Groundwater in the 21st Century – Meeting the Challenges

Abstract

Groundwater is an important natural resource and an essential part of the hydrologic cycle. Worldwide, it has been estimated that more than 2 billion people depend on groundwater for their daily water supply. A large proportion of the world’s irrigated agriculture is dependent on groundwater, as are a large number of industries, and groundwater is also critical in sustaining streams, lakes and wetland ecosystems. In many countries, excessive groundwater development, encroachment on recharge areas, uncontrolled urban and industrial discharges, contamination by naturally occurring chemicals and agricultural intensification have compromised the ability of groundwater to help resolve the emerging water management crisis in the 21st century. Side effects include escalating pumping costs, land subsidence, land degradation, reduced recharge, loss of flow to ecologically important wetlands and the intrusion of aquifers by saline water from estuaries and seas. Against this background there is an urgent and ongoing need to address the governance and practical management of groundwater resources. Over recent decades, scientific advances have created a solid platform of technical knowledge, but this has yet to strongly influence public policy, management institutions and decision making. Thus, there is an urgent need for new strategies for groundwater governance, incorporating the most advanced knowledge and data, in order to maintain the availability of high-quality groundwater resources to meet human, economic and ecosystem needs.