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20 March 2018 Photo Pexels
Water footprint important but misunderstood indicator
Water footprinting is the future of water conservation
The Water Footprint (WF) of a product, process or person provides an indication of how much fresh water is used, both direct and indirect, to produce a product, drive the process or lead a lifestyle. Although it is a very important indicator it is often misunderstood. Popular media contribute to this misunderstanding as they often use the WF to illustrate the large quantities of water used to produce a product without explaining what the footprint actually means.  

An example is a single kilogram of beef that has an average global WF 15 415 litres. This indeed sounds scary, but when one places it in context, the total WF includes 14 414 litres green water, 550 litres blue water and 451 litres grey water. Green water is the evapotranspiration of precipitation (rain), blue water is the fresh water from dams, rivers and underground sources, while grey water is the amount of fresh water required to dilute polluted water to acceptable levels.

According to Frikkie Maré, a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS), the WF concept provides a new look at water conservation and sustainability. “Although the WF is not an indicator of sustainable water use, it is a useful tool to calculate total water demand and is used in the estimation of sustainability. Traditionally, water conservation was focused on the direct water use of individuals (time taken to shower, leaking taps etc.), but the WF now provides a tool to focus attention on total water demand.”

The Water Footprint Network assists individuals with this new trajectory on the water conservation front with the personal water footprint calculator that allows individuals globally to determine their personal water demand through their direct and indirect water usage. Maré believes this can cause the necessary paradigm shift in the aqua status quo by creating awareness among consumers on their total water demand.

With Water Week underway from 17-23 March 2018, UFS students and staff members are urged to make use of the personal water footprint calculator in order to become aware of the real importance of fresh water in our everyday lives.

News Archive

Health policy researcher discusses joint exploratory efforts at the UFS
2013-03-20

 

Prof James Bjorkman
Photo: Supplied
20 March 2013

Prof James Bjorkman, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Administration at the Institute of Social Studies at The Hague in the Netherlands, visited the University of the Free State (UFS) to explore the context and limits of health reforms in South Africa.

After clarifying terms and establishing the background of general public sector reforms over the past few decades, Prof Bjorkman focused on characteristics of the health sector, its basic issues, as well as constants and variable dimensions. He paid special attention to the complex interplay between access, quality and cost of health services.

Prof Bjorkman also shared experiences, based on his observations over the decades, during his lecture at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Click here to read an extract from his book, “Health reforms in Central and Eastern Europe: Options, Obstacles, Limited outcomes,” on which his lecture was based.

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