Economics

The economics of water concerns the measurement and effective management of the trade-offs across its many competing uses (and non-uses) over time and in different locations. Measurement requires estimation of the costs, benefits and risks associated with alternative uses of water. For example, these alternatives could be: (i) keeping water in the river to support ecosystem services, (ii) extracting it for a town’s water supply, or (iii) using water to irrigate a rice crop. Effective management ensures that society’s objectives for water use (for example, environmental sustainability, sanitation and waste disposal, or food production) are achieved by supporting methods to allocate water that favours higher value uses (including non-uses) and ensures that basic water needs are met.