5 Irrigation and Drainage in Polish Agriculture …
95
5.1.5 Water Use in Agriculture
With respect to current water resources status in Poland, the total consumption in
Poland is equal to about 11 km
3 /yr, which is the equivalent of 300 m
3 per 1 inhabitant per year. The structure of present water consumption is as follows: industry—
70%, domestic consumption by water-line supply systems—20% and agriculture,
forestry and fish ponds—10%. Most of the water (83%), required to supply the above
mentioned sectors, is withdrawn from surface resources [1, 2]. However, the decrease
in water use has been observed already from the nineties of the XX century. The
causes lie in the implementation of new water-saving technologies in the branches of
industry, reduction of industrial production, the decrease in irrigated area as well as
more effective use and savings of water by population once the measuring system of
domestic water consumption and water prices have been introduced. It is expected
that this trend will become stronger due to stabilization of national economy.
It is thought, indeed, that agriculture is characterized by relatively large water
requirements. As it can be estimated from the water balance of a country or a
region/catchment, a significant amount of water is consumed by agricultural areas in
the process of evapotranspiration. It equals about 65 km
3 /yr [10], which stands for
34% of the water resources coming from rainfall. On the other hand, the amount of
water used for agricultural irrigation seems to be minimum and amounts to about 90
hm
3 /yr, which is about 1% of the total water intake in the national economy. This
describes the role of irrigation in agriculture as marginal, since only a very small part
of agricultural land is irrigated. At present, on average, 0.5% of the total agricultural
land is actually subject to irrigation [10]. If we add to this the irrigation amount in
forestry, and also water consumption of the fish ponds, we obtain about 1000 hm
3 /yr
of water used, which accounts for 10% of the whole consumption in the national
economy.
The current issue refers to more water required per unit area and probably for
unit crop productivity, but still with no guarantee of stable and high yield and likely
to restrict crop water productivity. The occurring water scarcity in agriculture may
stimulate the contemporary tendencies to increase local water resources and their
availability, sustainable irrigation and advance in the efficiency of water consumption.
5.2 Water Deficits in Agriculture: Irrigation
Water Requirements
The observed variability of meteorological conditions (the periods of severe droughts
either floods and water excess), but also soil types, contribute to crop water insecurity
through restricted water availability for irrigation. It is worth to be stressed, that
irrigation water requirements have been variable on a time scale of a few days, and
there is no chance to create proper, fixed guidelines to control irrigation systems. An
assumption can be made, such that irrigation water demands for most irrigated crops
95
5.1.5 Water Use in Agriculture
With respect to current water resources status in Poland, the total consumption in
Poland is equal to about 11 km
3 /yr, which is the equivalent of 300 m
3 per 1 inhabitant per year. The structure of present water consumption is as follows: industry—
70%, domestic consumption by water-line supply systems—20% and agriculture,
forestry and fish ponds—10%. Most of the water (83%), required to supply the above
mentioned sectors, is withdrawn from surface resources [1, 2]. However, the decrease
in water use has been observed already from the nineties of the XX century. The
causes lie in the implementation of new water-saving technologies in the branches of
industry, reduction of industrial production, the decrease in irrigated area as well as
more effective use and savings of water by population once the measuring system of
domestic water consumption and water prices have been introduced. It is expected
that this trend will become stronger due to stabilization of national economy.
It is thought, indeed, that agriculture is characterized by relatively large water
requirements. As it can be estimated from the water balance of a country or a
region/catchment, a significant amount of water is consumed by agricultural areas in
the process of evapotranspiration. It equals about 65 km
3 /yr [10], which stands for
34% of the water resources coming from rainfall. On the other hand, the amount of
water used for agricultural irrigation seems to be minimum and amounts to about 90
hm
3 /yr, which is about 1% of the total water intake in the national economy. This
describes the role of irrigation in agriculture as marginal, since only a very small part
of agricultural land is irrigated. At present, on average, 0.5% of the total agricultural
land is actually subject to irrigation [10]. If we add to this the irrigation amount in
forestry, and also water consumption of the fish ponds, we obtain about 1000 hm
3 /yr
of water used, which accounts for 10% of the whole consumption in the national
economy.
The current issue refers to more water required per unit area and probably for
unit crop productivity, but still with no guarantee of stable and high yield and likely
to restrict crop water productivity. The occurring water scarcity in agriculture may
stimulate the contemporary tendencies to increase local water resources and their
availability, sustainable irrigation and advance in the efficiency of water consumption.
5.2 Water Deficits in Agriculture: Irrigation
Water Requirements
The observed variability of meteorological conditions (the periods of severe droughts
either floods and water excess), but also soil types, contribute to crop water insecurity
through restricted water availability for irrigation. It is worth to be stressed, that
irrigation water requirements have been variable on a time scale of a few days, and
there is no chance to create proper, fixed guidelines to control irrigation systems. An
assumption can be made, such that irrigation water demands for most irrigated crops