The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

Feb 21, 2017The Science of the total environment

Water used by Indian diets and how social factors relate to dietary water use

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Abstract

The mean blue and green water footprint of diets in India is 737 l/capita/day and 2531 l/capita/day, respectively.

Vegetables have the lowest water footprints per unit mass, while roots and tubers have the lowest per unit of dietary energy.
Poultry products exhibit the highest blue water footprints among food items.
Wheat and rice account for 31% and 19% of the dietary blue water footprint, respectively.
Vegetable oils are the largest contributors to the dietary green water footprint.
Dietary blue water footprints vary regionally, with northern diets having nearly 1.5 times greater blue water footprints than southern diets.
Higher living standards and urban diets are associated with increased dietary blue water footprints.

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Agriculture accounts for ~90% of India's fresh water use, and there are concerns that future food production will be threatened by insufficient water supply of adequate quality. This study aimed to quantify the water required in the production of diets in India using the water footprint (WF) assessment method. The socio-demographic associations of dietary WFs were explored using mixed effects regression models with a particular focus on blue (irrigation) WF given the importance for Indian agriculture. Dietary data from ~7000 adults living in India were matched to India-specific WF data for food groups to quantify the blue and green (rainfall) WF of typical diets. The mean blue and green WF of diets was 737l/capita/day and 2531l/capita/day, respectively. Vegetables had the lowest WFs per unit mass of product, while roots/tubers had the lowest WFs per unit dietary energy. Poultry products had the greatest blue WFs. Wheat and rice contributed 31% and 19% of the dietary blue WF respectively. Vegetable oils were the highest contributor to dietary green WF. Regional variation in dietary choices meant large differences in dietary blue WFs, whereby northern diets had nearly 1.5 times greater blue WFs than southern diets. Urban diets had a higher blue WF than rural diets, and a higher standard of living was associated with larger dietary blue WFs. This study provides a novel perspective on the WF of diets in India using individual-level dietary data, and demonstrates important variability in WFs due to different food consumption patterns and socio-demographic characteristics. Future dietary shifts towards patterns currently consumed by individuals in higher income groups, would likely increase irrigation requirements putting substantial pressure on India's water resources.

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The water use of Indian diets and socio-demographic factors related to dietary blue water footprint

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