Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T05:23:39.140Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

16 - River Basin Management and Irrigation

from Part IV - Response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2021

By
François Molle
Edited by
Jurgen Schmandt  and
Aysegül Kibaroglu
Edited in association with
Regina Buono  and
Sephra Thomas
Jurgen Schmandt
Affiliation:
Houston Advanced Research Center
Aysegül Kibaroglu
Affiliation:
MEF University, Istanbul
Regina Buono
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Sephra Thomas
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Get access

Summary

This chapter discusses both the role of irrigation in river basin development and closure and how its share in total water use can be reduced. It first briefly outlines the importance of unchecked irrigation development in the growing share of water consumption and the closure process of the basins examined in this volume. This understanding of how irrigation came to play a peculiar role in river basin development is important for discussing how its share can be reduced. The chapter recalls the diversity of policy options available to respond to imbalances between supply and demand and that supply augmentation is generally favored. Finally, the chapter focuses on the issue of "water savings," documenting various responses by the irrigated sector to shortages and exploring how policies to modernize irrigation technologies may inadvertently contribute to enhancing evapotranspiration and therefore undermine purported conservation objectives.

Keywords

irrigationagriculturewater shortagesclosed basinstechnologyevapotranspirationirrigation supply augmentationirrigation water demand managementirrigation modenizationwater-savings
Type
Chapter
Information
Sustainability of Engineered Rivers In Arid Lands
Challenge and Response
 , pp. 235 - 245
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adamson, D. and Loch, A. (2014). Possible Negative Feedbacks from ‘Gold-Plating’ Irrigation Infrastructure. Agricultural Water Management, 145, pp. 134–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexandra, J. (2017). Risks, Uncertainty and Climate Confusion in the Murray–Darling Basin Reforms. Water Economics and Policy, 3(3).Google Scholar
Berbel, J., Gutierrez-Martin, C., Rodriguez-Diaz, J. A., Camacho, E., and Montesinos, P. (2014). Literature Review on Rebound Effect of Water Saving Measures and Analysis of a Spanish Case Study. Water Resources Management, 29, pp. 663–678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0839-0Google Scholar
CBHSF (2015). Plano de recursos hídricos da bacia hidrográfica do rio São Francisco [Water Resources Plan for the São Francisco River Basin]. Volume I.Google Scholar
Chao, N., Luo, Z., Wang, Z., and Jin, T. (2017). Retrieving Groundwater Depletion and Drought in the Tigris–Euphrates Basin between 2003 and 2015. Groundwater, 56(5).Google ScholarPubMed
Confederacion Hydrografica del Júcar [Hydrographic Confederation of the Jucar] (CHJ) (2014). Memoria-Anejo 10. Programa de medidas. Demarcación Hidrográfica Del Júcar. [Memory-Annex 10. Program of Measures. Júcar River Basin District.Google Scholar
Crase, L. and O’Keefe, S. (2009). The Paradox of National Water Savings: A Critique of ‘Water for the Future’. Agenda: A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, 16(1), pp. 45–60.Google Scholar
De Stefano, L., Welch, C., Urquijo, J., and Garrick, D. E. (2018). Groundwater Governance in the Rio Grande: Co-evolution of Local and Intergovernmental Management. Water Alternatives, 11(3), pp. 824–846.Google Scholar
Döll, P. and Siebert, S. (2002) Global Modeling of Irrigation Water Requirements. Water Resources Research, 38(4), p. 1037.Google Scholar
Esteban, E., Dinar, A., Albiac, A. et al. (2016). The Political Economy of Water Policy Design and Implementation in the Jucar Basin, Spain. UCR SPP Working papers.Google Scholar
Evans, R. (2004). River–Groundwater Interaction in the Murray–Darling Basin: Technical Status and Management Options. In 9th Murray–Darling Basin Groundwater Workshop, Bendigo, 12–19 February.Google Scholar
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) (2011). Water Balance in the Nile Basin. Available at www.fao.org/nr/water/faonileGoogle Scholar
