Non-renewable groundwater resources: a ... - unesdoc - Unesco

NON-RENEWABLE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES■ In cases of unplanned exploitation, management action is needed to ‘rationalise’ thesituation, and this will have much in common with ‘planned depletion scenarios’ sincethe goals will be more orderly utilisation of aquifer reserves – minimizing quality deterioration,improving groundwater productivity and promoting social transition to a less waterdependenteconomy. In one sense it will be more difficult – because greater vested interestand social inertia will have to be confronted, but the availability of data on aquifer responseshould mean that numerical aquifer models can be calibrated from historic trends andsounder predictions of future trajectory and impacts be made.■ Government has to play the key role in facilitating socially-sustainable use of non-renewablegroundwater, but unacceptable political cost and inadequate institutional capacity canrepresent major impediments. The preferred arrangement is for responsibility to rest with asingle ministry or agency – but if not possible a ‘special lead unit’ should be established withall ministries having a stake in groundwater development and environmental managementbeing involved through a ‘multi-sector coordination committee’.■ Policy decisions on mining of aquifer reserves (or priority for rationalisation of an aquifer subjectto uncontrolled mining) should be referred to high-level in government – in countrieswith a non-sectorial water resources ministry the decision could rest with the correspondingminister, but in others it would be better taken by a high-level authority in the governmenthierarchy (president’s or provincial governor’s office).■ These days most nations have legal groundwater codes which treat groundwater in aquiferstorage as a public-property (or common-property) resource, but the perception of groundwaterbeing private property may still pervade. However, national legislation will not generallyprovide a sufficient basis for addressing the management of non-renewable resources, andspecific provision will have to be made through supplementary regulations which declare thenon-renewable aquifer as a ‘reserve area’ subject to special development and managementarrangements.■ Full participation of groundwater users will be equally vital to successful implementationof management measures. This will be best approached by establishment of an aquifermanagement organisation, which should include representatives of all main sector-interestsand geographically-based user groups, together with those of government agencies, localauthorities and other stakeholders. Public awareness campaigns on the nature, uniquenessand value of non-renewable groundwater resources will be essential to create social conditionsconducive to improving water-use productivity and to effective aquifer management.■ A high priority will be to put in place a groundwater abstraction rights system (permits,licenses or concessions). These must be consistent with the hydrogeological reality ofcontinuously-declining groundwater levels, potentially- decreasing well yields and possiblydeterioratinggroundwater quality. Thus the rights should be time-limited in the long term,and subject to initial review and modification every 5–10 years. In the process, customarywater-rights prevalent in many rural areas of the world must be reckoned with and reconciledwith the proposed development.60