Impact of forest cover and human intervention on crop water footprint

ABSTRACT Water, the most needed substance, is declining alarmingly worldwide. This huge water consumption is due to the increasing population and rapid unsystematic urbanization. Water footprint (WF) is an indicator used to understand water consumption, whether it is visible or invisible. Water is majorly consumed in the agricultural sector. This study estimated the crop WF of rice in two urban districts, Ranchi, and Dhanbad, and two forest-covered districts, Palamu and Hazaribagh, of Jharkhand. The study was done for the paddy (rice) crop from 2000 to 2017 through the Cropwat 8.0 model. Ranchi and Dhanbad showed a decrease in consumptive crop WF (WFconsumptive) of rice i.e., 39.92 and 48.29%, respectively, during the study period, whereas Palamu and Hazaribagh showed a comparatively lower decrease with 24.12 and 23.45%, respectively. All four districts experienced lower WFblue than WFgreen. Ranchi is suggested to cultivate rice through rainfed agriculture due to higher WFgreen, good rainfall, and the lowest average WFblue with 167 m3/ton throughout the study period. This study also suggests preparing a proper data management system to calculate white WF at a regional and global level to reduce irrigation loss and achieve sustainable water management goals.