HLPE CONSULTATION ON WATER AND FOOD SECURITY REPORT
General comments
Types of water: the draft report addresses the issue of types of water and water
usage. We would like to draw the attention of the HLPE to the Codex international
standards such as the Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables that
have quite prescriptive requirements around the types of water that can be used in
production and measures to be taken to prevent contamination of the produce
and/or water used. The Code may assist around water usage, particularly where it
might concern re-use of water.
Integrating water quality into water quantity policies: It would be good to have
more description about integrating water quality into water quantity policies and
decisions, particularly for water resource allocation. There was a comment late in
the report about quantity impact on quality but it did not appear to be discussed
earlier on in the report. For more information, the report could refer to the report
prepared on characterising the relationship between water quality and quantity on
the Department of Environment’s website:
http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/characterising-relationship-betweenwater-quality-and-water-quantity.
The report could also look at the Australian Murray Darling Basin Plan for an
example of integrating water quality targets into water resource allocation plans:
http://www.mdba.gov.au/what-we-do/basin-plan
Water for agricultural systems – Irrigation: On approaches and methodological
issues (page 29, line 50), we believe that metrics and data for water and food
security are adequate and valuable. However, we would like to suggest to
incorporate more maps on irrigated area that have positive outcomes on food
security including systems used for these achievements and more graphs (especially
scatter plots) for a broad understanding and critical review of the correlation
between water usage across the globe and food security with emphasize on best
practices used in irrigation. An Australian a case study in Victoria is found below as
an example.
Case study: Victorian On-Farm Priority Project
“The Victorian On-Farm Priority Project was designed to deliver on the
Commonwealth Government’s environmental priorities for water-related programs
in the Murray Darling Basin through on-farm efficiencies which increase the viability
of farm businesses. The project is helping to maintain and grow milk production to
meet increasing demand, despite the challenges of climate variability. In turn, a
strong dairy sector maintains and creates regional employment: both directly
(through on-farm roles) and indirectly (through associated industries).
The project is estimated to have boosted the regional economy and community with
an estimated net present value of $78 million, and the creation of approximately 200
short- and long-term jobs. Additional benefits expected over the long-term include
improved water quality and salinity management, and increased resilience of the
regional economy to a range of socioeconomic and environmental pressures.
Victorian On-Farm Priority Project enabled farmers to invest in new technology to
help combat climate variability, which had already impacted the value of production
during years of lower water allocations.
The project strengthened the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District economy
(estimated to be $1.6 billion at the farm gate, and $6.5 billion with processing and
other value adding) as it provided a stimulus to farm infrastructure investment and
retained 50 per cent of the resultant water savings for productive use.
In developing the Victorian On-Farm Priority Project, the Victorian Government
estimated water use efficiency increases and productivity increases of 13 to 22 per
cent, depending on the farming industry (e.g. dairy, grains, horticulture, etc.).
Irrigation upgrades:

improve border-check irrigation by lasering, installing reuse systems,
automating bay outlets, facilitating fast , establishing farm channel
reconnections or installing pipes and risers

install irrigation scheduling equipment including soil-, plant- or weatherbased monitoring systems to calculate crop water requirements and water
budgets

lay piping and lining farm channels

convert border-check irrigation systems to pressurised systems, including
conversion to centre pivot, linear move, fixed sprinkler or surface and subsurface drip systems.”
Salinity: The draft report refers to two strategies are available to deal with salinity
(page 30, lines 22-27). We note that the draft report covers a more worldwide
perspective where in most cases salinisation of productive land is occurring due to
salts being added to soils in cultivation processes, for example, from fertilisers or in
the water being used for irrigation (particularly if it is from treated sewage effluent
and/or storm water). The two methods described (cultivating more saline tolerant
species or allowing leaching to remove the salts) are the two options. It should be
noted that leaching would require the amount of salt being added to the soil be
reduced through either better fertiliser management and /or lowering the salt level
in the water being applied to allow leaching to occur. It would also be enhanced
through increase drainage but this could lead to downstream impacts (i.e. the salts
do not disappear; they get dissolved in water and moved somewhere else in the
environment). The draft report focuses on agricultural productivity and does not
seem to discuss any environmental risks associated with the transfer of the salts. The
Australian dry land salinity issue is slightly different with the salts already in the soil
being mobilised through changing land use practise and irrigation that leads to rising
water tables. This means that in addition to the options from above, land
management, such as tree planting, and optimised irrigation management which
would both decrease water table rises, could be added to the list.
