Groundwater and Water Resources Management: Knowledge Gap and Research Need A. Das Gupta Emeritus Professor AIT, Bangkok, k Thailand Asia Pacific Water Forum (APWF) LAUNCH MEETING Regional Water Knowledge Hub for Groundwater Management Plaza Athenee Bangkok, 2-3 June 2011 1 Planning Meeting on the Regional Water Knowledge Hub for Groundwater Management of Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) Yokohama, Japan, 12-13 July 2010 Should play a leading role in the region by creating knowledge based products, implementing joint research with partners and clients, and also through capacity development activities An immediate need to focus on output oriented activities such as baseline information collection, comparative case studies, and development of groundwater database for the region Lack of awareness is still a major issue in groundwater management, and capacity development activities should focus on all levels from general users, managers, to policy and decision makers 2
The Way Forward... Knowledge & Understanding di to be developed din a broader context (potential & use, quantity and quality, governance & management) Identify strategically important aspects related to different functions Available GWR: water volume (storage); water flow (GW recharge) GW Development & Use: sectorial use; evaluation of behavior of GW system (past & future scenario analysis); address emergence of any adverse impact GW Dependent Ecosystems: ecological health (springs, wetlands, coastal lagoons etc); natural GW quality & susceptibility to pollution Governance & Management: GW ( common property, highly decentralized ) requires proactive society s participation i Groundwater Development & Use Governance & Management Available Groundwater Resource Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems 3 Leading to Sustainable Groundwater Development & Management Why we need to talk about sustainable GWD&M? Three Realities.. The climate and the consequent supply of water is becoming more variable whether due to global warming or not!!!! the reality is we need to deal with the increasing level of uncertainty & variability how we do that????? 4
Why we need to talk about sustainable GWD&M? (2) Secondly, the demand for water increasing.certainly pressing the system with socio economic growth in manycountries, domestic water use is currently less that 25 l/person Thirdly, concern for the environment!!!!! 5 How to deal with the problems the society is facing due to these realities? To address the increasing level of uncertainty & variability..need adequate storage, what we can do to have more storage???..most water storage available is in the ground..why then we have not made use of this storage?..lack of knowledge & lack of Research and Development (R&D) 6
How to deal with the problems the society is facing due to these realities? To address the increasing demand from socio economic growth..need recognizing vast majority of public water use is non consumptive goes as waste water...very little reused..what would then be the way forward?..strategically mainstreaming recycling & reusing waste water for beneficial use in specific sectors 7 How to deal with the problems the society is facing due to these realities? To address the environmental concern..must aim for some form of sustainability..however,..we need to decide what is that we are trying to sustain???..is the target for sustainability the groundwater as a source of public supply?..yes, then use safe yield or sustainable yield concept..is it the groundwater for its own sake?..initially it appears to be not, but Yes, risk of pollution makes the resource vulnerable.on long term basis effects the water supply &..another aspect: groundwater dependent ecosystems..in conclusion, both resource itself and its function 8
Groundwater Knowledge Systems: Identifying Gaps (1) Developed in line with exploration approach to groundwater development Regulatory mechanism... based on a national and regional level aggregate picture...often glosses over the dynamics of resources and people at the ground level Some consensus developing on using a participatory, p community backed regulation, based on social and anthropogenic perspectives rather that on the essence of formal law 9 Groundwater Knowledge Systems: Identifying Gaps (2) The main gap in implementation of the formal and informal types of regulation lies in the absence of knowledge, g, information and data on groundwater in general and aquifers in particular (issues related to the units and scale of assessment) More detailed mapping exercises required based on the physical system and use Alluvial systems...recharge cycles at a regional scale and on a different time scale; Crystalline formations.. recharge systems tends to be local l& depletion tends to be more pronounced; Mountain systems...tend to have extremely localized recharge Focusaway from exploratoryapproach approach to inclusive approach in developing knowledge base 10
Aquifer Management: An Innovative Framework (1) Institutional innovations, especially in terms of new rules, laws, or ways of thinking about groundwater, aquifers, demand and supply systems, seems to be absolutely essential The groundwater typologies are not just entities in physical space...go with a historically governed pattern of access to groundwater and the social il processes that regulate its use Groundwater typologies have, in essence become a socio physical category...such a detailed understanding is missingin in the current knowledge systems on groundwater 11 Aquifer Management: An Innovative Framework (2) A re articulation of the legal framework on groundwater needed. Command & Control mechanism, as practiced has very little chance of success in many cases Co operative operative Management by the usercommunities is the option Institutional linnovations: Community Participation & Action Dynamics of the availability of groundwater should be considered d and a sustainable yield ildmanagement goal set accordingly 12