Feng, X. et al. (2016). Revegetation in China’s Loess Plateau Is Approaching Sustainable Water Resource Limits. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE3092Google Scholar
Fernald, A. G. and Guldan, S. J. (2006). Surface Water–Groundwater Interactions between Irrigation Ditches, Alluvial Aquifers, and Streams. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 14(1–2), pp. 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641260500341320CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gleick, P. (2001). Making Every Drop Count. Scientific American, 284(2), pp. 40–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
González-Cebollada, C. (2015). Water and Energy Consumption after the Modernization of Irrigation in Spain. WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, 168, pp. 457–465.Google Scholar
Grafton, R. Q. (2017). Water Reform and Planning in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. Water Economics and Policy, 3(3).Google Scholar
Grafton, R. Q. et al. (2012). Global Insights into Water Resources, Climate Change and Governance. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1746Google Scholar
Grafton, R. Q., Williams, J., Perry, C. J. et al. (2018). Paradox of Irrigation Efficiency and the Global Water Crisis. Science, 361(6404), pp. 748–750.Google Scholar
Grafton, R. Q., Colloff, M. J., Marshall, V., and Williams, J. (2020). Confronting a ‘Post-Truth Water World’ in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. Water Alternatives, 13(1), pp. 1–28.Google Scholar
Hancock, G. and Pietsch, T. (2008). Sediment Tracing and Dating Techniques Employed at CSIRO Land and Water. CSIRO Land and Water Science Report, CSIRO.Google Scholar
Horne, J. (2014). The 2012 Murray–Darling Basin Plan: Issues to Watch. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 30(1), pp. 152–163.Google Scholar
Hu, Q., Yang, Y., Han, S. et al. (2017). Identifying Changes in Irrigation Return Flow with Gradually Intensified Water-Saving Technology Using HYDRUS for Regional Water Resources Management. Agricultural Water Management, 194, pp. 33–47.Google Scholar
Huffaker, R. and Whittlesey, N. (2003). A Theoretical Analysis of Economic Incentive Policies Encouraging Agricultural Water Conservation. Water Resource Development, 19(1), pp. 37–53.Google Scholar
Huffaker, R., Whittlesey, N., and Hamilton, J. R. (2000). The Role of Prior Appropriation in Allocating Water Resources into the 21st Century. Water Resource Development, 16(2), pp. 265–273.Google Scholar
Kendy, E., Molden, D. J., Steenhuis, T. S., Liu, C. M., and Wang, J. (2003). Policies Drain the North China Plain: Agricultural Policy and Groundwater Depletion in Luancheng County, 1949–2000. Research Report 71. Colombo: International Water Management Institute.Google Scholar
Kucukmehmetoglu, M. and Geymen, A. (2014). Transboundary Water Resources Allocation under Various Parametric Conditions: The Case of the Euphrates & Tigris River Basin. Water Resources Management, 28, pp. 3515–3538.Google Scholar
Maganda, C. (2005). Collateral Damage: How the San Diego-Imperial Valley Water Agreement Affects the Mexican Side of the Border. The Journal of Environment & Development, 14(4), pp. 486–506.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MDBA (2010). Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan.Google Scholar
MDBA (2016). The Murray–Darling Basin at a Glance.Google Scholar
Meng, F., Su, F., Yang, D., Tong, K., and Hao, Z. (2016). Impacts of Recent Climate Change on the Hydrology in the Source Region of the Yellow River Basin. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 6, pp. 66–81.Google Scholar
Molden, D., Oweis, T., Steduto, P. et al. (2010). Improving Agricultural Water Productivity: Between Optimism and Caution. Agricultural Water Management, 97, pp. 528–535.Google Scholar
Molle, F. (2008). Why Enough Is Never Enough: The Societal Determinants of River Basin Closure. International Journal of Water Resource Development, 24(2), pp. 247–256.Google Scholar
Molle, F. and Closas, A. (2020). Groundwater Management and the Pitfalls of Licensing. Journal of Hydrogeology.Google Scholar
