System of Environmental-Economic
Accounting for Water (SEEAW)
A general introduction
Training Workshop on SEEAW
(New York, 13-17 November 2006)
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Outline
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Integrated Water Resources Management
What is the SEEAW?
Modules of the SEEAW
Policy applications of the SEEAW
Future work
Implementation of the SEEAW in countries
Outcome of the User-producer Conference
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Water – some considerations
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A “Single” Resource – has no substitute
A Limited Resource
A Scarce Resource (or is it?)
Has Social, Economic, and Environmental Value
Poor water management and water shortages can
lead to disease, malnutrition, reduced economic
growth, social instability, conflict, and
environmental disaster.
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The Global Water Budget
Global Water
97% Seawater
3% Freshwater
Global Freshwater
87% Not Accessible
13% Accessible (0.4% of global)
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Current situation
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Resources are scarce
Demands are outstripping supplies
Environmental/Ecological issues are serious
Policy and institutional issues are complicated
Current approach is sectoral and fragmented
Decreasing per-capita availability
Degrading water quality
Increasing competition/conflict within sectors and within
society
• Urban versus agriculture
• Haves versus have nots
• Upstream versus downstream
• National versus international
• Increasing competition/conflict with the environment
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Changes in thinking
The Dublin principles (1992)
• Water is a single, finite resource
• Water management and development should
include stakeholders
• Water is an economic good
• Women play a central role in management and
conservation of water
The Dublin Principles have served as guide for the
global water dialogue
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Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM)
IWRM is based on the understanding that water resources
are an integral component of the ecosystem, a natural
resource and a social and economic good. (WWDR)
IWRM is a coordinating framework for integrating sectoral
needs, water and water-related policy, resource allocation, and
management within the context of social, economic, and
environmental development objectives.
IWRM requires and information system to base its
decisions => Water accounting
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Why IWRM?
• Globally accepted and makes good sense
• Key element in national water policy
• Incorporates social and environmental
considerations directly into policy and decision
making
• Directly involves the stakeholders
• Is a tool for optimizing investments under tight
financing climate
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Schematic of the IWRM Process
Country
Development
Objectives
• Stakeholder Input
• Donor Input
• Other Input
Key Water &
Water-related
Policies/Inst.
Review &
Evaluation
Resources
Assessment &
Analysis
Use Assessment
& Analysis
Resource
Allocation
Strategy
Implementation
& Monitoring
Resource
Development &
Management
Plan
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The SEEAW and IWRM
Key aspects in IWRM that can be addressed by the SEEAW:
• Allocating water efficiently and improve efficiency
• Understanding the impact of water management on all
users
• Getting the most value from money from investment
infrastructure
• Linking water availability to its uses
• Providing a standardized information system
which harmonizes different sources, is accepted
by the stakeholders and is used for the
derivation of indicators
• Getting stakeholders involved in decision-making
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What is the SEEAW?
The SEEAW is a satellite system to the System of
National Accounts 
• Links economic accounts with hydrological
information
• Uses standard definitions, concepts, classifications
common to economic accounts
• Is expected to become a statistical standard
• Allows for the derivation of coherent and consistent
indicators
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What is the SEEAW? (2)
Complements the framework with a set of tables
• Standard tables:
Minimum data set that all countries are
encouraged to compile
• Supplementary tables:
Disaggregation of the standard tables,
including items that should be considered by
countries if of interest and data is available
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SEEAW as Statistical Standard
• User-Producer Conference (22-24 May 2006)
endorsed the SEEAW and recommended its
adoption as the international standard for water
statistics
• UN-Water (21 August 2006) has “endorsed”
the SEEAW
• The SEEAW will be submitted for approval by
the UN Statistical Commission (March 2007)
through the UNCCEA
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Why the SEEAW?
