A methodological framework for an easy and reliable estimation of the full cost of irrigation water

Abstract

AbstractThe requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 for the full water cost recovery have brought reactions and difficulties to their implementation, especially for irrigation water. We propose a systematic and objective methodology for the estimation of the cost of irrigation water. The application is made in a degraded Greek watershed, considering surface and groundwater resources. The main novelties of this study are: (i) the attempt to combine different approaches for the estimation of the ‘resource cost’ of irrigation water, and (ii) the investigation of the potential interaction between resource and environmental cost in order to avoid the overestimation of the full cost of water. The analysis shows that both resource and environmental costs can be high in degraded areas, and water policy is likely to affect these costs. Therefore, further analysis is needed on possible water pricing policies for recovering the full cost of irrigation water.