Water use efficiency data from 2000 to 2019 in measuring progress towards SDGs in Central Asia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Central Asia, located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, is characterized with sparse rainfall, frequent droughts and low water use efficiency. Limited water resources have become a key factor restricting the sustainable development of this region. Accurately assessing the efficiency of water resources utilization is the first step to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Central Asia. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the evaluation of water use efficiency is difficult due to low data availability and poor consistency. To fill this gap, this paper developed a Water Use Efficiency dataset (WUE) based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Gross Primary Production (GPP) data and the MODIS evapotranspiration (ET) data. The WUE dataset ranges from 2000 to 2019 with a spatial resolution of 500 m. The agricultural WUE was then extracted based on the Global map of irrigated areas and MODIS land use map. As a complementary, the water use amount per GDP was estimated for each country. The present dataset could reflect changes in water use efficiency of agriculture and other sectors. The published data are available at http://www.dx.doi.org/10.11922/sciencedb.j00076.00012.