WATER USE IN THE NORTH OF RUSSIA: AN ASSESSMENT BASED ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

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Valentina F. Fomina

Institute of Socio-Economic and Energy Problems of the North, Komi Science Centre, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russia, fomina@iespn.komisc.ru, ORCID 0000-0003-0010-3723

Abstract. Progress toward achieving SDG 6 (“Clean Water and Sanitation”) is monitored by means of thirteen global indicators. However, insufficient data from countries, including Russia, underscore the need to assess regional water supply as well as its effective and sustainable use. This study aims to comparatively assess water use in northern regions based  on UN-defined sustainable development criteria, utilizing information from Rosstat, The National Information Agency “Natural Resources”, and the FAO’s Global Information System for the period from 2007 to 2020. The study is based  on statistical and comparative analyses, the Decoupling Diamond model, and sustainability window (SuWi) analysis.  Its findings indicate high water availability across all regions, aligning with the “low water stress” category under SDG 6.4.2 (threshold ≤25%). The Falkenmark water index shows that water availability doesn’t hinder economic growth in northern regions. Regional variations in water use across industries are discussed, which impact productivity (SDG indicator 6.4.1) and water intake intensity (water capacity of GRP). Water use productivity highlights the efficiency of recycled water, reducing intake and increasing productivity. Regions with low intake intensity (below 1.4 m3/thousand rubles, which is the target according to the Water Strategy) and high water capacity of the gross product were identified. Using the Decoupling Diamond model, the study assessed economic growth as a function of water use. The sustainability window method revealed environmental constraints on economic growth related to water use in northern regions. These results offer insights into water use in Arctic regions in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and Water Strategy implementation. They are essential considerations for regional development programs.

Keywords: water use assessment, sustainable development indicators, water stress, productivity and intensity  of water resources, sustainability measurement, northern regions

Acknowledgments: this article was prepared within the state-funded research project titled “Sustainable Resource Use  in a Northern Region: Factors and Models” (Project No. 121021 800128-8).

For citation: Fomina V. F. Water use in the North of Russia: An assessment based on sustainable development indicators. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2023, no. 4, pp. 157–174. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.4.2023.82.011.

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