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Climate Change Adaptation and Water Governance

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 925

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Guest Editor
Institute of Environmental Management, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary
Interests: arst; groundwater modelling; climate change; geothermal; hydraulics; mining; contaminated land; fractured rocks
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water governance and climate change are inextricably linked, forming one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Water governance refers to the political, social, economic, and administrative systems that influence the use and management of water resources. Climate change disrupts this through its impact on the hydrological cycle, leading to more frequent and intense droughts, floods, and storms. These events make water availability less predictable, affecting its quality and quantity.

Effective water governance in the face of climate change requires a holistic, integrated approach. It goes beyond simple resource management and includes the following:

  • Policy and legal frameworks;
  • Institutional capacity;
  • Economic tools;
  • Technological solutions.

The relationship between water governance and climate change raises several critical topics and questions:

  • Adaptation and Resilience: How can water governance be used as a tool to help societies adapt to climate change? What strategies can build resilience to extreme weather events like droughts and floods?
  • Equity and Social Justice: How do climate change impacts on water disproportionately affect marginalized and vulnerable communities? What governance mechanisms can ensure fair and equitable access to water for all?
  • Policy Integration: How can water governance be better integrated with other sectors and policies, such as land-use planning and agricultural practices, to create a more cohesive and sustainable approach?
  • The Science–Policy Interface: How can we improve the connection between scientific data on climate change and the policies and decisions made by water managers and governments?
  • Infrastructure and Technology: How can investment in new and existing water infrastructure, along with the use of technology, help us manage water more effectively in a changing climate?

Dr. Attila Kovacs
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water governance
  • climate change
  • water resources
  • water policy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

27 pages, 2500 KB  
Article
Impacts of Livestock Species and Farm Size on Blue Water Productivity and Water Scarcity Footprint of Dairy Farming Sheds in Punjab State (India)
by Hanish Sharma, Ranvir Singh, Inderpreet Kaur, Pranav K. Singh and Katrin Drastig
Water 2026, 18(8), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080973 - 19 Apr 2026
Viewed by 555
Abstract
A robust analysis of water use in major food production systems is crucial for improving their productivity and sustainability in water-scarce arid and semi-arid regions like Punjab (India) facing the depletion of groundwater resources. This study aimed to assess blue water use and [...] Read more.
A robust analysis of water use in major food production systems is crucial for improving their productivity and sustainability in water-scarce arid and semi-arid regions like Punjab (India) facing the depletion of groundwater resources. This study aimed to assess blue water use and blue water productivity in dairy farming systems across different farm sizes in Punjab. Comprehensive monitoring and assessment of water use over a full year (from July 2022 to June 2023) was conducted on 24 dairy farm sheds in Punjab, revealing significant variability in their blue water use (measured in L per adult animal per day) and blue water productivity quantified as kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) produced per m3 of the blue water consumed. The variability was influenced by factors such as livestock species, farm size (medium with 15–25 livestock, large with 25–100 livestock, and commercial with >100 livestock), bathing and servicing routines, and energy use patterns. The average dairy livestock total blue water consumption varied from 112 ± 14 to 131 ± 19 L per adult animal per day, with 20–40% higher livestock drinking water and about six times higher livestock bathing and serving water used during the summer months. Interestingly, a large share (45%) of the average total blue water consumption is contributed by indirect water consumption via the use of energy (electricity and diesel) in dairy farm sheds. Dairy milk blue water productivity was quantified higher, ranging from 154 ± 11 to 225 ± 59 kg FPCM per m3 in buffalo- and crossbred cattle-based dairy farm sheds. However, indigenous cattle showed a lower blue water productivity ranging from 56 to 97 kg FPCM per m3, reflecting their lower milk yields and limited use of intensified management practices. The state-level water scarcity footprint (WSF) of Punjab dairy farm sheds was quantified at 4870 million m3 world-eq, which showed a significant spatial variation among Punjab districts. However, the results of this study offer novel seasonally and spatially disaggregated benchmarks of blue water consumption, blue water productivity, and the water scarcity footprint of Punjab’s dairy farming sheds. This new information is crucial for the development of locally calibrated and validated models for improving the water productivity and sustainability of dairy farming across Punjab and other similar arid and semi-arid regions in Southeast Asian countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Adaptation and Water Governance)
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