SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER USE within our reach?

Transcription

1 GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER USE within our reach? Stephen Foster & Héctor H Garduño

2 SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER USE scope and objective of presentation focused on confronting and managing excessive groundwater resource exploitation (sometimes termed over exploitation ) groundwater quality issues not considered (unless related to resource abstraction) most relevant to regions with physical water scarcity (many parts of Asia, Middle East, but only more arid parts of Latin America & Africa) presentation aimed at provoking discussion on a pragmatic framework for management action with options defined by the resource setting

3 RESOURCE SETTING HYDROGEOLOGIC CONDITIONS definition of manageable groundwater bodies resource renewability, recharge rates and sw interactions aquifer storage characteristics and economic reserves susceptibility to irreversible aquifer/ecosystem degradation SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION analysis of groundwater use drivers (urban vs rural) (waterwell construction costs, macro policy interactions such as energy subsidies and crop price guarantees) groundwater use and users profile MANAGEMENT APPROACHES & TOOLS POLICY INTERVENTIONS macro policy and macro planning adjustments (indirectly affecting need/incentive for groundwater use) DEMAND SIDE MEASURES physical access constraint (well drilling bans or depth/size limits) real groundwater resource savings in irrigated agriculture/urban use SUPPLY SIDE SIDE MEASURES rainwater harvesting and recharge enhancement provision of alternative (imported) water supply REGULATORY PROVISIONS groundwater access and use codes groundwater use rights (time dependence, transferability, extraction versus consumptive use) and use charging COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION definition of zones for AMORs social organization (legitimacy, powers, rules) risks, sustainability and up scaling ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES investment priorities and scheduling of actions mobilizing stakeholder participation and essential roles of government

4 Where? Why? RESOURCE SETTING HYDROGEOLOGIC CONDITIONS SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION MANAGEMENT APPROACHES & TOOLS What? Who? POLICY INTERVENTIONS DEMAND SIDE MEASURES SUPPLY SIDE MEASURES REGULATORY PROVISIONS COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION How? ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES

5 RESOURCE SETTING Where? Why? HYDROGEOLOGIC CONDITIONS definition of manageable groundwater bodies resource renewability, recharge rates and surface water interactions aquifer storage characteristics and economic reserves susceptibility to irreversible aquifer/ecosystem degradation SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION analysis of groundwater use drivers (urban vs rural) (waterwell construction costs, macro policy interactions such as energy subsidies and crop price guarantees) groundwater use and users profile

6 MANAGEABLE GROUNDWATER BODIES delineation and characterisation management strategy needs to be based on scientifically consistent groundwater bodies (of significant interannual storage) whose resources can be estimated/allocated) may be restricted to portions of aquifer formations or extend across hydraulicallyconnected aquifers important to evaluate order of magnitude of storage reserves and their susceptibility to irreversible degradation (especially by saline encroachment and/or compaction) Maharashtra (India) Deccan Basalt thin replenishable aquifer The North China Plain deep alluvial extensive aquifer

7 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE RENEWABILITY the question of recharge recharge rates set limit on physically sustainable development estimation always subject to some uncertainty (due to climatic variability, hydrogeologic complexity) for average rainfall < 600 mm/a recharge rates fall away and resource renewability could be issue where necessary regulators and users must confront harsh reality of reliance on economic storage reserves and strive for sociallysustainable planned depletion

8 GROUNDWATER SURFACE WATER RELATIONS the opportunity and need for conjunctive use spontaneous conjunctive use widely practised in tail zones of major canal commands as coping strategy for inadequate canal water service levels but often causes serious local groundwater table depletion simultaneously some head canal zones experiencing loss of valuable land by waterlogging/ salinization due to excessive seepage from canals and over irrigation of fields integrated modelling for tropical climates often demonstrates that overall cropping intensity could be increased from <150% to >225% with planned conjunctive use (and irrigation water productivity further enhanced) if social and economic obstacles overcome Uttar Pradesh, India Ganga extensive alluvial plains

9 GROUNDWATER USE CHARACTERISATION analysis of use drivers and user profile motivation for intensive groundwater use (in both rural/urban environments) usually related to being most economical and reliable alternative AURANGABAD Maharashtra (India) waterwell construction costs major factor in private development of shallow aquifers macro policy interactions (such as energy subsidies and crop price guarantees) always need to be assessed thus cross sectoral vision required establishment of clear groundwater use and users profile (by social category) vital (but too often neglected in waterwell inventory surveys)

10 What? MANAGEMENT APPROACHES & TOOLS POLICY INTERVENTIONS macro policy and macro planning adjustments (indirectly affecting need/incentive for groundwater use) DEMAND SIDE MEASURES physical access constraint (well drilling bans or depth/size limits) real groundwater resource savings in irrigated agriculture/urban use SUPPLY SIDE SIDE MEASURES rainwater harvesting and recharge enhancement provision of alternative (imported) water supply

11 GROUNDWATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT confused relation with irrigation efficiency improving irrigation water use efficiency often advocated as panacea to all groundwater resource problems irrigation technology and crop changes can be very effective for groundwater resource saving (and increasing water productivity) BUT improving irrigation efficiency alone does not necessarily mean real resource saving (and can often result in the reverse) to achieve real water saving concomitant need to : ensure that water saving measures are targeted at reducing non beneficial evaporation (not irrigation water returns to groundwater body) constrain irrigated area and reduce consumptive groundwater use rights

