net savings of 40% if interventions are implemented in vulnerable spots which would enhance other ecosystem services such as biodiversity and water quality.

ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES:Environmental flows in the Upper Ganges, India Huge tropical river- done first time ever in the worldIconic river cultural and spiritual anglesMulti disciplinary Expert Panel approachLarge capacity building

Ganges111.4 ObjectivesALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES: Water footprint of crops and production systems

Milk Punjab and all-IndiaCoffee Global and Viet NamBiofuels Thailand and Malaysia Milk- Best in terms of land useMilk- wheat -Best in terms of water useWater for a food-secure worldUse all India Milk rather and / Coffee globalMention coffee12ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES - Blue Nile

Proportion of rainfall used by various hydrological processesAssessment of feasibility of Rainwater management systems (RMS) under different water resource, policy and socioeconomic scenarios

Willingness to adoptMapping suitability ofmanagement strategies Mapping ES based on LULC and how ES change under different management strategies

Current ES value distribution, USD/ haWater for a food-secure worldN4 looks first biophysical perspective (suitable); then from economic (feasible?). If you CAN grow apples soil and water wise, can you sell them if you have no access to market?...Could be endless number of scenario development AfromaisonThis project aims to Link field scale and with Basin scale.Terraces map- Catherine Pfiefer combined detailed survey of households where it was adopted with There is an old standard valuation guidelines of ES it was applied to LULC (right map, Mulugetu). The relative value is more of an interest than absolute in $Other interventions injection wells, mulching, silt traps etcThe Hill picture shows the nested grid/ sub-grid effects that interventions may be different because of the altitude (landscape)- that are not seen in a basin scale

13ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES : Critically evaluating concepts of basin management Understanding policy making processes that govern basin management & planning: Volta, Mekong, Limpopo and Aral Sea Basins

Designing participatory approach to implement IWRM policies, at national level, Volta

Examining how RBOs relate to the existing formal institutions for water management (local government and line agencies) and informal water management at community level - Limpopo and elsewhere in SSA

Water for a food-secure worldALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, EQUITY AND ES : Examining Transboundary Water Issues Analyzing commissions such as the MRC and issues of legal plurality in transboundary basin contexts

Examining the entire body of transboundary water law to derive lessons on such issues and data and information sharing, flow variability and conflict resolution

Applying insights to particular regions, e.g. Central Asia

Fergana Valley, Syr Darya BasinSuitability of groundwater banking As a solution to transboundary disputesWater for a food-secure worldBENEFIT SHARINGExamining the role, or lack thereof, of Payment for Environmental Services in basin management- Mekong, NepalWater for a food-secure worldPOLITICAL ECONOMY OF POLICY SELECTIONExamining the role of scientific assessments in shaping basin scale development (e.g. hydropower debates in the Mekong)

Conceptualizing community-driven MUS through local government as a possible missing institutional link between basin organizations and water users: the possibility of bottom-up IWRM.

Establishing Innovation Platforms at local community and regional levels (Nile) - the mechanisms of exploring and advancing tailor made institutional / biophysical interventions that improve NRM Water for a food-secure worldTHANK YOUWater for a food-secure world