Transboundary Aquifers: A Global Program to Assess, Evaluate, and Develop Policy

Abstract

Transboundary aquifers are as important a component of global water resource systems as are transboundary rivers; yet, their recognition in international water policy and legislation is very limited. Existing international conventions and agreements barely address aquifers and their resources. To rectify this deficiency, the International Association of Hydrogeologists and UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme have established the Internationally Shared (transboundary) Aquifer Resource Management (ISARM) Programme. This multiagency cooperative program has launched a number of global and regional initiatives. These are designed to delineate and analyze transboundary aquifer systems and to encourage riparian states to work cooperatively toward mutually beneficial and sustainable aquifer development. The agencies participating in ISARM include international and regional organizations (e.g., Organization of American States, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Food and Agriculture Organization, and South African Development Community). Using outputs of case studies, the ISARM Programme is building scientific, legal, environmental, socioeconomic, and institutional guidelines and recommendations to aid sharing nations in the management of their transboundary aquifers. Since its start in 2000, the program has completed inventories of transboundary aquifers in the Americas and Africa, and several ISARM case studies have commenced.

Institutional Challenges for National Groundwater Governance: Policies and Issues

“…The acceptance of boundaries may also fade, for instance, due to upcoming desires of the society to protect water quality, or natural areas that are related to groundwater (Jarvis 2006). Hydrogeological uncertainty: Heterogeneity in use situations and uncertainty in the hydrogeology of aquifers make management and rigid legislative classifications very difficult (Puri 2003; Moench 2004; Puri and Aureli 2005). Knowledge of the interrelationships between human actions and the extent and timescale of groundwater degradation is lacking.…”

“…Hydrogeological uncertainty: Heterogeneity in use situations and uncertainty in the hydrogeology of aquifers make management and rigid legislative classifications very difficult (Puri 2003; Moench 2004; Puri and Aureli 2005). Knowledge of the interrelationships between human actions and the extent and timescale of groundwater degradation is lacking.…”

“…Besides hydrogeological and economic attributes, institutional aspects must be considered when analyzing the reasons for inefficient use and depletion of groundwater (Chermak et al 2005; Usunoff 2005; Puri and Aureli 2005; Solanes and Jouravlev 2006; Fischhendler 2008). As Ostrom (1962) stated nearly 50 years ago, “Few areas… offer a richer variety of organizational patterns and institutional arrangements than the water resource arena.” Still, at present, little is known about the institutions and policies that govern groundwater use in many different societies (Moench 2004; Mukherji and Shah 2005; Usunoff 2005, 81).…”

The new “Silk Road Economic Belt” as a threat to the sustainable management of Central Asia’s transboundary water resources

“…Given the complex interfingering of national borders in Central Asia, especially in the mountains, it should be no surprise that many of the aquifers are transboundary in nature and, therefore, a shared resource with shared responsibilities for management and protection (Puri 2001;Puri and Aureli 2005;Eckstein and Eckstein 2005). Central Asia Water (CAWATER) has estimated that 30 % of the 339 aquifers identified in the region can be considered transboundary; however, given that many of the aquifers are undoubtedly interconnected in a regional sense, the true percentage is likely to be considerably higher.…”

Military aspects of hydrogeology: an introduction and overview

“…Implications of 'internationally shared' or 'transboundary' aquifers were largely ignored until 1997, when the International Association of Hydrogeologists, followed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), established groups to promote their study and the international cooperation needed for their management (Puri & Aureli 2005). It was recognized that conflicts might arise over the management of such aquifers, particularly if there was a lack of reliable scientific information on such parameters as groundwater abstractions, potentiometric levels, safe yields and water quality.…”