Abstract

 Water scarcity has become one of the highest risks for environmental and economic security worldwide. The water footprint for rice production, i.e., the total volume of freshwater consumed to produce a unit quantity rice has been estimated for three different agroclimatic zones of Punjab for the years 2000 to 2017. The results revealed that effective rainfall (Peff) improved in later years due to a change in crop calendar,legally enforced by an Act prohibiting the transplanting of paddy before a specified date. During the period of study, minimum crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was 4645 and maximum was ETc of 9511 m3ha-1 during 2014 and 2011, respectively. The green water footprint (WFgreen) for rice varied from 646litreskg-1of rice during low rainfall years (2012) to 1149 litre kg-1 of rice during heavy rainfall (1192 mm) during 2011.Out of a total water footprint (WFtotal) of 2650 litre kg-1, the share of blue water footprint (WFblue) was higher 1804 litre kg-1 (68%), indicating a need to improve on-farm irrigation management to conserve water resources.
Highlights
646litreskg-1of rice during low rainfall years (2012) to 1149 litre kg-1 of rice during heavy rainfall (1192 mm) during 2011.Out of a total water footprint (W F ) total of 2650 litre kg-1, the share of blue water footprint (W F ) was higher 1804 litre kg-1 (68%), indicating a need to improve on-farm irrigation management to blue conserve water resources
Green water footprint (WFgreen) describes the amount of water used from precipitation, and blue water footprint (WFblue) stands for the surface and groundwater used for irrigation
The southwestern zone (SWZ) is relatively warmer than the central plain zone (CPZ) the sub-mountainous zone (SMZ) in the northern region of the state was coolest among the selected locations
Summary
646litreskg-1of rice during low rainfall years (2012) to 1149 litre kg-1 of rice during heavy rainfall (1192 mm) during 2011.Out of a total water footprint (W F ) total of 2650 litre kg-1, the share of blue water footprint (W F ) was higher 1804 litre kg-1 (68%), indicating a need to improve on-farm irrigation management to blue conserve water resources. Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2010) reported that between 1996 and 2005, the global water footprint for crop production was 7404 billion cubic meters per year (78% green, 12% blue, 10% grey). The present study is an attempt to quantify the total water footprint of transplanted rice, considering a large amount of surface and groundwater use in rice production. This assessment may, in turn, guide the policymakers and other stakeholders to plan the optimal use of available freshwater in the production of rice and thereby control the declining water table and conserve the already limited natural resources in the state
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