Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Water Stress in Bharathapuzha River Basin, Kerala, India

  • Case Study
  • Published:
Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Water scarcity was caused by many factors such as increase in demand of water, decrease in water availability and poor water quality. Bharathapuzha river basin in Kerala was taken for the study as it faces acute water stress during summer months. The water stress was calculated using two indicators: the Falkenmark’s water stress indicator (WSI) and blue water scarcity indicator based on blue water footprint (BWSI). In water stress indicator based on water footprint, three sectors: domestic, industrial and agriculture were considered. Water stress was calculated for 3 decades 1982–1991, 1992–2001 and 2002–2011. Using Falkenmark’s WSI absolute scarcity was increased from zero to 238.8 km2 and water scarcity from 874 to 1584.27 km2 in the decades. However, BWSI showed severe water scarcity in 873 km2 of area in all decades. This region falls on eastern side of the river basin. Comparing the results of the two indicators shows that two subbasins face severe water stress by using both the indicators. This study will help the planner to design proper water conservation measures to alleviate the water scarcity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organisation (WHO). http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs391/en/. Accessed Apr 2018

  2. F.R. Rijsberman, Water scarcity: Fact or fiction? Agric. Water Manag. 80, 5–22 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. M. Falkenmark, J. Lundqvist, C. Widstrand, Macro-scale water scarcity requires micro-scale approaches—aspects of vulnerability in semi-arid development. Nat. Resour. Forum 13(4), 258–267 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. A. Brown, M.D. Matlock, A review of water scarcity indices and methodologies. The sustainability consortium. White paper #106 p. 19 (2011)

  5. J. Liu, H. Yang, S.N. Gosling, M. Kummu, M. Flörke, N. Hanasaki, Y. Wada, X. Zhang, C. Zheng, J. Alcamo, T. Oki, Water scarcity assessments in the past, present, and future. Earth’ s Future 5, 545–559 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. P. Raskin, P. Gleick, P. Kirshen, G. Pontius, K. Strzepek, Water Futures: Assessment of Long-Range Patterns and Prospects (Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, 1997)

    Google Scholar 

  7. L. Ohlsson, Water conflicts and social resource scarcity. Phys. Chem. Earth 25(3), 213–220 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. H.M.L. Chaves, S. Alipaz, An integrated indicator based on basin hydrology, environment, life, and policy: the Watershed Sustainability Index. Water Resour. Manag. 21, 883–895 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. S. McNulty, M. Ge Sun, J.M. Cohen, P. Caldwell, in Proceeding of the Environmental Water Resources Institute Meeting. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: tradeoffs between ecosystem carbon sequestration and water yield, Madison, WI, p. 12 (2010)

  10. D. Seckler, U. Amarasinghe, M. David, R. de Silva, R. Barker, World water demand and supply, 1990–2025: scenarios and issues. Research report 19 (International Water Management Institute, Colombo, 1998)

  11. C.J. Vörösmarty, E.M. Douglas, P.A. Green, C. Revenga, Geospatial indicators of emerging water stress: an application to Africa. AMBIO J. Hum. Environ. 34(3), 230–236 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. A.Y. Hoekstra, P.Q. Hung, Virtual water trade: a quantification of virtual water flows between nations in relation to international crop trade, value of Water Research Report Series No.11 (IHE, Delft, the Netherlands, 2002)

  13. M.M. Mekonnen, A.Y. Hoekstra, The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived crop products. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 15(5), 1577–1600 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. A.Y. Hoekstra, A.K. Chapagain, M.M. Aldaya, M.M. Mekonnen, The Water Footprint Assessment Manual (Earthscan Ltd, London, Washington, DC, 2011)

    Google Scholar 

  15. K. Matti, J.W. Philip, M. de Hans, V. Olli, Is physical water scarcity a new phenomenon? Global assessment of water shortage over the last two millennia. Environ. Res. Lett. 5(3), 034006 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. A.J. Hoekstra, M.M. Mekonnen, A.K. Chapagain, R.E. Mathews, B.D. Richter, Global monthly water scarcity: blue water footprints versus blue water availability. PLoS ONE 7(2), e32688 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. D.M. Degefu et al., Mapping monthly water scarcity in global transboundary basins at country-basin mesh based spatial resolution. Sci. Rep. 8(1), 1–10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20032-w

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. F. Martin-Carrasco, L. Garrote, A. Iglesias, L. Mediero, Diagnosing causes of water scarcity in complex water resources systems and identifying risk management actions. Water Resour. Manag. 27(6), 1693–1705 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. S. Perveen, L.A. James, Scale invariance of water stress and scarcity indicators: facilitating cross-scale comparisons of water resources vulnerability. Appl. Geogr. 31(1), 321–328 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. C. Li, M. Xu, X. Wang, Q. Tan, Spatial analysis of dual-scale water stresses based on water footprint accounting in the Haihe River Basin, China. Ecol. Indic. 92, 254–267 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. CWRDM, Water Atlas (Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, 1995)

    Google Scholar 

  22. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Palakkad District, Kerala State (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvananthapuram,  2007)

    Google Scholar 

  23. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Thrissur District, Kerala State (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvanathapuram, 2007)

    Google Scholar 

  24. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Malappuram District Kerala State (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvanathapuram, 2007)

    Google Scholar 

  25. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Palakkad District, Kerala State, Technical reports: series D (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvananthapuram, 2013). http://cgwb.gov.in/District_Profile/Kerala/Palghat.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  26. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Thrissur District, Kerala State, Technical reports: series D (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvananthapuram, 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  27. CGWB, Ground Water Information Booklet of Malappuram District, Kerala State (Central Ground Water Board, Thiruvananthapuram, 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  28. INDIA-WRIS, http://indiawris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Pothundi_Medium_Irrigation_Project_JI02682. Accessed 24 Sept 2016

  29. DES, Agricultural Statistics 2011–2012 (Department of Economics & Statistics, Thiruvananthapuram, 2013)

    Google Scholar 

  30. DES, Agricultural Statistics 2012–2013 (Department of Economics & Statistics, Thiruvananthapuram, 2014)

    Google Scholar 

  31. DES, Agricultural Statistics 2013–2014 (Department of Economics & Statistics, Thiruvananthapuram, 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  32. PWD, Water Resources of Kerala (Public Water Department, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 1975)

    Google Scholar 

  33. A.Y. Hoekstra, M.M. Mekonnen, Global water scarcity: monthly blue water footprint compared to blue water availability for the world’s major river basins. Value of water research report series no. 53 (UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands, 2011)

  34. MSME (2011), http://dcmsme.gov.in/dips/ipsnewformatdcpkd1.pdf. Accessed 30 Mar 2017

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful for the support given by The Executive Director, CWRDM, Kerala, for the support given for conducting the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surface Water Division, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kunnamangalam, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673571, India

    T. K. Drissia

Authors
  1. T. K. Drissia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. K. Drissia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Drissia, T.K. Spatial and Temporal Variation of Water Stress in Bharathapuzha River Basin, Kerala, India. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. A 100, 167–175 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-018-0336-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-018-0336-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation