Water productivity indicators in great Ruaha river basin: analysis and implications for decision-making and allocating water
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Date
2003
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SUA
Abstract
The assessment of benefits from water by applying the concepts of water productivity is
gaining momentum for managing water resources in river basins. A number of institutions
have been in the forefront of spearheading the concept. The attractiveness of the water
productivity concept is partly due to its diversified nature in looking at benefits of water use,
both intended and unintended in a particular system. The benefits may include area
irrigated, number of families depending on a particular source of water, number of jobs
created as a result of presence of water. This paper explores water productivity indicators
and their implications for allocating water drawing the example from the Great Ruaha River
Basin. In addition to the primary and secondary indicators of productivity, the paper develops
the concept of tertiary indicators (labelled ‘specific hydrovalue’) to express the economic
benefits gained per person per cubic metre of water used. The paper concludes that water
productivity indicators (WPIs) can be used as a tool for analysing the tradeoffs and
prioritising of water use and allocation in competing and non-competing water uses but that
much more conceptual and computational analysis is required
Description
Keywords
Water productivity, Water productivity indicators, Water allocation, Great Ruaha River Basin