Water quality: We do not agree with some of the recommendations to address
water quality (pages 76-77). While ‘investing in water quality monitoring to address
food security and nutrition and public health challenges’ is a good idea, we think
there needs to be words around monitoring being targeted and risk based otherwise
it can be impractical and expensive.
Closing the nutrient cycle in water in wastewater: The recommendation to ‘close
the nutrient cycle in water and wastewater’ should be investigated on a case-by-case
basis. We suggest that it is more appropriate for smaller scale cases as economics
and health and safety issues of re-using wastewater products as fertilisers have been
difficult to resolve. We believe that while there are risks associated with stormwater
and sewage re-use, these have to be balanced against the environmental effects and
or the health and safety issues associated with the current practices, which may be
very unsanitary and environmental damaging, and the benefits of increased
environmental water (if extraction is reduced,) decreased nutrient transfer
(eutrophication) and pathogen release and increased agricultural productivity.
Development and implementation of water-neutral industrial and domestic water
and wastewater strategies: It is not clear to us what the recommendation means.
We believe it may mean that significant resources even on the most basic scale, for
example, a house that collect roof top rain water (i.e. not a farm dam or other
interference with environmental flows), stores it in a tank, uses it for domestic
purposes (which may require disinfection), collects the used water, treats it to
remove pathogens and excess nutrient and applies it to crop or treats it further for
domestic re-use. Even this basic model would require a tank, some plumbing for the
collection of the used water, a septic or other biological treatment system, plumbing
to and a pump to move the treated water to a crop or back to storage and possibly a
disinfection and or filtration system, all of which would cost money to purchase and
would require ongoing maintenance. There might need to be some clarification on
what this recommendation is trying to achieve.
Water reform processes: we supply a copy of the study below conducted to help
understanding the balance between the water needs of communities, industries and
the environment as key to achieving a healthy working Basin.
Case study - Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program
‘Within Australia, the Murray–Darling Basin is Australia's largest and most iconic
river system. It is also one of the largest river systems in the world and one of the
driest covering an area of over 1 million km2. More than 2 million people live in the
Murray–Darling Basin, with more than 1.3 million people who live outside the Basin
also dependent on its water resources.
Irrigated agriculture in the Murray–Darling Basin makes an important contribution to
the Australian and regional economies. In 2010–11, the Basin accounted for 61 per
cent of Australia’s total area irrigated and 40 per cent of Australia’s irrigating
agricultural businesses (ABS 2012). These businesses undertake a variety of irrigated
agricultural enterprises, including vegetable crops, perennial tree and vine crops,
pastures for grazing, hay, rice, cotton, cereals and oilseed crops. Many of these
enterprises rely heavily on irrigation water.
Ensuring a balance between the water needs of communities, industries and the
environment is key to achieving a healthy working Basin. The Basin Plan, which came
into law on 22 November 2012, sets new long-term average sustainable diversion
limits (SDLs) that reflect an environmentally sustainable level of water use (or 'take').
This is the amount of water that can be taken for town water supplies, industry,
agriculture and other human or 'consumptive' uses, while ensuring there is enough
water to maintain healthy river and groundwater systems.
The Australian Government is meeting the challenges of water scarcity through longterm strategic investments that will improve water management arrangements and
deliver a range of water policy reforms. More than $12 billion has been committed
for programs in support of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin. Of this, over
$5 billion will be invested through the infrastructure component of the Sustainable
Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program (SRWUIP). SRWUIP provides funding for
rural water infrastructure upgrades to improve water use efficiency on and off farm,
with a share of water savings helping to ‘bridge the gap’ to the sustainable diversion
limits in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.”
Miscellaneous general comments
The table below contains miscellaneous general comments for noting on a range of
topics found throughout the report that may improve text/language clarity.
Page
Lines
Subject
Existing text
Comment
17
13-14 Groundwater Ground water is
also often of special
relevance because
of its better quality,
if preserved from
source pollution.
