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Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in the number of studies applying and expanding the concepts of the water footprint and virtual water trade is generating a wealth of lessons and reflections about water scarcity, allocation and productive uses. New contributions can be useful for advancing integrated water accounting and raising awareness about the importance of this vital natural resource: (1) Supply chain thinking, which takes into account value chains and the implications of trade generally ignored in water management, can help to address water scarcity issues and its sustainable use. (2) Green water accounting incorporates land use and soil management, which greatly influences hydrological functioning. (3) The grey water footprint indicator analyses pollution from an ecosystem point of view and facilitates understanding of the water quantity and quality relationship. (4) Apparent water productivity analysis considers the economic and social aspects associated with water use. (5) Combining the water footprint contextual information with other indicators makes the decision-making context broader.

This Special Issue is open to papers that make progress in the field of water footprint assessment, seeking to achieve more effective, sustainable and equitable integrated water management. We welcome both original research and review papers that innovatively apply existing or newly developed water footprint (green, blue, grey) and virtual water trade approaches in this context. We are interested in a broad range of topics including studies on processes, products, organizations, (groups of) consumers, or specific geographical areas (e.g., river basins or nations).

Dr. Maite M. Aldaya
Dr. Diego Sesma-Martín
Dr. Corina Iris Rodríguez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

water footprint
virtual water trade
green water footprint
blue water footprint
grey water footprint
water management
water scarcity
water security

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 221 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Towards Sustainable Consumption and Production in a Thirsty World: Progress and Challenges in Water Footprint Assessment

by Maite M. Aldaya, Diego Sesma-Martín and Corina Iris Rodriguez

Water 2023, 15(17), 3086; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173086 - 28 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1097

Abstract

Humanity’s need for freshwater has more than doubled since the 1960s, in line with population and economic growth [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Use in a Thirsty World: Towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Using the Water Footprint)

Research

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20 pages, 1581 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Footprint Assessment and Virtual Water Trade in the Globally Most Water-Stressed Country, Qatar

by Nayla Higazy, Sarah Merabet, Razan Khalifa, Aya Saleh, Shaikha Al-Sayegh, Hoda Hosseini, Sara Wahib, Rana Alabsi, Lubna Zarif, Mohamed Shareif Mohamed and Radhouane Ben Hamadou

Water 2024, 16(8), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081185 - 22 Apr 2024

Viewed by 864

Abstract

Qatar is a severely water-stressed country. Despite Qatar’s aridity and its lack of freshwater resources, its per capita water consumption is one of the highest in the world, and it is expected to increase in the coming decades. Therefore, understanding water consumption and use through space and time becomes paramount. By employing water footprint assessment (WF) and analysis of virtual water trade (VWT), this research comprehensively examines Qatar’s water consumption patterns both domestically and internationally on a sectorial level (agricultural, industrial and urban sectors) between 2010 and 2021. The findings show that, internally, the urban sector contributed the most to the WF, followed by the industrial and the agricultural sectors with an annual average WF of 3250, 1650, and 50 million m³/y, respectively. Although Qatar exports large amounts of VW (1450 million m³/y), its VW imports (7530 million m³/y) are very high, reflecting the country’s agricultural demand, making Qatar a net VW importing country. Qatar exhibits a national WF of consumption of 11,900 million m³/y, with a water dependency index of 56% and a self-sufficiency index of 44%. Additionally, Qatar has a significant water export fraction of 20%, while only 3% of its water consumption relies on its natural resources. This study pinpoints sectors and areas where WFs can be reduced; the outcomes serve as a foundation for strategic planning, enabling Qatar to make informed decisions to optimize its water resources, enhance water use efficiency, and secure a sustainable water future in the face of escalating water stress. This study’s methodology and findings not only pave the way for more efficient water resource management in Qatar, but also offer a replicable framework for other arid and semi-arid countries to assess and optimize their water footprint and virtual water trade, contributing significantly to global efforts in sustainable water use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Use in a Thirsty World: Towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Using the Water Footprint)

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