Chan Ka Nok Water Resources Management 26 November, 2013

Virtual Water All kind of products you can found in your daily life consumes different volume of water. They can be commodity, good or service you get in daily life. "

In additional to the actual water content contained in the products throughout its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The volume of water throughout its life cycle consumed and

�1MSc in Sustainable Resources Management

Definition

Hoekstra and Chapagain have defined the v irtual-water content of a product (a commodity, good or service) as "the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced”. It refers to the sum of the water use in the various steps of the production chain.

Interesting Fact

- How much water do you need to make a cup of coffee?

140 Liters of Water

- Vegetarian consumes less water?

In the UK, the average meat-eater uses 2300 litres more water per

day than a vegetarian

Sources:http://virtualwater.eu

VIRTUALWATER HANGOUT

Chan Ka Nok Water Resources Management 26 November, 2013

contaminated in three different ways, green, blue and grey are incorporated and summed. "

Blue WF: Consumes surface water & groundwater resources."

Green WF: Consuming rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture."

Grey WF: Pollution introduced during production. In terms of the volume of freshwater required to assimilate the load of pollutants based on existing ambient water quality standards"

Calculation of Virtual Water !The virtual water can be measured in form of water footprint which its accounting method is guided in Water Footprint Assessment Manual from Water Footprint Network."

Uses of the Term of Water Footprint!Water Footprint is an environmental pressure indicator as it is geographically and temporally explicit."

It helps decision makers to recognise the intensity of the resources uses and the environmental pressure the production of product in certain area within certain duration of time."

Solution? Things to consider?!Reduction, water efficiency, offsetting scheme, regulatory standard, taxation, product labelling, governmental actions. "

Solution of Water Footprint can be as difficult as Carbon Footprint

�2MSc in Sustainable Resources Management

Recommended Book

Virtual Water: Tackling the Threat to Our Planet's Most Precious Resource, by Tony Allan

Reference

• Ercin, A. Ertug; Hoekstra, Arjen Y. (2012): Carbon and water footprints. Concepts, methodologies and policy responses. Paris: UNESCO.

• Hoekstra AY. (ed) (2003) Virtual water trade: Proceedings of the International Expert Meeting on Vir- tual Water Trade, Delft, The Neth- erlands, 12-13 December 2002. Value of Water Research Report Series No.12, IHE, Delft, the Netherlands.

• Jones, J. A. A (2010): Water sustainability. A global perspective. London: Hodder Education.