Estimation of Water Footprint of Black Tea Production: A Case Study in Madulsima Plantations PLC, Badulla, Sri Lanka
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Water is an economic commodity as the availability of clean fresh water in short supply. Most water
resource experts now agrees that inadequate water management , rather water shortage, is the
primary cause of water conflicts. Meanwhile the virtual water concept has become popular in
estimating the amount of water used in the production of goods or services, linking framework to find
potential solutions and contributing to improved water resource management. Water footprint is a
tool to calculate the amount of water that is consumed and polluted in all stages of a production
process. Generally, three types of water are considered in water footprint calculations; green water,
blue water and grey water. The present study was conducted to estimate the water footprint of black
tea production at two tea estates of Madulsima Plantations PLC. Green water footprint of tea was
calculated using CROPWAT 8.0 model. Blue and grey water footprint of black tea were calculated
following the guidelines in the Water Footprint Assessment Manual. The results revealed that, the
virtual water content of black tea production of Madulsima Plantations PLC was 4270.69 m3/ ton /
year. Further the green water footprint for evapotranspiration of tea was 1090.7 mm / year. The total
green water content in black tea of the studied two estates was 3227.68 m3 / ton and it is three times
less than that of the average value of Sri Lanka while much less than those of China, India, and
Kenya as available in the scientific literature. Further the blue water footprint of black tea production
of these estates was 1.23 m3 / ton and it is negligible when compared with China and India. The grey
water footprint of tea cultivation practices in these estates was 1041.78 m3 / ton and it is also less than
those average values of the Sri Lanka and China. However, the grey water footprint of the studied
two estates can be potentially reduced by incorporating organic cultivation concept in the long run.
Keywords: Black tea production process; CROPWAT 8.0 model; Cultivation practices; Virtual water
content; Water Footprint Assessment Manual
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Keywords
Agriculture, Crop Production, Export Agriculture, Tea, Black Tea