Water Intensity of Gdp. Results of the Water Strategy in the Russian Federation for the Period Up to 2020

Aim. We obtain indicators of the specific water intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) in the Russian Federation and its federal districts and summarize the results of the “Water Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020”.
Methodology. The paper examines the specific water intensity of GDP and gross regional product (GRP) as an indicator of the economic efficiency of water consumption in Russia. The planned result of the indicator signed by the president in 2009 is compared with the actual results and successes of the federal districts of the Russian Federation, and the most water-intensive sectors of the economy are also considered. The research relies on such methods as calculation of the specific water intensity of GDP and analysis of literary and statistical sources (catchments anddatabases of the UAIS GMVO and Rosstat).
Results. It is found out that the indicators of the specific water intensity of the GDP of the Russian Federation decreased throughout the time period of the “Water Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020”. The target result is 1.4 m3 / thousand rubles. It was achieved ahead of the schedule in 2012 and continued to decline up to 0.71 m3 / thousand rubles in 2020, which is almost a two-fold over-fulfillment of the plan. This result was achieved by the joint efforts of all federal districts of Russia thanks to the modernization and efficient use of the water management complex. All eight federal districts completed the “Water Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020” with a positive result, showing a reduction in the specific water intensity of gross regional product (GRP) up to 48%. The most water-intensive industries were “Production and distribution of electricity, gas and water”, “Fishing, fish farming” and “Agriculture, hunting and forestry”.
Research implications. The analysis of the indicator of the specific water intensity of GDP shows whether the measures taken in the “Water Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020” are effective. The analysis of the water intensity of economic sectors reveals their most water-intensive sectors of the economy, and the analysis of the specific water intensity of GRP identifies federal districts with insufficiently efficient water use. This is an important stage for the subsequent solution of the tasks of modernization of the water management complex of the Russian Federation.

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