HARMONIZATION AND INTEGRATION OF WATER SAVING OPTIONS. CONVENTION AND PROMOTION OF WATER SAVING POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

A. Karamanos, S. Aggelides and P. Londra Agricultural University of Athens Malta 3-7 May 2006

1

Population 11,000,000 Area occupied 131,962 Km 2 Types of land use



arable (30%)



forest (19%)



pastures (43.4%)



others (7.6%)

2

Total annual precipitation 116,689 hm 3 Annual water potential 70,276 hm 3 Annual water consumption 8,200 hm 3



agriculture (83%)



domestic (13%)



industrial (2%)



other uses (2%)

3

Arable area 38,986 Km 2 Cultivated area 34,638 Km 2 Irrigated land 14,305 Km 2 24,19% Total irrigated land 2,81% 7,94% 65,06% crops vegetables trees vines

4

WATER SAVING ASPECTS 1. Increase the drip irrigation systems 2. Increase the water use efficiency in irrigation networks.

3. Water saving practices in farm level.

4. Water saving in irrigation districts or regions.

5. Water saving techniques related to water harvesting.

6. Recharging the degraded aquifers.

7. Non-conventional water use.

8. Use of desalination water.

9. Affecting the water balance.

10. Application of rational agricultural practices.

5

1.

Increase the drip irrigation system 30.4 % Total irrigated area: 1,430,000 ha 19 % 50.6 % Surface irrigation Sprinkler irrigation Drip Irrigation 6

1.

Increase the drip irrigation system 300.000

250.000

200.000

150.000

100.000

50.000

0

Surface irrigation Year Sprinkler irrigation Drip irrigation

The trends of irrigation techniques used in public networks.

7

1. Increase the drip irrigation system 300000 250000 200000

47% 43% 51% 41% 49% 44%

150000 100000 50000

10% 8% 7%

0 1990

Surface irrigation

1995

Year Sprinkler irrigation

2000

Drip irrigation

The trends of irrigation methods used in private networks

.

8

1. Increase the drip irrigation system 350000 300000 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0

49% 5 1 %

19 85 19 86 19 87 19 88 19 89 19 90 19 91 19 92 19 93 19 94 19 95 19 96 19 97 19 98

Year Surface flow Pipelines 35% 65%

Conveyance of irrigation water in public networks.

9

1. Increase the drip irrigation system 600000 500000 400000 300000 200000 100000 0

7.5% 92.5% 6.5% 93.5% 5.5% 94.5%

1990

Surface flow

1995

Year Pipelines

2000 Conveyance of irrigation water in private networks.

10

2.

Increase the water use efficiency in irrigation networks.

Water application efficiency 75% 90% surface irrigation drip irrigation 85% sprinkler irrigation

11

2. Increase the water use efficiency in irrigation networks.

Water conveyance and distribution efficiency 70% 95% 85% earthen concrete channels pipelines

12

2. Increase the water use efficiency in irrigation networks Maximum calculated crop water requirements: Actual water use: WUE: 4,089 Km 3 6,833 Km 3 60%

Data 1996

13

3. Water saving practices in farm level.

    Storage water in farm reservoirs Destroy the weeds Using mulch Using minimum tillage techniques.

 Construction of terraces 14

4. Water saving in irrigation districts or regions.

  Construction of dams.

Construction off-stream water reservoirs.

15

5. Water saving techniques related to water harvesting  Structures which harvest runoff from ground surfaces (contour earth bands)  Structures which harvest the rain from the roofs and ground surfaces and deposit water in rain-water tanks.

 Techniques which collect discharge by diversion the ephemeral water sources.

16

6. Recharging the degraded aquifers. Recharge takes place during winter when there is enough rainfall. Following this technique the water quantity of the aquifers is increased and the quality of degraded groundwater is improved.

17

7. Non-conventional water use The use of wastewaters from treatment plants may provide sufficient water for irrigation, in order to prevent water shortage as well as intrusion of the pollution loads to the sea, rivers and lakes.

18

8. Use of desalination water.

Desalination systems based on renewable energy were used in some islands of Aegean Sea.

19

9. Affecting the water balance

Water balance per water district (hm 3 ).

Water district

1. W. Peloponnesus 2. N. Peloponnesus 3. E. Peloponnesus 4. W. Central Greece 5. Epirus 6. Attica 7. E. Central Greece

Precipitation

8031 6404 6563 14340 17046 1642 9516

Evaporation

3614 2824 3290 5450 6818 1150 5257

Internal runoff (rainfall infiltration )

1285 1661 1847 3825 4290 241 1695 8. Thessaly 9. W. Macedonia 10. Central Macedonia 11. E. Macedonia 12. Thrace 13. Crete 14. Aegean Islands

Total

10426 10470 6068 4917 8574 7500 5192

116689 (100%)

6255 5654 3034 2722 5325 4874 3104

59371 (50,90%)

973 1239 428 524 530 1068 527

20133 (17,20%) Runoff

3132 1918 1426 5065 5938 251 2564 3202 3578 2606 1671 2719 1558 1562

37190 (31,90%)

20

9. Affecting the water balance

 Application of appropriate agricultural practices in order to increase infiltrated water especially in the slopping cultivated areas, i.e. plowing according to the contour lines, cultivation in zones, using minimum tillage techniques etc.

 Low rock dams in winter water courses.

 Measures to avoid forest fires . 21

10.Application of rational agricultural practices



Avoid erosion



Avoid chemical pollution of soils and ground waters

22

BENEFITS OF WATER SAVING OPTIONS. PROPOSITIONS ON MEASURES.

Water saving requires coordinated actions in order to promote water resources management through an integrated and effective planning framework.

 A reasonable quantity of water can be saved by replacing the old surface irrigation systems with drip irrigation ones. This policy can be improved by subsidizing the purchase and establishment of drip irrigation systems.

 The increase of water use efficiency can be achieved by applying the following measures: a) Training of young farmers in water management techniques.

b) Pricing of irrigation water in public networks is based on the size of the parcel. Farmers should pay on water volume consumption basis, instead.

23

BENEFITS OF WATER SAVING OPTIONS. PROPOSITIONS ON MEASURES  The construction of dams and off-stream water reservoirs as well as projects for recharging coastal aquifers need large investments.

Nevertheless, by converting a dry or degraded land to irrigated one the family income is increased by more than 70% as well as the employment at a rate of 20% in the perimeter of the project district. In addition a reduction in labor cost was observed as a result of automations (Naftemporiki Newspaper, 2004).

 The effluents can be used to irrigate crops, forestry, amenities and for industrial needs. Thus the freshwater that is currently used for irrigation can be saved.

 Desalination water can be used in some Cyclades islands in order to overcome the competition between the vital economic sectors of agriculture and tourism.

24

BENEFITS OF WATER SAVING OPTIONS. PROPOSITIONS ON MEASURES  Encouraging and subsidizing any measure or technique that affects positively the water balance  Administrative measures must be applied in order to avoid the environmental degradation of soils and ground waters from nitrates, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides as well as of forests from fires 25

The possible water saving opportunities in Greece can be obtained mainly from:  The reuse of effluents from Waste Water Treatment Plants by 3.2% of current total use of freshwater.

 The reduction of water losses in the irrigation networks by 10% to 30% of the water used for agriculture.

 The different water saving options by an inestimable proportion (10% ?).

26

Thank you !

Agricultural University of Athens

27