Indicators in the study sites

Table of Contents

1. Compilers and contributors
2. Introduction
3. Climate indicators
4. Water indicators
5. Soil indicators
6. Vegetation indicators
7. Water runoff indicators
8. Forest fires indicators
9. Agriculture indicators
10. Cultivation indicators
11. Animal husbandry indicators
12. Land management indicators
13. Land use indicators
14. Water use indicators
    1. Irrigation percentage of arable land
    2. Runoff water storage
    3. Water consumption per sector
    4. Water scarcity
15. Tourism indicators
16. Human characteristics indicators
17. Institutional indicators
18. Conclusions
19. References

Water use indicators

Water is a renewable limited resource, which is essential for combating drought and desertification. The key point of sustainable development is to safeguard water resources and to ensure that the availability for public water supplies is provided in such a way that the protection of the environment is achieved. The indicators related to water use provides information on the efficient allocation of water among uses and tools for managing risk associated with drought. The uncontrolled use of water resources in the last decades for both irrigation and domestic consumption resulted in severe environmental impact on the water quality of the most productive aquifers and on soil degradation due to salinization. As it is expected, the areas facing water shortages and overexploitation problems are those located in semi-arid and arid climatic conditions having high population density, and intensive agriculture activities. The following indicators related to water use have been considered in this project:

(a) Irrigation percentage of arable land, (b) runoff water storage, (c) water consumption per sector, and (d) water scarcity.

Table 12. Number of field sites in which indicators related to water use was recorded in the filled questionnaires