Key aspects

Water footprint can be determined on a personal, family, community, regional, or national basis and can be described in many ways - it can be defined by:

·       Volume - litres, gallons per person per annum;

·       Colour - blue, green or grey. Green water is rain water; blue water is surface water or groundwater and grey is recycled water. The use of different sources of water has a varying impact on the environment;

·        Location - internal - where the nation's water footprint for the goods and services used is within national boundaries or external where food, goods and services are imported and the water resources used are external to the nation;