Molle, F. and Sanchis-Ibor, C. (2019). Irrigation Policies in the Mediterranean: Trends and Challenges. In Molle, F., Sanchis-Ibor, C., and Avella, L., eds., Irrigation in the Mediterranean: Technologies, Institutions and Policies. Global Issues in Water Policy Series. Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
Molle, F. and Wester, P. (2009). River Basin Trajectories: An Inquiry into Changing Waterscapes. In Molle, F. and Wester, P., eds., River Basins Trajectories: Societies, Environments and Development. Wallingford and Cambridge, MA: CABI, pp. 1–19.Google Scholar
Molle, F., Wester, P., and Hirsch, P. (2010). River Basin Closure: Processes, Implications, and Responses. Agricultural Water Management, 97, pp. 569–577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molle, F., Wester, P., and Mollinga, P. P. (2009). Hydraulic Bureaucracies: Flows of Water, Flows of Power. Water Alternatives, 2(3), pp. 328–349. Available at www.water-alternatives.orgGoogle Scholar
Molle, F., Gafaar, I., Al-Agha, D. E., and Rap, E. (2018). The Nile Delta’s Water and Salt Balances and Implications for Management. Agricultural Water Management, 197(15), pp. 110–121.Google Scholar
Ortega-Reig, M., Sanchis-Ibor, C., and Garcia-Molla, M. (2017). Drip Irrigation in Eastern Spain. Diverging Goals in a Converging Process. In Venot, J. P., Kuper, M., and Zwareveen, M., eds., Drip Irrigation for Agriculture: Untold Stories of Efficiency, Innovation and Development. Abingdon: Earthscan from Routledge.Google Scholar
Pereira, L. S., Goncalves, J. M., Dong, B., Mao, Z., and Fang, S. X. (2007). Assessing Basin Irrigation and Scheduling Strategies for Saving Irrigation Water and Controlling Salinity in the Upper Yellow River Basin, China. Agricultural Water Management, 93(3), pp. 109–122.Google Scholar
Perez-Martin, M. A., Batan, A., del-Amo, P., and Moll, S. (2015). Climate Change Impact on Water Resources and Droughts of AR5 Scenarios in the Jucar River, Spain. In Andreu, J., Solera, A., Paredes-Arquiola, J., Haro-Monteagudo, D., and Van Lanen, H., eds., Drought: Research and Science-Policy Interfacing. London: CRC Press, pp. 189–196.Google Scholar
Perry, C. and Steduto, P. (2017). Does Improved Irrigation Technology Save Water. Cairo: FAO.Google Scholar
Pittock, J., Williams, J., and Grafton, R. Q. (2015). The Murray–Darling Basin Plan Fails to Deal Adequately with Climate Change. Water: Journal of the Australian Water Association, 42(6), p. 28.Google Scholar
Playán, E. and Mateos, L. (2006). Modernization and Optimization of Irrigation Systems to Increase Water Productivity. Agricultural Water Management, 80(1–3), pp. 100–116.Google Scholar
Postel, S. (1997). Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity. New York: World Watch Institute.Google Scholar
Rahi, K. A. (2018). Salinity Management in the Shatt Al-Arab River. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(4.20), pp. 128–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reisner, M. (1986). Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. New York: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Richter, B. D. et al. (2017). Opportunities for Saving and Reallocating Agricultural Water to Alleviate Water Scarcity. Water Policy, 19, pp. 886–907.Google Scholar
Sabadini-Santos, E., Knoppers, B. A., Padua Oliveira, E., and Leipe, T. (2009). Regional Geochemical Baselines for Sedimentary Metals of the Tropical São Francisco Estuary, NE-Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 58, pp. 601–634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.01.011Google Scholar
Sanchis-Ibor, C., Garcia-Molla, M., and Avella-Reus, L. (2017a). Effects of Drip Irrigation Promotion Policies on Water Use and Irrigation Costs in Valencia, Spain. Water Policy, 19(1), pp. 165–180.Google Scholar
Sanchis-Ibor, C., Macian-Sorribes, H., Garcia-Molla, M., and Pulido-Velazquez, M. (2015). Effects of Drip Irrigation on Water Consumption at Basin Scale (Mijares River, Spain). 26th Euro-mediterranean Regional Conference and Workshops: Innovate to Improve Irrigation performances, Montpellier, France.Google Scholar
Sanchis-Ibor, C. et al. (2019). Spain. In Molle, F., Sanchis-Ibor, C., and Avella, L., eds., Irrigation in the Mediterranean: Technologies, Institutions and Policies. Global Issues in Water Policy Series. Dordrecht: Springer.Google Scholar
