The water footprint helps us understand for what purposes our limited freshwater resources are being consumed and polluted . The impact it has depends on where the water is taken from and when. If it comes from a place where water is already scarce, the consequences can be significant and require action.
What is water footprint explain?
The water footprint of an individual, community, or business is defined as the total volume of fresh water used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business . Water use is measured in water volume consumed (evaporated) and/or polluted per unit of time.
How is an accurate water footprint help us to understand?
A water footprint helps one understand the amount of water being used at an individual level all the way to a national level and in the numerous processes involved in manufacturing and producing our goods and services . ... This includes the water that evaporates from these sources also.
What is a water footprint and what does it include?
Your water footprint is the amount of water you consume in your daily life , including the water used to grow the food you eat, to produce the energy you use and for all of the products in your daily life – your books, music, house, car, furniture and the clothes you wear.
Why assessing and analyzing water footprints is important?
Water Footprint Assessment is used to assess whether water use is environmentally sustainable, resource efficient and equitably allocated . ... Both of these, blue water scarcity and water pollution levels, are assessing the cumulative impact of all water uses of the freshwater resource.
What should your ecological footprint be?
If your score is 150-350, your ecological footprint is between 4.0 hectares and 6.0 hectares If your score is 350-550, your ecological footprint is between 6.0 hectares and 7.8 hectares If your score is 550-750, your ecological footprint is between 7.8 and 10 hectares If your score is more than 750, your ecological ...
How can water reduce your ecological footprint?
Consumers can reduce their direct water footprint (home water use) by installing water saving toilets , applying a water-saving showerhead, closing the tap during teeth brushing, using less water in the garden and by not disposing medicines, paints or other pollutants through the sink.
Why is water footprint important?
Why does our water footprint matter? ... Water footprint assumes much more significance as we move towards a model of growth led by water and energy intensive industries, food products and consumer goods that not just put huge pressure on scarce water resources but also contaminate freshwater and take it out of the system.
How do I manually calculate my water footprint?
The Water Footprint of a product = the sum of the Water Footprints of the process steps taken to produce the product (considering the whole production and supply chain). 2. The Water Footprint of a consumer = the sum of the Water Footprints of all products consumed by the consumer.
Which country has the largest water footprint?
Water footprints of nations
The global water footprint is 7450 Gm3/yr, which is 1240 m3/cap/yr in average. In absolute terms, India is the country with the largest footprint in the world, with a total footprint of 987 Gm3/yr.
Which type of water footprint requires the largest withdrawals?
The Big Water Footprint of Food and Agriculture
In the US as of 2015, irrigation accounted for 42 percent of the nation’s freshwater withdrawals. Agriculture accounted for the majority of those withdrawals, and it accounts for approximately 80 to 90 percent of the nation’s consumptive water use.
What is the link between food and water footprint?
Growing and processing crops and livestock consumes large quantities of water; therefore, the water footprint of food is high. Animal products, especially, like meat, dairy and eggs (all of which tend to require more water than fruits, vegetables and beans) have an even higher water footprint.
What is the average water footprint per person?
In the USA, the average water footprint per year per capita is as much as the water needed to fill an Olympic swimming pool (2 842 cubic metres), that is an average of 7 786 litres of water per person per day .
Why is it important to evaluate your personal water use?
When measuring water use it is important to differentiate between treated (potable i.e., drinkable) water that is provided by network supplies and untreated water that is collected and stored locally for use by the building (e.g. harvested rainwater).
What is meant by ecological footprint?
Ecological Footprint accounting measures the demand on and supply of nature . ... The Ecological Footprint tracks the use of productive surface areas. Typically these areas are: cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, forest area, and carbon demand on land.
What is direct water use?
Water can be used for direct and indirect purposes. Direct purposes include bathing, drinking, and cooking , while examples of indirect purposes are the use of water in processing wood to make paper and in producing steel for automobiles. The bulk of the world’s water use is for agriculture, industry, and electricity.