We believe it is not always
accurate to describe
groundwater as better quality.
In Australia, many
groundwater resources are
characterised by high salinity
and acidity, and are vulnerable
to contaminants such as heavy
metals, industrial chemicals,
and pesticides.
32
18-19 Climate
Change
...climate change is
causing increased
rainfall variability
and the frequency
of extreme events
such as drought,
floods, and
hurricanes (IPCC
2013).
In referencing the IPCC
Working Group I report it
perhaps would be more
accurate to reword to
‘....Climate change is causing
changes to rainfall patterns
and an increase in the
frequency of extreme events
such as drought, floods and
hurricanes (IPCC, 2013).’
32
29-30 Climate
change
... while they will
increase
productivity of crops
in cool and water
abundant
environments for a
period at least.
Where nutrients are limited,
increased CO2 may not
increase productivity. We
suggest changing to ‘while
they will increase productivity
of crops in many cool and
water abundant environments
...’
33
10-11 Climate
change
Rainfall patterns are Climate change projections do
likely to change in
not indicate that rainfall
both dry and wet
patterns are likely to change
regions though
predictions in
rainfall changes lack
precision.
in all regions. In Australia,
projections show that some
regions (eg. Northern
Australia) may not experience
changes in rainfall. We suggest
instead ‘Rainfall patterns may
change in both dry and wet
regions ...’
In addition, we believe it is not
accurate to say “rainfall
predictions lack precision”. It
would be preferable to say, ‘...
in both dry and wet regions,
although in the nearer term
(eg to 2030) natural variability
is expected to be more
significant than climate
change in most regions.’
33
42
11
Climate
change
11-14 Climate
change
More serious will be
the intensity and
distribution of
rainfall.
This sentence is unclear given
the previous sentence includes
reference to changes in rainfall
patterns, which is the same as
changes in rainfall distribution.
Further, the paragraph does
not yet establish that
projections indicate a likely
increase in the intensity of
rainfall. We suggest removing
this sentence and redrafting to
‘Climate change projections
indicate many regions may
experience an increase in the
intensity of extreme rainfall.
Increased intensity will
encourage more runoff ...’.
Given growing
water availability
under climate
change, irrigation
This sentence is unclear as in
some regions a decline in
water availability is expected.
We suggest redraft to ‘Given
54
Box
17
Climate
change
systems will be
called upon to
provide even more
water control .....
changes to rainfall under
climate change, irrigation
systems may be called upon to
provide even more water
control....’
The over allocation
of water resources,
combined with
record low inflows
and the onset of
climate change,
were amongst the
rationale for an
extensive reform of
the water
governance, .....
It is not possible to determine
a specific time when the
‘onset of climate change’ has
occurred. While climate
change impacts may have
played a role in the water
reforms of the Murray Darling
Basin for example, the reforms
were implemented primarily
due to the over allocation of
water resources and low water
availability. However, it is
important to note that these
water reforms help Australia
reduce vulnerability to climate
variability and the potential
for declines in water
availability and reliability due
to climate change.
59
45-46 Climate
change
In the wake of
climate change, ...
‘In the wake of’ sounds like
this is happening after and
because of climate change.
We suggest redrafting to ‘In
consideration of climate
change’.
60
26-27 Water
storage
A middle ground is
actually to avoid
talking about dams
but instead to speak
about storage and a
continuum of
storage options that
include a
‘continuum’ of
We suggest removing phrase
‘avoid talking about dams’ and
simply note that it is important
to consider a range of water
storage and infrastructure
options.
water storage
options ......
65
79
81
30-31 Dams
41
Climate
change
41-44 Climate
change
Examples of these
include the dams
movement, .....
We find it unclear as to what
the ‘dams movement’ is
referring to.
...as well as
increasing climate
variability etc
We suggest caution in stating
that climate variability is
increasing as this is not
accurate for all regions. We
suggest to redraft to ‘... as well
as changes to climate’.
As water variability
continues to
increase under
climate change and
extreme events are
increasing in
intensity and
number, .....
We believe not all regions will
experience an increase in
water variability and extreme
events with climate change.
We suggest redrafting to ‘As
rainfall patterns and water
availability change with
climate change, and some
extreme events increase in
intensity and number, ....’