Water barter
Water trade In California involved various mechanisms to help encourage efficient use Water trading within each district was encouraged through two main mechanisms. One was the buy-back scheme. Every farmer paid a set fee for his or her water rights. The district would buy back surplus Water from farmers and sell it to those who needed water in excess of their requirements. Here the district played the role of an intermediary. Another scheme introduced was the electronic water market. The Natural Heritage Institute, an environmental lobbying group, collaborated with the University of California and the Westlands Water District to establish the first computerised water market in the state. This market is based on a computer system called Water Links and it operates like a match-making service. Farmers who want to buy or sell water advertise in the bulletin board. Interested parties meet and agree on a price and the water district facilitates the transaction. Water Links was initially started only for farmers of the Westlands District - the largest water district in the state but now 23 other districts want to join.
The third scheme used is tiered pricing. In this, farmers get a basic allotment at a certain contracted price and additional amounts at successively higher rates. The Bureau of Reclamation prefers tiered pricing because higher prices reduce the demand for additional water. Thus the total water used by farmers is likely to be lower in this case, relative to the other schemes. This may result in more water being made available for environmental uses.
Related Content
- Determinants of household’s modern cooking and lighting energy transition in rural India: exploring household’s activities and its interactions with other households
- Karunanidhi bartering peoples rights over Mullaperiyar: Jaya
- Who plundered J&K's water resources in 2000, asks Mehbooba
- Kerala's backwaters carry modern day brunt
- Growing fences
- Uttaranchal