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C3 – Total water use in the Republic of Belarus

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Key messages

As a result of efficiency measures, as well as influence of economic development, total freshwater use in Belarus is estimated to have substantially decreased by 55 % between 1990 and 2017.

Water loss during transport as well as other losses is relatively insignificant, and is on average 11 % of the total water supply. Nevertheless, due to the renewal and extension of the public water supply network, water losses have reduced from 15 % in 2010 to 10 % in 2017.

Significant efficiencies in water use have been achieved over the years. As a result, water use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) has decreased from 33 m3/1 000 international dollars in 1990 to 8 m3/1 000 international dollars in 2017. At the same time, GDP at PPP has doubled (85 billion international dollars in 1990 up to 163 billion international dollars in 2017).

Is water use decreasing in the Republic of Belarus?

Figure 1 - Development of total freshwater use in Belarus (1995-2017)

Data sources:

С.3. Total water use provided by Belstat (National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus)

 

Figure 2- Development of total water use by economic activities in the Republic of Belarus (2006-2017)

Data sources:

С.3. Total water use provided by Belstat (National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus)

 

Figure 3- Water use by economic activity in the Republic of Belarus (2017)

Data sources:

С.3. Total water use provided by Belstat (National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus)

 

Belarus is a non-water-stressed country. The annual water exploitation index varies from around 2 % to 5 %.

The annual average total freshwater use is around 1 500 million m3, which has substantially decreased during recent years, falling to 1 263.5 million m3 in 2017. Water is only abstracted from groundwater and surface water sources. Belarus does not use desalinated water, and data are not available on water imports and exports.

During 2017, about 1 263.5 million m3 of water was used in Belarus by different economic sectors. The main water users are agriculture and households. Water use for aquaculture is the main driver in the agricultural sector, while water for irrigation has a very small share (only about 1 % of the total water use for agriculture). Together, both sectors use on average 60 % of the total freshwater in the country.

Total water use has decreased by 54.7 % between 1990 and 2017. Although many sectors have substantially decreased their water use over time (data for intersectoral comparison are available for the years 2006-2017), water use by agriculture and the electricity industry has remained quite stable during the same period.

Belarus has been investing in renewing and expanding the water supply network in recent years. The total length of the public water supply network has been increased from 31 156 km in 2010 to 38 204 km in 2017. On the other hand, during the same period, the total length of network renewed was about 1 295 km, corresponding to 3.4 % of the existing supply network. As a result of these investments, water losses decreased from 15 % of total water use to 10 % in 2017.

 

Is water efficiently used by economic activities?

Figure 4 - Development of total freshwater use per unit of gross domestic product at purchasing power parity in the Republic of Belarus (1990-2017)

Data sources:

С.3. Total water use provided by Belstat (National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus)

Gross Domestic Products provided by World Bank

 

Between 1990 and 2017, the GDP at PPP almost doubled. Belarus has managed to decrease its water use while still keeping an upward trend in its GDP, which has resulted in a substantial improvement in the efficiency of total water use per unit of GDP. In 1990, around 33 m3 of water was used to produce 1 000 international dollars within the economy, while only 8 m3 of water was used in 2017 to produce the same amount of GDP.

Indicator specification

Indicator definition

The indicator specifies the availability of freshwater from natural sources and its use to meet the needs of households, agriculture, industry and other economic activities. The water use is provided as a total for the whole country and broken down by economic activity according to the National classification of the Republic of Belarus ‘Kinds of Economic Activity’ ОКРБ 005-2011 (compliant with Nomenclature of Economic Activities (NACE) Rev. 2.0).

Units

The total volume of freshwater use and the volume by economic activity are measured in million cubic metres (million m3) per year.

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

The indicator provides a measure of the freshwater use, as well as the pressure on the environment in terms of the consumption of freshwater resources. The indicator is also important for defining the level of development of the water economy services and the degree of water accessibility to cover the needs of population and society.

