The problem of sustainable groundwater management: the case of La Mancha aquifers, Spain

Esteban, Encarna; Albiac, José

doi:10.1007/s10040-012-0853-3

Cited by 93 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…It is assumed that groundwater use in the EM irrigation district decreases as drought severity intensifies, based on the observed cooperative behavior of farmers in the last two decades. This behavior is driven by the pressures of the basin authority with the political influence of the downstream stakeholders, calling for the control of extractions and threatening farmers by not issuing water rights (Sanz et al, 2011;Esteban and Albiac, 2012). Increases in groundwater extractions in certain irrigation districts are allowed by the basin authority during drought periods within the framework of the Alarcon agreement.…”

Section: Reduced Form Hydrological Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling water scarcity and droughts for policy adaptation to climate change in arid and semiarid regions

Kahil¹,

Dinar

Albiac³

2015

Journal of Hydrology

189

102

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s u m m a r yGrowing water extractions combined with emerging demands for environment protection increase competition for scarce water resources worldwide, especially in arid and semiarid regions. In those regions, climate change is projected to exacerbate water scarcity and increase the recurrence and intensity of droughts. These circumstances call for methodologies that can support the design of sustainable water management. This paper presents a hydro-economic model that links a reduced form hydrological component, with economic and environmental components. The model is applied to an arid and semiarid basin in Southeastern Spain to analyze the effects of droughts and to assess alternative adaptation policies. Results indicate that drought events have large impacts on social welfare, with the main adjustments sustained by irrigation and the environment. The water market policy seems to be a suitable option to overcome the negative economic effects of droughts, although the environmental effects may weaken its advantages for society. The environmental water market policy, where water is acquired for the environment, is an appealing policy to reap the private benefits of markets while protecting ecosystems. The current water management approach in Spain, based on stakeholders' cooperation, achieves almost the same economic outcomes and better environmental outcomes compared to a pure water market. These findings call for a reconsideration of the current management in arid and semiarid basins around the world. The paper illustrates the potential of hydro-economic modeling for integrating the multiple dimensions of water resources, becoming a valuable tool in the advancement of sustainable water management policies.

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Section: Reduced Form Hydrological Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling water scarcity and droughts for policy adaptation to climate change in arid and semiarid regions

Kahil¹,

Dinar

Albiac³

2015

Journal of Hydrology

189

102

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“…For several decades, aquifers in arid and semi-arid regions have been stressed with a growing gap between extraction and recharge. This has direct economic impacts because of increased pumping costs for consumptive users and water degradation and ecosystem damage (Esteban and Albiac 2012). Stocks of groundwater in aquifers are often larger than surface water stocks.…”

Section: Groundwater Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some areas, a single river can gain and lose water (Goesch et al 2007). Some ecosystems, such as wetlands, small streams, rivers, and lakes, are fed by aquifers (Esteban and Albiac 2012).…”

Section: Groundwater Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lessons to Be Learned from Groundwater Trading in Australia and the United States

Wheeler

Schoengold

Bjørnlund

2016

Integrated Groundwater Management

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This chapter provides an overview of the issues and challenges facing policy makers intending to establish groundwater markets. It studies in detail two developed countries that have introduced groundwater trading and have some experience in its implementation-Australia and the United States of Americaand draws out lessons from these countries that need to be considered for the development of groundwater markets around the world. The key lessons that this chapter stresses are: the importance of establishing institutions and regulations; investing in high quality economic and scientific research; that opportunities arise from crises; and that social concerns are not always the most important considerations to be aware of for efficient and effective groundwater markets. Groundwater Global Over Extraction and ShortageGlobally, groundwater extraction is the outcome of decisions by organisations and individuals; there is little control or planning involved with its management. Groundwater withdrawals supply a large percentage of the world's population. It accounts for about 50 % of global drinking water and 43 % of global irrigation (van der Gun 2012). As detailed in Chap. 2, its overuse is associated with several

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“…Although water management in Spain is far from perfect, there have been recent mounting signs of successful experiences in the case of the La Mancha aquifers [34], where aquifer extractions have been curbed through stakeholders' cooperation.…”

Section: Types Of Policy Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Performance of Water Policies: Evidence from Drought in Spain

Kahil

Albiac

Dinar

et al. 2016

Water

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Water scarcity is a critical environmental issue worldwide, especially in arid and semiarid regions. In those regions, climate change projections suggest further reductions in freshwater supplies and increases of the recurrence, longevity and intensity of drought events. At present, one important question for policy debate is the identification of water policies that could address the mounting water scarcity problems. Suitable policies should improve economic efficiency, achieve environmental sustainability, and meet equity needs. This paper develops and applies an integrated hydro-economic model that links hydrological, economic and environmental elements to such issues. The model is used to conduct a direct comparison of water markets, water pricing and institutional cooperation, based on their economic, environmental and equity outcomes. The analysis is performed in the Jucar Basin of Spain, which is a good natural experiment for studying water scarcity and climate change policies. Results indicate that both institutional and water market policies are high performing instruments to limit the economic damage costs of droughts, achieving almost the same social benefits. However, the environmental effects of water markets are worrying. Another important finding is that water pricing is a poor policy option not only in terms of private and environmental benefits but also in terms of equity.

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The problem of sustainable groundwater management: the case of La Mancha aquifers, Spain

Cited by 93 publications

References 20 publications

Modeling water scarcity and droughts for policy adaptation to climate change in arid and semiarid regions

Modeling water scarcity and droughts for policy adaptation to climate change in arid and semiarid regions

Lessons to Be Learned from Groundwater Trading in Australia and the United States

Improving the Performance of Water Policies: Evidence from Drought in Spain

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