SafeYield (To) Sustainable Yield Safe Yield concept: average annual rate of groundwater withdrawal not exceeding the average annual rate of natural recharge (misperception) R R + Q R + Q + S S D S D S D Natural Conditions Stable Groundwater Unsustainable Groundwater In the long run R = D Pumping & S is constant Q + is greater than R + plus D -- Pumping Q is equivalent to reduction in D & S plus increase in R (which reduces to zero) and S -- decreases continuously Sustainable Yield concept: groundwater withdrawal regime that can be maintained indefinitely without causing unacceptable environmental, economic, or social ilconsequences Foster, S. et al (2006) Characterization of Groundwater Systems-Key concepts and Frequent Misconception, Briefing 13 Note Series No.2, Sustainable Groundwater Management: Concepts & Tools, GW-MATE, World Bank Governance & Management Legislation Artificial Recharge (Irrigation loses, Wastewater returns) Natural Recharge (Excess rainfall, Surface water seepage) Indirect Recharge (Aquitard leakage, Cross formational flow) Strategic Planning Aquifer Storage (Groundwater Resources) Administrative Set up Sustainable Groundwater Development (SGwD SGwD) Public Participation Economic Benefits Economic Benefits Environmental Benefits Human Benefits Institutional Role & Responsibility Water for Development (Agriculture & Industry) Water for Environment (Springs, Surface Water, Wetlands, Coastal Zone) Water for People (Drinking Water, Sanitation and Livelihood) Monitoring & Evaluation Conceptual Approach to Achieve SGwD balancing Recharge Inputs to Aquifer Storage plus Change in Storage against Discharge Outputs for Economic, Environmental and Human Benefits with Proper Governance & Management (modified from Hiscock et al, 2002) Hiscock, K.M., Rivett, M.O. & Davison, R.M. (2002). Sustainable Groundwater Development, In Hiscock, K.M., Rivett, M.O. & Davison, R.M. (Eds) Sustainable Groundwater Development, Geological Society of London, Special Publication, 193: 1 14. 14
What are the essentials to be determined for sustainable groundwater management? The size & complexity of the groundwater resources The degree of climatic aridity, the rate of aquifer recharge & resource renewal The scale of groundwater extraction, the number & type of groundwater users The ecological role & environmental services dependent on groundwater The susceptibility & vulnerability of the aquifer system to degradation Natural groundwater quality concerns (trace element hazard and saline water presence) 15 What then one needs to know for proper groundwater management? Groundwater storage Aquifer type, climate & water supply options Groundwater flow Groundwater recharge & discharge The water balance bl Natural groundwater quality 16
Available Groundwater Resource Storage volume Natural recharge Artificial recharge Indirect recharge Groundwater Development & Use Domestic Agriculture Industry Ecosystem Observed & Predicted State of Groundwater System Pumping Water level Drawdown Water quality Discharge to ecosystem Other environmental consequences Governance & Management Knowledge Base Strategic planning Legislation & Implementation Stakeholder s participation Monitoring & assessment Assessment of the state of the system based on criteria on pumping, water level, drawdown, d water quality, discharge, & other environmental elements Groundwater Development Trend Sustainable Yes Is observed trend acceptable? No Indicator (s) for Sustainable Development Policy level Recommendation Overall Framework of Assessment for Sustainable GW Dev. & Mgmt. 17 Bridging gthe Gap: Enhancing Knowledge Systems on Groundwater (1) How education and research that provide support to professionals in water sector, looks at Groundwater? Current knowledge systems: Engineering; Science Hd Hydrogeology and Social lsi Science... deal with ihgroundwater in isolation in each of these disciplines What is needed ddis a combination of disciplines i that t will provide an understanding of typology of groundwater resources The discordance between current knowledge systems and systems required to tackle groundwatermanagement challenges on the ground 18
Bridging gthe Gap: Enhancing Knowledge Systems on Groundwater (2) The gap between what is on education menu and what is required Is wide, to say the least!!!!! Ref: Kulkarni, H and Shankar P.S.V. (2009) Groundwater Knowledge Systems in India: Need for a Fresh Look, Working Paper SIID 8, Collaborative Research Project on Systems of Innovation for Inclusive Development: Lessons from Rural China and India, Supported by International Development Research Council (IDRC), Canada. 19 Bridging gthe Gap: Enhancing Knowledge Systems on Groundwater (3) Current research programs include topics like groundwater management, assessment on groundwater resource availability, delineation of recharge and discharge areas, pumping and aquifer response, coastal groundwater systems, arsenic contamination in groundwater, groundwater data set, mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization techniques... Evidence to show whether such research is finding way into application on the ground Need to see the linkages between good research and its application in groundwater management field 20
Research hideas Develop methodologies and tools for risk and vulnerability assessment of groundwater over extraction and quality deterioration to human security Develop tools to facilitate management strategies for multiple use of groundwater in urban areas with due consideration i to quantity and quality aspect Develop methodologies and tools to understand, evaluate and predict the impacts of climate change on groundwater resource and interlinked surface water and ecosystems in order to eventually define climate robust set of measures 21 Concluding Remarks Overexploitation of groundwater is a reality, a critical review of groundwater management agenda based on enhanced multidisciplinary knowledgebase and innovative systems needed A review of current methodology of assessment of groundwater resources, with aquifer as the basis and its dynamic behavior Comprehensive mapping of aquifers and monitoring i at appropriate scales in various hydrogeological settings needed Develop typologies of groundwater resources as the basis for national level groundwater management program Prioritization of domestic water security within a strategy to implement the groundwater management program Setting up a robust and transparent groundwater data collection and sharing mechanisms, mainly as decision i support tool in program implementation and monitoring 22
Thank you very much for your Attentionti 23