Scientific references

Policy context and targets

Context description

National policy context

According to the national strategy for sustainable social and economic development of the Republic of Belarus up to 2030, one of the strategic goals is ‘to use fewer natural resources per unit of economic result’.

 

International policy context

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda for the period up to 2030 is to ‘ensure access to water and sanitation for all’. One of indicators of SDG 6, indicator 6.4.2, is the ‘level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources’, which shows the importance of a sustainable water policy.

Targets

National targets

No specific target has been identified.

International targets

UN SDG 6, target 6.4: by 2030, substantially increase water use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.

 

Related policy documents

 

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

 

 

 

 

 

Units and equations

ID

Component

Units

Equation

C2.3

Freshwater abstracted

million m3/year

= C 2.3 (see indicator C2)

C3.1

Desalinated water

million m3/year

 

C3.2

Reused water

million m3/year

 

C3.3

Imports of water

million m3/year

 

C3.4

Exports of water

million m3/year

 

C3.5

Total freshwater available

million m3/year

= C 2.3 + C 3.1 + C 3.2 + C 3.3 + C 3.4

C3.6

Losses of water during transport

million m3/year

 

C3.6a

Other losses and water not for use

million m3/year

 

C3.7

Total freshwater use

million m3/year

= C 3.5 - C 3.6 - C 3.6a;

= C3.8 + C3.9 + C3.11 + C3.12 + C3.13

C3.8

Households

million m3/year

 

C3.9

Agriculture, forestry and fishing (ISIC 01-03)

million m3/year

 

C3.10

of which used for irrigation in agriculture

million m3/year

 

C3.11

Manufacturing (ISIC 10-33)

million m3/year

 

C3.12

Electricity industry (ISIC 351)

million m3/year

 

C3.13

Other economic activities

million m3/year

 

C3.14

GDP at PPP at constant prices (2011)

billion international dollars/year

 

C3.15

Total freshwater use per unit of GDP

m3/1000 international dollars

= C3.7/C3.14

 

Methodology for gap filling

The data for water used by agriculture, forestry and fishing up until 2006 are taken from data on water used for agricultural purposes.

The data on water used by manufacturing up until 2006 are taken from data on water used for industrial purposes.

For the data on the total freshwater use by economic activity in 2006-2015, the National classification of the Republic of Belarus ‘Kinds of Economic Activity’ ОКРБ 005-2006 (compliant with NACE Rev. 1.1) was used.

Methodology references

  • Belstat, 2019. The system of classifications used in state statistics.

  • EEA, 2005. EEA core set of indicators guide. EEA Technical report No 1/2005, ISBN 92-9167-757-4, Luxembourg.

  • UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Data template – C3: Total water use.

  • UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Description of C3: Total water use.

  • UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Glossary of terms – C3: Total water use.

  • UNSD and UNEP, 2013. Questionnaire 2013 on Environment Statistics. United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme, Questionnaire 2013 on Environment Statistics, Section Water.

 

 

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

The volume of total freshwater available does not take into account the volume of reused water because there is no methodology for estimation.

Data sets uncertainty

The official statistical information on water statistics by economic activity was first produced in 2006. The irrigation data for 2015 has been used as surrogate for 2017 data in Figure 3.

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified.

Data sources

Generic metadata

Topics:

Indicator code: C3

Tags:

Temporal coverage: 1990-2017

DPSIR: Pressure

Typology: descriptive indicator (type A – what is happening to the environment and to humans?)

Contact and ownership

Contact: Ekaterina Poleshchuk, Veronika Zhosan, Aliaksandr Pakhomau

Ownership: National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus

Dates

Publish date: Oct 31, 2019

Last modified: Nov 11, 2019

Frequency of updates: every year

Related content:

 

 

Short-term work

Development of the system of environmental economic accounting for water in the Republic of Belarus in physical terms.

Long-term work

Development of the system of environmental economic accounting for water in the Republic of Belarus in monetary terms.