Assessment of water footprint of production: A case study for Diyarbakır province

Abstract

Rapid urbanization, increasing per capita water consumption and pollution together with the developing industry necessitated to process more effective measurement, management and decision mechanisms on regional water resources. The concept of water footprint (WF) is a new parameter that has been introduced to the literature in recent years similar to the ecological and carbon footprints to support water resource management works. The WF of any field or product refers to the total volume of water resources that is processed or contaminated directly or indirectly during the production process. The main purpose of this study is to analyze blue and green water footprints of agricultural, livestock, industrial production and domestic use in Diyarbakır province for 2008-2019. Accordingly, the average WF value of the study area was calculated to be 3.43 billion m3/year. The majority of the water resources in the province corresponding 86% of all water resources is used for the cultivation of agricultural products. Also, 49% of freshwater was supplied from surface and ground water which increases up to 62% in dry season. The virtual water contents and water utilization of agricultural products were also calculated and discussed. The current study is one of the first regional WF analyzes performed in Turkey and it is expected to contribute to agricultural planning, domestic and industrial water allocation, waste management and sustainability works of water resources.