Groundwater Governance in a Water‐Starved Country: Public Policy,Farmers' Perceptions,and Drivers of Tubewell Adoption in Balochistan,Pakistan

Pakistan faces the challenge of developing sustainable groundwater policies with the main focus on groundwater management rather than groundwater development and with appropriate governance arrangement to ensure benefits continue into the future. This article investigates groundwater policy, farmers' perceptions, and drivers of tubewell (groundwater bore) adoption and proposes possible pathways for improved groundwater management for Balochistan, Pakistan. Historical groundwater policies were mainly aimed at increasing agricultural production and reducing poverty, without consideration of adverse impact on groundwater availability. These groundwater policies and governance arrangements have resulted in a massive decline in groundwater tables. Tubewell owners' rankings of the drivers of groundwater decline suggest that rapid and widespread installation of tubewells, together with uncontrolled extraction due to lack of property rights, electricity subsidy policies, and ineffective governance, are key causes of groundwater decline in Balochistan. An empirical “tubewell adoption” model confirmed that the electricity subsidy significantly influenced tubewell adoption decisions. The article proposes a more rational electricity subsidy policy for sustaining groundwater levels in the short‐run. However, in the long run a more comprehensive sustainable groundwater management policy, with strong institutional support and involvement of all stakeholders, is needed.     

Effectiveness of a market-based instrument for the allocation of water in a tropical river environment

The seasonal nature of Australia’s tropical rivers means that connected groundwater aquifers are an important source of both consumptive and non-consumptive water, particularly during the dry season. The management of these common pool groundwater resources is one of the predominant water issues facing northern Australia. A national program of water reform stipulates the expansion of water trading as a key instrument for water allocation. The effectiveness of new institutional arrangements such as water markets will be determined mostly by how well they coordinate with local environmental requirements, local institutions and local norms. This paper describes a novel application of combined field work, institutional analysis, experimental economics and agent-based modeling to the analysis of a potential water market in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. The effectiveness of different versions of the policy instrument is assessed in light of local conditions. Instruments that enable personal relationships and local institutions and norms to play a role in water management are found to be more effective in terms of both farming income and environmental impact.     

Towards a new groundwater institution for India

This paper argues for a new institutional framework for the management of groundwater in India. It makes a case for separating (de facto) rights in groundwater from rights to land overlying it and conferring (de jure) rights in groundwater to local communities. It further argues for a greater interface between policy and technical communities and coordination among the institutions engaged in managing groundwater. It also suggests how some recently introduced policy interventions can be made more effective.     

Groundwater Governance in the United States: Common Priorities and Challenges

Groundwater is a critical component of the water supply for agriculture, urban areas, industry, and ecosystems, but managing it is a challenge because groundwater is difficult to map, quantify, and evaluate. Until recently, study and assessment of governance of this water resource has been largely neglected. A survey was developed to query state agency officials about the extent and scope of groundwater use, groundwater laws and regulations, and groundwater tools and strategies. Survey responses revealed key findings: states' legal frameworks for groundwater differ widely in recognizing the hydrologic connection between surface water and groundwater, the needs of groundwater‐dependent ecosystems, and the protection of groundwater quality; states reported a range in capacity to enforce groundwater responsibilities; and states have also experienced substantial changes in groundwater governance in the past few decades. Overall, groundwater governance across the United States is fragmented. States nevertheless identified three common priorities for groundwater governance: water quality and contamination, conflicts between users, and declining groundwater levels. This survey represents an initial step in a broader, continuing effort to characterize groundwater governance practices in the United States.     

Best practice land use planning and cost-effective tools to assure safety downstream of private dams

Communities are at threat because of the potential severe consequences of private dam failure. Such threat exists due to inadequate land use planning and safety assurance policy for water storage and downstream developments which must be integrated if lives and public and private property are to be saved. This paper aims to explore the interrelated policy, responsibility, cost-sharing and engineering issues associated with farm dam safety to mitigate failure threats to both existing and future downstream developments. Key insights into the design of best-practice integrated land use planning and safety assurance policy are provided based on (1) review of practice in Australia and internationally, underpinned by relevant theoretical principles, and (2) development of a cost-effective flood safety review/design tool to help policy-makers address cost sharing issues. The novel guidance and tool developed can help jurisdictions world-wide address the threats associated with farm dams and both existing and future land developments.     

