Environmental flows in India:

Case studies, achievements

and future work

September 15, 2016

Outline

• E-flows: Our journey so far

• Understanding trade offs and economics

• Setting the scene for E-flows Implementation

(including material transport)

temporal and spatial variations in quantity and quality of water

required for freshwater and estuarine systems to perform their natural ecological functions

and supports the spiritual, cultural

and livelihood activities that depend on them

1. E-flows: journey so far

Biodiversity

Fluvial geomorphology

Cultural and religiousSocio-economical

Hydraulics

Water Quality

Hydrology

Holistic Methodology

River Health Classes

• Near-pristine: Reaches with minimal human interference

• Slightly Modified: Reaches with some evidence of human interference, but still functionally intact.

• Moderately Modified: Reaches with clear evidence of human interference, but still largely functionally intact.

• Degraded: Reaches with evidence of considerable human interference and functionally disturbed.

• Critically Degraded: Reaches dominated by human interference

• Himachal Pradesh E-flows Policy 2005– 15% of lean flows

• Expert Appraisal Committee on Hydropower and River Valley Projects (66th meeting)– Lean season: 20% of average discharge in four leanest

months– Non monsoon, non lean season: 20-30% of inflows– Monsoon period: 30% of the cumulative inflows during the

monsoon period

• GRBMP (2015): Aviral Dhara• Committee on E-flows

E-Flows during Kumbh 2013

The X-axis indicates the levels, which has been marked at a pillar of Shastri Bridge (u/s of Sangam, Allahabad); whereas the Y-axis shows the dates

from 12 January to 31 March 2013.

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Observed current flows (in cumec) Recommended E-Flows (in cumec)

Discussion points

• How to go beyond Ganga and few hydro power projects?

• Basin wise E-flows assessments under a national programme

– Is this possible?

– Capacity & resources needed?

– Responsibility? Centre, State and/or both

– Timelines

2. Understanding tradeoffs

Bhimgoda Barrage_UGC

Narora Barrage_LGC

India

8 Branches

28 distributaries

86 minors

19 Districts

126 villages

9 Divisions

Sample size: 540

400 women

35 officials

Understanding trade-offs

Water allocations

Water use

Agriculture practices

Policy and pricing

Institutions

Water resources allocation

Leaving water for the Ganga

6%

94%

UGC

Disagree

Agree

20%

80%

LGC

Disagree on Canalwater transfer tomaintain depth

Agree on Canalwater transfer tomaintain depth

Transfer of saved water to Ganga

53,9%

1,6%

2,4%

42,0%

0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0%

Change in croppingpattern

Extension ofcropped/irrigated area

Intensive irrigation

Sacrifice for E-Flow

Number of respondents

UGC

23,3%

5,8%

21,4%

49,4%

0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0%

Change in croppingpattern

Extension ofcropped/irrigated area

Intensive irrigation

Sacrifice for E-Flow

Number of respondents

LGC

Groundwater use

,

92,4

80,7

92

74

76

78

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

94

Head Middle Tail

UGC

97,9

94,4

91,9

888990919293949596979899

Head Middle Tail

LGC: Reach wise % of farmers using ground water usage

% of farmers using ground water

Irrigation methods

12; 5%

244; 95%

UGC

Flooding

10; 4%

249; 96%

LGC

Flooding

Basin

Soil health and input management

11,7%

88,3%

UGC

Soil testing done Soil testing not done

8,0%

86,5%

5,5%

0,0% 20,0% 40,0% 60,0% 80,0% 100,0%

Soil testing done

Soil testing not done

Fertilizer application based ontesting

LGC

Trade off analysis

Costs and benefits

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: 4 groups of

ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, supporting,

and cultural. – Provisioning: Fishery, Agricultural crops (Food); River bed farming;

Drinking Water

– Regulating services: Carbon Sequestration; Microclimate regulation;

– Cultural: Forest Tourism; cultural/religious tourism

• Various flow regimes are associated with various services

provided by the ecosystem, and might entail changes in

the target groups who receive the services.

• Monetary valuation of each flow regime is one of the ways

to evaluate the scenarios, understand the trade-offs, and

help in allocation of water across sectors.

23

Cost-benefit analysis of environmental flows

Nilanjan Ghosh, Suresh Babu

Scenarios

• Business-As-Usual: Baseline valuation of the

ecosystem services of the current hydrological

regime;

• Alternate scenarios:

– Flow Regime Change: Degraded, Improved, Diversionary.

– Demand Management Scenario: Changes in Allocation

Patterns, Better Management Practices.

– Institutional Changes: Pricing regimes, participatory

irrigation management

Water resources allocation

How do we redraw the pie ?

Discussion points

• Lessons from integrating e-flows into water allocations?

• How trade-offs analysed and managed

• Examples of research on surface-groundwater interactions?

• Understanding the impacts on ecology

3. Setting the scene for implementation

1st EFA training

2nd EFA training

Pilot EF Implementation

Main River Implementation

E Flow

s assessm

en

t and

imp

lem

en

tation

Stakeholder Engagement

Policy & Legislation

IWRM Process

Social an

d P

olicy

Pro

cess

Timeline for E Flows development

10 to 20 years

Source: Prof Jay O Keffee

At

nat

ion

al le

vel

Rāmgangā river is rejuvenated, by ensuring aviral dhara, nirmal dharaand maintaining ecosystem services and functions, providing long term water security to all stakeholders.

Basin Governance (management & stakeholder behaviour)

River and ecosystem health

• Sustainable water management• E-flow releases required

• Improved water use efficiency

Flows and connectivity are

maintained in the river and floodplains

Benefits to society

Water supply for people, agriculture,

and industry

Urban wetlands and

floodplains maintained or

improved

Groundwater recharge areas

protected and water levels maintained or

improved

Water quality meets

prescribed standards

Integrated urban water management

adopted

Freshwater-related livelihoods

supported

Risks from flooding and water borne diseases reduced

Cultural and spiritual

opportunities

Ecotourism developed and expanded

Vis

ion

, go

als,

an

d o

bje

ctiv

es

Breeding populations of

critically endangered

species established

Planning regulations to

support habitat protection

Improved knowledge of risks and resilience

to climate change and natural disasters

Pollution load

reduced

Support for collective conservation action by stakeholders

Integrating into basin plans

Regulation and policy

Basin Governancemanagement& stakeholder behaviour

Fisheries management

Improved water use efficiency

Climate change policy

Contingency planning for disasters

Dam operation rules

Integrated urban water management

adopted

Stra

tegy

an

d a

ctio

ns

Planning regulations to

support habitat

protection

Improved knowledge of risks and resilience

to climate change and natural disasters

Pollution load

reduced

Support for collective conservation action by stakeholders

River health monitoring

Climate change and biodiversity

Future development

Impact of sand mining

Response to natural disasters

Promotion of clean technology

Ecosystems-based urban planning

Biodiversity and habitat protection and restoration

E-flow releases required

Sustainable water

management

Water allocations, trade-offs

Capacity building of stakeholder groups

Capacity building for government agencies, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Civil Society

Participatory groundwater management

Improved river bed farming

Improved farming (land, water, agriculture) practices

Climate changeWater use efficiency programs

Research, assessment & monitoring

Capacity building & stakeholder engagement

Go

als

Key challenges

• Lessons from E-flows policies

• How to integrate E-flows into basin plans

• Road map for E-flows mainstreaming and implementation

• Examples of implementation, monitoring

Implementation Challenge

Tom Lequesne et.al