1 GROUNDWATER IN THE IWRM APPROACH. Learning Objectives To understand IWRM concepts, key principles & drivers. To learn about the special characteristics.

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GROUNDWATER IN THE GROUNDWATER IN THE IWRM APPROACH IWRM APPROACH

Learning ObjectivesLearning 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

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What is IWRM?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.

An approach:That identifies the need to consider different

uses of water together – that different water

uses are interdependent.

What is IWRM? What is IWRM? (contd.)(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.

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What is IWRM? What is IWRM? (contd.)(contd.)

Water Management PrinciplesWater Management Principles

Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as

an economic good.

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.

The Dublin principles have been the basis for much of the subsequent water sector reform.

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General FrameworkGeneral Framework

IWRM Planning ProcessIWRM Planning Process

IWRM Change Areas (Content)IWRM Change Areas (Content)

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Essential elements of IWRM planningEssential elements of IWRM planning

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

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Ecosystem Sustainability

Social Equity Economic Efficiency

Policy Legislation Regulation

Aquifer & River Basin Central-Local Public-private

Assessment Information

Allocation tools

Enabling Environment

Financing & Incentive Structure

General FrameworkGeneral Framework

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THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT1 Policies – setting goals for water use, protection and conservation.2Legislative framework – the rules to enforce to achieve policies and goals.3Financing & incentive structures – allocating financial resources to meet water needs.INSTITUTIONAL ROLES4 Creating an organizational framework – forms and functions.5Institutional capacity building – developing human resources.MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS6 Water resources assessment – understanding resources and needs.7Plans for IWRM – combining development options, resource use and human interaction.8Demand management – using water more efficiently.9Social 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.

THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT1 Policies – setting goals for water use, protection and conservation.2Legislative framework – the rules to enforce to achieve policies and goals.3Financing & incentive structures – allocating financial resources to meet water needs.INSTITUTIONAL ROLES4 Creating an organizational framework – forms and functions.5Institutional capacity building – developing human resources.MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTS6 Water resources assessment – understanding resources and needs.7Plans for IWRM – combining development options, resource use and human interaction.8Demand management – using water more efficiently.9Social 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.

IWRM change AreasIWRM change Areas

Which of these goals will be most difficult to

get agreement on in your country?

We already have many management

instruments that don’t work – why will it be different this time?

How should major water users be brought into the

institutional framework for water management

decisions?

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Cycle for developing Cycle for developing && adjusting an IWRM Plan adjusting an IWRM Plan

Work plan Awareness raising Stakeholder

participation Political commitment

Vision/ policy

Commitment to IWRM

Situation analysis

Problems, IWRM situation, Goals

identified

Strategy choice

Goals prioritised,Strategy selectedIWRM plan

Draft, Stakeholder & political approval

IWRM plan

Draft, Stakeholder & political approval

Implementation

Legal, institutional, management actions.

Build capacity

Evaluation

Assess progress,Revise plan

Initiation.

Government commitment.Team formed

Question

what changes are necessary in infrastructure, service-

delivery systems, & governance to achieve some of

the IWRM targets?

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Groundwater ResourcesGroundwater Resources

form a considerable component of the total global fresh water.

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represent 29.9% of Earth’s fresh water resources

The special characteristics of groundwaterThe 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.

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Difference of groundwater from surface waterDifference 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.

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Surface water flows relatively rapidly in small streams, which feed main rivers draining the catchment area concerned.

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.‑ ‑

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Difference of groundwater from surface waterDifference of groundwater from surface water (contd.)(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.

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Difference of groundwater from surface waterDifference of groundwater from surface water (contd.)(contd.)

Relationship of groundwater to surface waterRelationship 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.

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streams and rivers on which an aquifer is

dependent as a significant source of its overall

recharge.

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Relationship of groundwater to surface water Relationship of groundwater to surface water (contd.)(contd.)

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Groundwater ManagementGroundwater 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.

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Human BenefitsEconomic Benefits Environmental Benefits

Aquifer Storage (groundwater resource)

SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENTSUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT

Artificial Recharge

(irrigation losses, wastewater

returns)

Natural Recharge

(excess rainfall, surface water

seepage)

Indirect Recharge

(aquitard leakage, cross-formational

flow)

Water for developmentGroundwater abstraction (agriculture &

Industry)

Water for Environment

Grdwater discharge

(Springs, surface water, wetlands, coastal zone)

Water for People

Grdwater supply (drinking water &

Sanitation and livelihood)

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Groundwater Management Groundwater Management (contd.)(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

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Groundwater Management Groundwater Management (contd.)(contd.)

sup

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......

Unrestricted Demand

+Unregulated Resources

Water & land-use behaviour worsen

Dissatisfaction of water-users increases

Aquifer system/ groundwater

resources impacted

Quality and quantity deteriorated

Increasing demand + Contaminant Load

Reliable supply reducing with increasingcost

Groundwater Management Groundwater Management (contd.)(contd.)

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Management function/

instruments

Enabling Environme

ntAcceptable demand +

contaminant load

Monitoring

Resource Evaluatio

nResource Allocatio

nHazard

Assessment

Pollution control

Economic Instrumen

ts

Policy framewor

kRegulatory

FrameworkDefinition

of Water RightsStakehold

er Participat

ion

Water & land use efficient

Water-users

Satisfied

Aquifer system/

grdwater resource

s protecte

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Quality & quantity stabilize

.....v

ers

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tGroundwater Management Groundwater Management (contd.)(contd.)

Secure supply at reasonable cost

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Dimensions of groundwater managementDimensions 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.

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Key groundwater Management ChallengesKey groundwater Management Challenges

1.1. Supply management challengesSupply 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.

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.28

2.2. Demand management ChallengesDemand management Challenges

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There is no balance between government’s

capacity to enforce regulatory provisions, and

user capacity to comply with the provisions.

2.2. Demand management Challenges Demand management Challenges (contd.)(contd.)

Areas where IWRM would assist in groundwater Areas where IWRM would assist in groundwater management 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, therebysustainably meeting increasing demand for water

for broad economic development and livelihoods.

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Key ConclusionsKey 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

ExerciseExercise

Divide into four groups.

Using Table 2 in the module, each group

should define recommendationsrecommendations for

management of groundwater in different

hydrogeological settings.

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