Sese-Minguez, S., Boesveld, H., Asisns-Velis, S., van der Kooij, S., and Maroulis, J. (2017). Transformations Accompanying a Shift from Surface to Drip Irrigation in the Semi-arid Cànyoles Watershed, Valencia, Spain. Water Alternatives, 10(1).Google Scholar
Shiklomanov, I. A., ed. (1997). Assessment of Water Resources and Water Availability in the World, Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World. Stockholm: Stockholm Environment Institute.Google Scholar
Soto-Garcia, M., Martinez-Alvarez, V., Garcia-Bastida, P. A., Alcon, F., and Martin-Gorriz, B. (2013). Effect of Water Scarcity and Modernisation on the Performance of Irrigation Districts in South-Eastern Spain. Agricultural Water Management, 124, pp. 11–19.Google Scholar
Tanouti, O. and Molle, F. (2013). Réappropriations de l’eau dans les bassins versants surexploités: le cas du bassin du Tensift (Maroc) [Reappropriation of Water in Overexploited Watersheds: The Case of the Tensift Basin (Morocco)]. Etudes Rurales [Rural Studies], 192(2), pp. 79–96.Google Scholar
Voss, K. A., Famiglietti, J. S., Lo, M. et al. (2013). Groundwater Depletion in the Middle East from GRACE with Implications for Transboundary Water Management in the Tigris–Euphrates–Western Iran Region. Water Resources Research, 49. https://doi.org/10.1002/wrcr.20078Google Scholar
Wang, Q. J., Walker, G., and Horne, A. (2018). Potential Impacts of Groundwater Sustainable Diversion Limits and Irrigation Efficiency Projects on River Flow Volume under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. An Independent Review. Melbourne School of Engineering.Google Scholar
Ward, F. and Pulido-Velázquez, M. (2008). Water Conservation in Irrigation Can Increase Water Use. PNAS, 105, pp. 18215–18220.Google Scholar
Willardson, L. S., Allen, R. G., and Fredericksen, H. D. (1994). Elimination of Irrigation Efficiencies. 13th Tech. Conference USCID, Denver, CO.Google Scholar
Wittwer, G. and Dixon, J.(2013). Effective Use of Public Funding in the Murray–Darling Basin: A Comparison of Buybacks and Infrastructure Upgrades. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 57(3), pp. 399–421.Google Scholar
World Bank (2015). Project Performance Assessment Report Peopleʼs Republic of China Irrigated Agriculture Intensification Project. Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in Irrigated Agriculture Project. Hai Basin Integrated Water and Environment Management Project. IEG Public Sector Evaluation, Independent Evaluation Group.Google Scholar
Worster, D. (1985). Rivers of Empire. Water, Aridity, and the Growth of the American West. New York: Panthenon Books.Google Scholar
WWF/Adena (2015). Modernización de Regadíos: Un mal negocio para la naturaleza y la sociedad [Irrigation Modernization: A Bad Business for Nature and Society]. Madrid: WWF/Adena. Available at http://awsassets.wwf.es/downloads/modernizacion_regadios.pdfGoogle Scholar
Yan, N., Wu, B., Perry, C., and Zeng, H. (2015). Assessing Potential Water Savings in Agriculture on the Hai Basin Plain, China. Agricultural Water Management, 154, pp. 11–19.Google Scholar
Yang, H. and Jia, S. (2008). Meeting the Basin Closure of the Yellow River in China. Water Resources Development, 24(2), pp. 265–274.Google Scholar
Young, W. J. and Chiew, F. H. S. (2011). Climate Change in the Murray–Darling Basin: Implications for Water Use and Environmental Consequences. In Grafton, R. Q. and Hussey, K., eds., Water Resources Planning and Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Yu, Y., Wang, H., Shi, X. et al. (2013). New Discharge Regime of the Huanghe (Yellow River): Causes and Implications. Continental Shelf Research, 69, pp. 62–72.Google Scholar
Zhang, H.. Singh, V. P., Sun, D., Yu, Q., and Cao, W. (2017). Has Water-Saving Irrigation Recovered Groundwater in the Hebei Province Plains of China? International Journal of Water Resources Development, 33(4), pp. 534–552.Google Scholar
Zhong, K., Sun, L., Fischer, G. et al. (2017). Mission Impossible? Maintaining Regional Grain Production Level and Recovering Local Groundwater Table by Cropping System Adaptation across the North China Plain. Agricultural Water Management, 193, pp. 1–12.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×