• Water has been high on the policy agenda
• Increasing number of countries implemented
water accounts but little harmonization of
practices
• Revision of the SEEA (started in 1998) was
the motivation to harmonize
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Modules of the SEEAW (1)
Physical water supply and use tables
Provide physical information by industries and households on
water abstraction, use and supply within the economy and
returns in the environment
Emission accounts
Provide physical information by industries and households on
emissions of substances into water resources through
wastewater discharges.
Hybrid and economic accounts
Provide information on the cost associated with water use and
supply and on users fees paid.
Links between physical flows of water with the economic
accounts, financing
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Modules of the SEEAW (2)
Asset accounts
Provide information on the stock of water resources in
the environment and the changes that occur during the
accounting period (abstraction, returns, precipitation,
evapotranspitration, etc.)
Quality accounts
Provide information on the quality of water in the
environment
Valuation of water resources
Provides a review of valuation techniques and their
consistency with the 1993 SNA valuation. No
recommendations
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Policy application of the SEEAW (1)
Derivation of a coherent and consistent set of
indicators, for example:
• Water productivity/intensity  Hybrid
Accounts
• Water use over renewable resources  Asset
Accounts and Physical SUT
• Per capita water use  Physical SUT
• Water use by industry  Physical SUT
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Temporal and spatial issues
• Reconciliation of economic and hydrological
data
River basin vs. administrative region
Accounting vs. hydrological year
• Inclusion of temporal and spatial variability of
water in the accounts
Seasonal vs. annual accounts
Long-term water cycle
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Future work (1)
Methodological improvements
• Social dimension
• Quality accounts
• Water valuation
• Data quality framework
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Future work (2)
Implementation and promotion
• Development of toolkits (country practices,
training material, promotion material,
dissemination tools and practices)
• In-depth analysis of lessons learnt from country
experiences in the implementation and use of the
SEEAW
• Promotion of the SEEAW within the users’
community at national and international level
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Implementation of the SEEAW
• Worldwide about 25 countries have implemented (part
of) water accounts
- 17 developed countries (Australia, New Zealand and
14 EU countries)
- 8 developing countries (Botswana, Chile, Mexico,
Namibia, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, the
Republic of Moldova)
• Few have established the institutional arrangements for
the implementation (e.g. China, Dominican Republic,
Morocco)
• Several countries have shown interest in implementing
the SEEAW
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Outcome of the User-Producer Conference
on Water Accounting for IWRM
(Voorburg, 22-24 May 2006)
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Objectives of the Conference
• Present the draft System of EnvironmentalEconomic Accounting for Water (SEEAW)
• Seek users’ endorsement of the SEEAW as
THE hydrological framework for IWRM
• Promote the SEEAW implementation
• Establish a Roundtable on Water Accounting
under the auspices of the UNCEEA
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Main conclusions
The Conference:
• Recognized that the SEEAW provides THE
much-needed conceptual framework for
organizing hydrological and economic
information in support of IWRM
• Recommended it become a statistical standard
• Recognized the timeliness of the SEEAW
• Stressed the need to educate the users (little is
known in the water world)
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Main conclusions (2)
The Conference also recognized that the SEEAW:
• Fosters the improvement of basic data by
allowing the identification of data gaps and
overlaps
• Provides a framework for deriving indicators –
majority of WWDR indicators can be derived
from SEEAW
• Can improve inter-institutional cooperation
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Agreed actions
• Cooperation between WWAP, GWP and UNSD
• Training course by UNESCO-IHE
• Integrate SEEAW standard table in IWRM
programmes by World Bank (pilot projects)
• Establishment of twinning projects
• Translation of the SEEAW in other languages by
countries
• Promotion of the SEEAW to users (through the
development of brochures, presentations at
international conferences, etc.)
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Roundtable on Water Accounting
Under the auspices of the UNCEEA
• Objectives:
- Promotion of SEEAW
- Advancement of implementation
• Work programme
- Development of toolkits
• Country practices
• Training programmes/material
• Promotion material
• Communication tools
- Implementation
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