Institutional status and structure of wastewater quality management in Greece

In recent years sanitation programmes in Greece have been launched principally for domestic environmental reasons, but also because of the country's commitment to comply with the common European Union (EU) environmental policy. The administration of these new programmes has been based on existing public services, and because of this a number of problems have arisen. This paper describes the institutional and administrative structure of wastewater treatment in Greece. An analysis and evaluation of the existing situation reveals that there is a significant number of problematic municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP). The agencies involved are described and evaluated and the importance of having specialised agencies is demonstrated. The effects of centralisation of the local administration under a pioneering national plan are predicted and recommendations for improving the institutional and administrative structure are made; taking into account the experience of other countries, local and national constraints, and the existing situation.     

Wetland conservation and sustainable coastal governance in Japan and England

Coastal wetlands present particular challenges for coastal governance and for the implementation of the Ramsar Convention, not least because coastal areas are focal points of human activity and of governance ambiguity. Through the evaluation of Ramsar delivery at both national and local levels in Japan and England, the relationship between Ramsar implementation and coastal governance was examined. In England, Ramsar status is primarily treated as a nature conservation designation which limits the wider opportunities inherent in the designation. In contrast, in Japan, the Ramsar Convention is used as a policy driver at the national level and as a leverage to encourage citizen engagement, economic benefit, and wetland conservation at the local level. It was concluded that through the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in important coastal wetland areas, significant steps can be taken towards delivering integrated approaches to coastal governance.     

Institutional conditions for IWRM: the Israeli case

Many places in the world are experiencing a water crisis. This water crisis is attributed to a governance crisis, whereas often fragmented institutional and physical water structures are used to explain a policy of overexploitation. The Israeli water system, which adopted integrated water resource management (IWRM), is often cited as a model for other countries struggling with fragmented water systems. Yet, despite the exceptional degree of integration, Israel in the past two decades has adopted an unsustainable water policy. The aim of this study is to understand this failure and thereby to postulate on the institutional conditions required for successful implementation of IWRM. The study focuses on the politics of water allocation during the drought of 1999 to 2002. It was found that the failure originates in setting administrative divisions in the decision-making process and in differential checks, with no balances implicitly instituted within the integrated water system. These two factors have resulted in a water system that is physically integrated but is not coupled by a balanced institutional structure. This case study teaches us that when reforming the water sector along IWRM lines, measures must be taken to ensure that the physical integration coincides with a balanced institutional integration-otherwise the results may be worse than if there were no integration at all.     

Mapping groundwater quality in the Netherlands

Maps of 25 groundwater quality variables were obtained by estimating 4 km × 4 km block median concentrations. Estimates were presented as approximate 95% confidence intervals related to four concentration levels mostly obtained from critical levels for human consumption. These maps were based on measurements from 425 monitoring sites of national and provincial groundwater quality monitoring networks. The estimation procedure was based on a stratification by soil type and land use. Within each soil-land use category, measurements were interpolated. Spatial dependence between measurements and regional differences in mean level were taken into account. Stratification turned out to be essential: no or partial stratification (using either soil type or land use) results in essentially different maps. The effect of monitoring network density was studied by leaving out the 173 monitoring sites of the provincial monitoring networks. Important changes in resulting maps were assigned to loss of information on short-distance variation, as well as loss of location-specific information. For 12 variables, maps of changes in groundwater quality were made by spatial interpolation of short-term predictions calculated for each well screen from time series of yearly measurements over 5–7 years, using a simple regression model for variation over time and taking location-specific time-prediction uncertainties into account.

From a policy point of view, the resulting maps can be used either for quantifying diffuse groundwater contamination and location-specific background concentrations (in order to assist local contamination assessment) or for input and validation of policy supporting regional or national groundwater quality models. The maps can be considered as a translation of point information obtained from the monitoring networks into information on spatial units, the size of which is used in regional groundwater models. The maps enable location-specific network optimization. In general, the maps give little reason for reducing the monitoring network density (wide confidence intervals).     

