Groundwater in the IWRM approach

Learning Objectives To understand IWRM concepts, key principles & drivers. To learn about the special characteristics of groundwater and its relationship to surface water. To know some key challenges facing groundwater management and the need for new approaches to address them. To emphasize the need of incorporating groundwater management into river-basin resource planning

An approach that promotes coordinated development & management of: What is IWRM? An approach that promotes coordinated development & management of: land and water surface water and groundwater river basins (and their adjacent environments) upstream and downstream user-interests.

What is IWRM? (contd.) An approach: That identifies the need to consider different uses of water together – that different water uses are interdependent.

What is IWRM? (contd.) In IWRM, water allocations & management decisions consider the effects of each use on the others. IWRM’s GOAL is sustainable development & management of water resources.

Water Management Principles The Dublin principles have been the basis for much of the subsequent water sector reform. Fresh water is a finite & vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development & the environment. Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels. Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic good.

Essential elements of IWRM planning General Framework 1 IWRM Change Areas (Content) 2 IWRM Planning Process 3

Financing & Incentive Structure General Framework is based on Dublin principles & three pillars driving sustainability – Economic-efficiency, Environmental-sustainability + social-Equity – and 3 change areas Financing & Incentive Structure

IWRM change Areas THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT Policies – setting goals for water use, protection and conservation. Legislative framework – the rules to enforce to achieve policies and goals. Financing & incentive structures – allocating financial resources to meet water needs. INSTITUTIONAL ROLES Creating an organizational framework – forms and functions. Institutional capacity building – developing human resources. MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS Water resources assessment – understanding resources and needs. Plans for IWRM – combining development options, resource use and human interaction. Demand management – using water more efficiently. Social change instruments – encouraging a water-oriented civil society. 10 Conflict resolution – managing disputes, ensuring sharing of water. 11 Regulatory instruments – allocation and water use limits. 12 Economic instruments – using value and prices for efficiency and equity. 13 Information management & exchange– improving knowledge for better water management. Which of these goals will be most difficult to get agreement on in your country? How should major water users be brought into the institutional framework for water management decisions? We already have many management instruments that don’t work – why will it be different this time?

Cycle for developing & adjusting an IWRM Plan Initiation. Government commitment. Team formed Vision/ policy Commitment to IWRM Situation analysis Problems, IWRM situation, Goals identified Evaluation Assess progress, Revise plan Work plan Awareness raising Stakeholder participation Political commitment Implementation Legal, institutional, management actions. Build capacity Strategy choice Goals prioritised, Strategy selected IWRM plan Draft, Stakeholder & political approval

Question what changes are necessary in infrastructure, service-delivery systems, & governance to achieve some of the IWRM targets?

Groundwater Resources form a considerable component of the total global fresh water. represent 29.9% of Earth’s fresh water resources

The special characteristics of groundwater Is a vital to many nations Some 2 billion people depend on it for their water supply provides low-cost, drought-reliable & high-quality water supplies for both urban + rural populations will be vital for achieving water MDGs its replenishment is finite and limited to shallower aquifers, and whose quality can be seriously degraded by pollution.

Difference of groundwater from surface water Groundwater occurs in contrasting physical and chemical environments although the water itself is essentially part of the same overall cycle. Surface water flows relatively rapidly in small streams, which feed main rivers draining the catchment area concerned.

Difference of groundwater from surface water (contd.) Groundwater moves through aquifers from areas of recharge to areas of discharge, normally at slow rates ranging from 1‑m/year to 100s‑m/day.

Difference of groundwater from surface water (contd.) Tens/hundreds/thousands of years may elapse between recharge and discharge to a spring/stream/sea. These slow flow rates and long residence times are among numerous distinctive features of groundwater systems.

Relationship of groundwater to surface water To diagnose relationship between surface water & underlying aquifer, it is important to distinguish between: rivers that depend significantly on aquifer discharge to sustain their dry-weather flow.

Relationship of groundwater to surface water (contd.) streams and rivers on which an aquifer is dependent as a significant source of its overall recharge.

Groundwater Management Managing groundwater resources primarily aims at sustainable development of the resource through: Balancing recharge into basin storage (groundwater resource) with discharges for economic, environmental & human benefits.

Groundwater Management (contd.) Artificial Recharge (irrigation losses, wastewater returns) Natural Recharge (excess rainfall, surface water seepage) Indirect Recharge (aquitard leakage, cross-formational flow) Aquifer Storage (groundwater resource) Sustainable groundwater development SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT modified from Hiscock, 2002. Economic Benefits Environmental Benefits Human Benefits Water for Environment Grdwater discharge (Springs, surface water, wetlands, coastal zone) Water for development Groundwater abstraction (agriculture & Industry) Water for People Grdwater supply (drinking water & Sanitation and livelihood)

Groundwater Management (contd.) .....sustainable development of groundwater thru’: Protection of groundwater from pollution controlled pumping to prevent declining well yield/quality Transformation from vicious circle to virtuous circle

Groundwater Management (contd.) Increasing demand + Contaminant Load Aquifer system/ groundwater resources impacted Quality and quantity deteriorated Water & land-use behaviour worsen Dissatisfaction of water-users increases Unrestricted Demand + Unregulated Resources supply driven management....... Reliable supply reducing with increasing cost

Groundwater Management (contd.) Management function/ instruments Enabling Environment Acceptable demand + contaminant load Resource Evaluation Policy framework Aquifer system/ grdwater resources protected Quality & quantity stabilize Water & land use efficient Water-users Satisfied Resource Allocation Regulatory Framework .....versus integrated groundwater management Hazard Assessment Definition of Water Rights Pollution control Stakeholder Participation Monitoring Economic Instruments Secure supply at reasonable cost

Dimensions of groundwater management Managing groundwater has two important dimensions, namely: Hydrologic dimension – management of aquifer resources, which is also referred to as supply-side management Socio-economic dimension – managing people (water & land uses), which is also referred to as demand-side management.

Key groundwater Management Challenges 1. Supply management challenges aquifer systems and their specific susceptibilities to negative impacts under abstraction stress are not addressed interactions between groundwater and surface water – abstraction effects on river baseflow and wetland ecology – and recharge reduction effects due to surface-water modification) remain unaddressed.

2. Demand management Challenges social development goals – food production – that influence groundwater use are NOT effectively addressed because they do not promote cross-sector coordination. regulatory interventions – water rights/permits – and economic tools – abstraction tariffs –are NOT effectively enforced and lack high level of user participation in their implementation.

2. Demand management Challenges (contd.) There is no balance between government’s capacity to enforce regulatory provisions, and user capacity to comply with the provisions.

Areas where IWRM would assist in groundwater management By: overcoming traditional institutional separation of surface water from groundwater and resulting fundamental communication barriers replacing risk management decisions – to address excessive abstraction and/or severe groundwater pollution – thru’ integrated management approaches, thereby sustainably meeting increasing demand for water for broad economic development and livelihoods.

Key Conclusions groundwater represents a considerable portion of fresh water resources, whose management should assume connectivity between surface water where physically connected, surface water and groundwater should be managed as one resource. all main water stakeholders must be involved in the development & management of groundwater resources there is need for capacity building among water resource authorities and water users as a key driver to the implementation of groundwater management measures

Divide into four groups. Exercise Divide into four groups. Using Table 2 in the module, each group should define recommendations for management of groundwater in different hydrogeological settings.