Abstract:
Quantifying the spatiotemporal variation of water scarcity is critical for identifying strategies to support sustainable management of water resources and associated food-energy systems. To this end, several assessments have attempted to provide a global mapping of water scarcity with a number of underlying methodological choices. Scarcity metrics vary in their definitions and thresholds for scarce conditions to prevail. We review these methodologies in the context of the biophysical and socio-economic setting of india. We suggest four avenues for improving metric assessments to increase policy relevance: incorporation of surface water- groundwater interactions along with non-renewable groundwater resources, accounting for minimum environmental flows, consideration of deep uncertainties, and addressing underlying socio-economic disparities in metric assessment. © 2021 elsevier b.v.