核磁共振找水技术的研究现状与发展趋势

近20多年来,用核磁共振(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance,NMR)方法形成的一种直接非侵害性的探测地下水的地球物理新技术,与传统的地球物理探测地下水的方法相比具有高分辨力、高效率、信息量丰富和解的唯一性等优点,是一种很有发展前景的找水方法技术.我国的水资源短缺,对地下水资源的勘探、开发与利用十分重视,已将核磁共振找水技术研究列入国家十一五科技支撑计划.本文在广泛收集迄今为止的国内外大量资料的基础上,并根据作者近年来有关核磁共振找水技术的研究经历,综述了核磁共振找水技术的发展历史、现状和发展趋势,以推进我国核磁共振找水技术的发展.     

Market instruments for demand management in the face of scarcity and overuse of water in Gujarat,Western India

The paper analyses the water scarcity problems in Gujarat in Western India using definitions of water scarcity propounded by Falkenmark, and Raskin and others, and a more universal definition based on supply and demand. While a lion's share of the scarce water goes for irrigating cash crops at the cost of subsistence farming and rural drinking, the pricing of canal water and electricity used for groundwater pumping is highly inefficient and inequitable. To manage demands for water, the paper suggests the use of water market as the institutional arrangement for promoting economically efficient uses, along with rational pricing of canal water and electricity for encouraging conservation. The paper advocates policies that enable: reforms in the governance and management of water for decentralisation and local institutional development; and increased investment in the irrigation and power supply sector for technological innovations and improvements in infrastructure, which are the fountainhead of the demand management strategy.     

Automated Time Series Modeling for Piezometers in the National Database of the Netherlands

The Geological Survey of the Netherlands (TNO-GSN) maintains a public national database of groundwater head observations. Transfer function-noise modeling has been applied to the time series in order to extract the impulse response functions for precipitation and evaporation for each piezometer. An automated procedure has been developed to assess the quality of the time series and of the models. The time series models of sufficient quality offer far more homogeneous data on the piezometric head than the original measurements. This allows for improved mapping of the head at a specific date or of characteristics of the head like average summer or winter levels. Also, the separation of precipitation and evaporation from other influences is useful for groundwater management and policy. The individual time series models are available online with interactive graphics ( https://www.grondwatertools.nl/grondwatertools-viewer ). The spatial patterns of the impulse response function characteristics can support analyses of the groundwater system.     

A Global Synthesis of Managing Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Under Sustainable Groundwater Policy

Groundwater is a vital water supply worldwide for people and nature. However, species and ecosystems that depend on groundwater for some or all of their water needs, known as groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs), are increasingly becoming threatened worldwide due to growing human water demands. Over the past two decades, the protection and management of GDEs have been incorporated into several water management policy initiatives worldwide including jurisdictions within Australia, the European Union, South Africa, and the United States. Among these, Australia has implemented the most comprehensive framework to manage and protect GDEs through its water policy initiatives. Using a science‐based approach, Australia has made good progress at reducing uncertainty when selecting management thresholds for GDEs in their water management plans. This has been achieved by incorporating appropriate metrics for GDEs into water monitoring programs so that information gathered over time can inform management decisions. This adaptive management approach is also accompanied by the application of the “Precautionary Principle” in cases where insufficient information on GDEs exist. Additionally, the integration of risk assessment into Australia's approach has enabled water managers to prioritize the most valuable and vulnerable ecologic assets necessary to manage GDEs under Australia's national sustainable water management legislation. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) compare existing global policy initiatives for the protection and management of GDEs; (2) synthesize Australia's adaptive management approach of GDEs in their state water plans; and (3) highlight opportunities and challenges of applying Australia's approach for managing GDEs under other water management policies worldwide.     

Sustainable development of India's waters—some policy issues

The paper develops a policy for the sustainable management of India's waters. It is demonstrated that, in contrast to the historical and current policy, a scientific policy could be developed, which will enable meeting the formidable challenges of the sustainable development of India's waters. An approach to policy formulation is also proposed. The institutional issues are briefly discussed. The article is based on a forthcoming book on the subject. A specific case is taken for reasons of realism to emphasize the possibility of creative policy formulation in other environments.     