12 HIVRE BAZAAR (Maharashtra) INDIA successful application of demand side and supply side side measures inspired community decision to allow only dugwell use for irrigation automatically eliminated counterproductive competition for limited available storage, focusing farmers attention on improving irrigation water productivity appropriate and successful measures for rainwater harvesting and recharge enhancement in favourable hill foot setting (with complementary measures to reduce animal grazing to avoid de vegetation and soil erosion)

13 BANGKOK THAILAND successful application of demand side and supply side side measures excessive (private) groundwater exploitation threatened irreversible aquifer degradation and environmental impacts variety of measures taken : partial ban on new waterwell construction and period for closure of some existing wells alternative source of municipal water supplies in some areas metering and progressive charging for groundwater use succeeded in stabilising aquifer condition in late 1990s with some subsequent recovery

14 CARRIZAL VALLEY (Mendoza) ARGENTINA successful application of demand side and supply side side measures Carrizal Valley Mendoza Argentina

15 MANAGEMENT APPROACHES & TOOLS WHAT? Who? REGULATORY PROVISIONS groundwater access and use codes groundwater use rights (time dependence, transferability) (waterwell extraction versus consumptive use) COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION definition of zones for AMORs social organization (legitimacy, powers, rules) risks, sustainability and up scaling

16 REGULATORY PROVISION & COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION What is the Right Balance? managers: must understand legal limitations and users lawyers: must understand pragmatic requirements and users both: must empathize and identify do able, legally sound approaches AMOR should depend on resource setting, transparent information & genuine user representation (with government protecting smaller users and supporting through lighthouse function)

17 GROUNDWATER USE RIGHTS essentially legal in character! RIGHT is for use not ownership of groundwater RIGHT specifies : effective & beneficial use duration of operation that security should be guaranteed transferability and promotes economic efficiency (but sometimes damages environment & increases social injustice) therefore: permits should include abstraction, consumption & return flow volumes wastewater disposal permits should be granted simultaneously rights desirable providing interests of poor and newcomers are protected and are implementable!!

18 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION sociologists and hydrogeologists must work together Hadramut Aquifer,, Yemen Comité de Bacía a de Río R o Curú, Apodi Aquifer, Ceará,, Brasil mobilizing teams successful in awareness raising and promising for rational groundwater management if : users are confronted with harsh realities irrigation projects linked with groundwater management projects (otherwise farmers will become frustrated and/or insolvent)

19 SUCCESSFUL CBGWM IN INDIAN HARD ROCK AQUIFERS but is SUR (Sustainability, Up scalability & Replicability) possible? HIVRE BAZAAR (Maharashtra) 1000 village population 1992 APFAMGS (Andhra Pradesh) 370 villages, 14,500 marginal families, 3,500 WUAs 2006 charismatic leader mobilized community in self regulation to stabilise water table and increase water productivity with social wellbeing substantially increased FAO funded and based on participatory water monitoring and crop water budgeting no collective agreement nor cash or subsidy but has achieved cultural transformation with less groundwater abstraction and increased social well being SUR possible with well designed policy and non intrusive state government GWD for lighthouse function

20 ACTION PLAN How? IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES investment priorities and scheduling of actions mobilizing stakeholder participation and essential roles of government

21 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE GOVERNANCE & PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT harmonising bottom bottom up up and top top down down Strategic Planning Level national water use priorities food + energy policy legal framework indirect Demand/Supply Interventions direct Local Institutional Level role of local government groundwater use rights stakeholder participation Economic Incentives direct

22 STATE GROUNDWATER AGENCIES the required evolution from resource to use/user understanding from development to managed development & resource protection focus on enabling CBGWM with incentives to ensure SUR India: a promising case SUR: Sustainability, Up scalability & Replicability

23 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE MANAGERS MUST ARTICULATE CONCERNS to empower society and strengthen governance being frank about business as usual consequences acknowledging current limitations and advocating future needs as regards capacity for resource management implementation providing transparent information to society so as to counteract vested interest and corruption challenging macropolicies which increase groundwater demand INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK: Constitution Water Legislation Macro Government Structure

24 THE JIGSAW PUZZLE OF GROUNDWATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT push of aquifer champions and glue of effective coordination needed CEAG world class aquifer modelling CNA : world class legal institutional framework? COTAS successful in awareness raising Guanajuato Mexico Number of over exploited aquifers

25 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT effective implementation needs parallel track approach strengthen institutions but don t disrupt them introduce new regulations/ organizational arrangements only if reasonably certain of capacity and willingness to implement

26 RESOURCE SETTING HYDROGEOLOGIC CONDITIONS & SOCIO ECONOMIC SITUATION management measures need to be tailored to resource setting (no simple fix) must understand as much about use dynamics as resource characteristics should not overlook sensitivity to macro policy incentives MANAGEMENT APPROACHES & TOOLS need to identify appropriate implementable measures whoever will mobilise them must avoid blindfold (counterproductive) application of management measures management by users alone questionable but without user participation impossible better to have no regulations than unimplementable regulations ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES incremental improvements usually feasible within existing legal/institutional framework but major changes should follow a parallel track approach bottom up (micro measures) needs to be facilitated by top down (macro policy) lighthouse function of GW agency at state level should contribute to post project Sustainabilty, Up scalability & Replicability to strengthen national governments GW resource managers must voice their concerns

27 WORLD BANK OPERATIONS further strengthening of groundwater management for infrastructure (irrigation, water supply & sanitation) investment loans to be sustainable, groundwater resource management component should be a conditionality for groundwater management measures to be sustainable and up for groundwater management measures to be sustainable and up scalable, governments capacity at all levels generally needs to be substantially increased selected World Bank TTLs could become regional champions regional champions of resource (with some additional training)

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