This book gives decision makers, health professionals and analysts a comprehensive view of the arguments and challenges associated with establishing the value of drinking-water interventions. The experts who have contributed to this publication provide guidance on assessing the benefits from improving access to safe drinking water and from reducing the burden of water-related diseases. They show how to compare the value of these benefits to the costs of the interventions, with special reference to small-scale drinking water systems.

Water provides benefits as a commodity for agriculture, industry, and households, and as a public good such as fisheries habitat, water quality and recreational use. To aid in cost-benefit analysis under conditions where market determined price signals are usually unavailable, economists have developed a range of alternative valuation methods for measuring economic benefits. This volume provides the most comprehensive exposition to-date of the application of economic valuation methods to proposed water resources investments and policies. It provides a conceptual framework for valuation of both commodity and public good uses of water, addressing non-market valuation techniques appropriate to measuring public benefits - including water quality improvement, recreation, and fish habitat enhancement. The book describes the various measurement methods, illustrates how they are applied in practice, and discusses their strengths, limitations, and appropriate roles. In this second edition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated, and in particular the coverage of water markets and valuation of ecosystem services from water has been expanded. Robert Young, author of the 2005 edition, has been joined for this new edition by John Loomis, who brings additional expertise on ecosystem services and the environmental economics of water for recreational and other public good uses of water.

The tangible value of increased water efficiency, reuse and recycling and improved social license to operate are moving more companies to adopt water stewardship strategies. This book frames an expanded strategy for water stewardship and business value creation, including brand value, that benefits a range of stakeholders including consumers, customers, investors and employees. The book shows that until recently the linkage between full business value and water stewardship has been missing from the corporate agenda. This linkage and value creation from a leading water strategy is increasingly important to socially responsible investors and "aspirationals" who value companies that have a social mission or focus to their overall business strategy. In general the largest portion of a company’s market capitalization is intangible value and understanding how a water strategy contributes to this intangible value is essential. The authors include cases studies and a framework or path forward to guide companies as they seek to build leading water strategy that goes beyond water stewardship to drive full business value from this investment. The book establishes the linkages and value from an integrated water and business strategy and an approach for companies to follow.

"The marginal productivity of water used for industry varies among sectors in China, but there is a great potential for the Chinese government to save water by raising water prices to industry, to encourage water savings"--Cover.

Although irrigation projects often provide water for more than crop irrigation, water allocation and management decisions often do not account for nonirrigation uses of water. Failure to account for the multiple uses of irrigation water may result in inefficient and inequitable water allocation decisions. Decision-makers often lack information on the relative economic contributions of water in irrigation and nonirrigation uses. This report addresses this problem. It examines the relative economic contributions of irrigated agriculture and reservoir fisheries in the Kirindi Oya irrigation system, located in Southeastern Sri Lanka. The results of the analysis indicate the importance of both irrigated paddy production and reservoir fisheries to the local economy. They also demonstrate significant potential financial and economic gains to irrigated agriculture from improvements in water management practices. Since these water uses are interdependent, policy makers must consider how changes in water management practices may affect reservoir levels and water quality and the fisheries that depend on them.

The aim of Valuing Water, Valuing Livelihoods is to give decision-makers, health professionals and analysts a comprehensive view of the arguments and challenges associated with establishing the value of drinking-water interventions. The experts who have contributed to this publication provide guidance on assessing the benefits from improving access to safe drinking-water and from reducing the burden of water-related diseases. They show how to compare the value of these benefits to the costs of interventions, with special reference to small-scale drinking-water systems. Valuing Water, Valuing Livelihoods provides decision-makers, health professionals and analysts with the tools to promote improved access to safe drinking-water, especially for small and vulnerable communities in developing countries, by presenting comprehensive coverage of principles and practice, technology and economics, health, livelihoods and ethics.

Water provides benefits as a commodity for agriculture, industry, and households, and as a public good such as fisheries habitat, water quality and recreational use. To aid in cost-benefit analysis under conditions where market determined price signals are usually unavailable, economists have developed a range of alternative valuation methods for measuring economic benefits. This volume provides the most comprehensive exposition to-date of the application of economic valuation methods to proposed water resources investments and policies. It provides a conceptual framework for valuation of both commodity and public good uses of water, addressing non-market valuation techniques appropriate to measuring public benefits - including water quality improvement, recreation, and fish habitat enhancement. The book describes the various measurement methods, illustrates how they are applied in practice, and discusses their strengths, limitations, and appropriate roles. In this second edition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated, and in particular the coverage of water markets and valuation of ecosystem services from water has been expanded. Robert Young, author of the 2005 edition, has been joined for this new edition by John Loomis, who brings additional expertise on ecosystem services and the environmental economics of water for recreational and other public good uses of water.

Because water in the United State has not been traded in markets, there is no meaningful estimate of what it would cost if it were traded. But failing to establish ground water's valueâ€"for in situ uses such as sustaining wetlands as well as for extractive uses such as agricultureâ€"will lead to continued overuse and degradation of the nation's aquifers. In Valuing Ground Water an interdisciplinary committee integrates the latest economic, legal, and physical knowledge about ground water and methods for valuing this resource, making it comprehensible to decision-makers involved in Superfund cleanup efforts, local wellhead protection programs, water allocation, and other water-related management issues. Using the concept of total economic value, this volume provides a framework for calculating the economic value of ground water and evaluating tradeoffs between competing uses of it. Included are seven case studies where ground-water valuation has been or could be used in decisionmaking. The committee examines trends in ground-water management, factors that contribute to its value, and issues surrounding ground-water allocation and legal rights to its use. The book discusses economic valuation of natural resources and reviews several valuation methods. Presenting conclusions, recommendations, and research priorities, Valuing Ground Water will be of interest to those concerned about ground-water issues: policymakers, regulators, economists, attorneys, researchers, resource managers, and environmental advocates.

The High-Level Panel on Water was established to 'mobilize effective action to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and its related targets'. The Panel has identified four 'lighthouse initiatives' intended to bring a global focus onto specific issues and advance the agenda in those areas. These initiatives are intended to demonstrate progress during the two-year timeframe of the panel and offer breakthroughs requiring political leadership at the Heads of State or Government level. This framing note addresses one of the four lighthouse initiatives: 'valuing water'.

Water is a precious resource essential for all forms of life, and although there is plenty of water to meet the demand for the present population – and even for a projected population of 9 billion – there is significant spatial and temporal variation in its distribution. This results in water rich and water poor countries, water-related conflicts, and unsafe drinking water, a major killer identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Water for Life: Drinking Water, Health, Food, Energy Nexus covers these issues, highlighting the multi-facted uses and importance of water in life: water resources, chemistry of water, drinking water, and the links between water and health, food, irrigation, soil, energy, transport, industry, recreation, disasters, and conflicts. The book is accessible and clear, with technical elements. It is ideal as a background supplementary text to support more specialist study across civil engineering, geography, and social sciences, and will guide readers to see the big picture of environmentally sustainable water management for all human and other biotic lives.