On understanding and predicting groundwater response time

An aquifer system, when perturbed, has a tendency to evolve to a new equilibrium, a process that can take from just a few seconds to possibly millions of years. The time scale on which a system adjusts to a new equilibrium is often referred to as "response time" or "lag time." Because groundwater response time affects the physical and economic viability of various management options in a basin, natural resource managers are increasingly interested in incorporating it into policy. However, the processes of how groundwater responds to land-use change are not well understood, making it difficult to predict the timing of groundwater response to such change. The difficulty in estimating groundwater response time is further compounded because the data needed to quantify this process are not usually readily available. This article synthesizes disparate pieces of information on aquifer response times into a relatively brief but hopefully comprehensive review that the community of water professionals can use to better assess the impact of aquifer response time in future groundwater management investigations. A brief exposition on dimensional/scaling analysis is presented first, followed by an overview of aquifer response time for simplified aquifer systems. The aquifer response time is considered first from a water-quantity viewpoint and later expanded to incorporate groundwater age and water-quality aspects. Monitoring programs today, as well as water policies and regulations, should address this issue of aquifer response time so that more realistic management expectations can be reached.     

Charting the emergence of ‘global water initiatives’ in world water governance

Over the last century, the aperture of water governance has widened beyond local and regional schemes to include a growing number of dynamic organizations and events with a “global” scope. Until recently, little had been written about the historical development of global water governance, institutional connectivity within the field, or key organizational successes and failures as perceived by water experts. This paper provides water scientists, managers, policymakers, and those with an interest in international water issues with an overview of global initiatives. It charts the emergence of a set of institutions and events, referred to as “global water initiatives,” or GWIs, using a survey of water experts and other research. Institutional diversity among GWIs is described by defining four distinct types of initiatives and specific differences in scope and programmatic orientation. This overview also entails the historical paradigms of water management, evaluation of the results of the growth and proliferation of numerous new GWIs in recent decades, and some recommendations for supporting and sustaining GWI efforts in order to foster and improve multilevel water management in the future.     

地球物理仪器学科发展研究报告

地球物理仪器在国防、资源探测、自然灾害监测和工程质量检测等领域中具有不可忽视的作用,近年来技术进步迅速.国际上,地球物理仪器发展趋于多功能化、轻便化、智能化、可视化、网络化和虚拟化.由于历史的原因,一方面我国对地球物理仪器的需求急剧增长,另一方面又形成了对国外仪器的过分依赖,严重冲击了我们对地球物理仪器的自主研发.在这样的逆境中,我国地球物理技术工作者仍然坚持不懈,在重、磁、电、地震、放射性等领域取得了显著成绩,并在某些领域达到了具有国际领先的水平.基于这种现状,我国地球物理仪器发展应该坚持适当引进与自主创新相结合、研产用相结合,形成标准统一、多学科交叉融合的研制体系,提高工艺水平和售后服务质量;重视地球深部探测、航空物探、海洋探测、地质灾害监测和国防工程领域的地球物理仪器开发和研制;发挥学术组织的特殊作用,集中力量组织攻关,争取在关键领域中形成我国具有自主知识产权的先进地球物理技术和仪器.     

Assessing Groundwater Depletion and Dynamics Using GRACE and InSAR: Potential and Limitations

In the last decade, remote sensing of the temporal variation of ground level and gravity has improved our understanding of groundwater dynamics and storage. Mass changes are measured by GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, whereas ground deformation is measured by processing synthetic aperture radar satellites data using the InSAR (Interferometry of Synthetic Aperture Radar) techniques. Both methods are complementary and offer different sensitivities to aquifer system processes. GRACE is sensitive to mass changes over large spatial scales (more than 100,000 km²). As such, it fails in providing groundwater storage change estimates at local or regional scales relevant to most aquifer systems, and at which most groundwater management schemes are applied. However, InSAR measures ground displacement due to aquifer response to fluid‐pressure changes. InSAR applications to groundwater depletion assessments are limited to aquifer systems susceptible to measurable deformation. Furthermore, the inversion of InSAR‐derived displacement maps into volume of depleted groundwater storage (both reversible and largely irreversible) is confounded by vertical and horizontal variability of sediment compressibility. During the last decade, both techniques have shown increasing interest in the scientific community to complement available in situ observations where they are insufficient. In this review, we present the theoretical and conceptual bases of each method, and present idealized scenarios to highlight the potential benefits and challenges of combining these techniques to remotely assess groundwater storage changes and other aspects of the dynamics of aquifer systems.