Analysis of the pros and cons of intensively developed aquifers: hydrological, economic, social and ethical issues. Proposal for an international research project. Emilio Custodio, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). Botín Foundation. International Annual UN-Water Zaragoza Conference 2012/2013. Preparing for the 2013 International Year. Water Cooperation: Making it Happen! 8-10 January 2013

1. UN–Water Decade, Programme on Advocacy and Communication
International Annual UN – Water Zaragoza Conference 2012/1013
Preparing for the 2013 International Year:
Water Cooperation: making it happen!
Zaragoza 8–10 January, 2013
Side event:
Analysis of the pros and cons of intensively developed
aquifers: hydrological, economic, social and ethical issues.
Proposal of an international study project
Emilio CUSTODIO, Dr.I.I., Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
Dept. Geo–Engineering / Fund. Intern. Centre for Groundwater Hydr.
Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona
With the collaboration of :
Dr. M. Ramón Llamas, Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
Director Water Observatory, Botin Foundation
Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Geology, Complutense University,
Madrid
With the support of projects:
● REDESAC (CGL2009–12910–C03–01)
● UNESCO–IGCP–519 2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–1

2. Groundwater Mining – GWM
Possible definition:
Depletion of freshwater reserves in the aquifers at a rate much greater than renovation
This may refer to Is this GWM ?
● total water volume depletion yes
● freshwater volume depletion yes
seawater intrusion perhaps
● wide scale pollution saline water encroachment ?
natural contaminated water ? probably not
Intensity
● no replacement no recharge in the long term yes
● slow replacement  decades to centuries yes
● moderate rate replacement  years to decades perhaps
● use of the aquifer as a temporal water reservoir ?
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–2

3. Consequences of groundwater mining
Positive Benefits Negative Costs
pumping energy
Attending needs
economic Increasing costs replacement of utilities
Development social remaking of wells
on persons
Employment on crops
Fixation of population Possible GW quality impairment on production
Drainage of lands on turism
local
Reduction of aquifer yield general
Possible subsidence / collapse
Ecological services impairment
Decrease of other related water resources
Possible pollution due to GW use
direct
economic  must
indirect (externalities)
Nature of benefits / costs include
social  intangible
Effects may be long–delayed ethical  intangible
consider present value  discount rate  a debatable ethical issue
GW has different uses  consider opportunity costs
Evaluate ecological services 2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–3

4. GWM
Intensity of groundwater abstraction by the year 2000, as allocated to 0.5o x 0.5o
grid cells by the PCR–GLOBWB model, in mm/year (Wada et al., 2010)
(Margat & van der Gun, 2012)
large aquifers / areas at country level
Scale is important Impacts at medium scale
small significant aquifer systems
small islands local
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–4
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–4

5. Evolution of aggregated groundwater abstraction from 1950
onwards for a number of countries with intensive groundwater
exploitation
Top–10 groundwater abstracting countries
(as per 2010) km3/yr
Country Abstraction
(km3/year)
1 India 251
2 China 112
3 USA 112
4 Pakistan 65
5 Iran 64
6 Bangladesh 30
7 Mexico 29
8 Saudi Arabia 24
9 Indonesia 15
10 Turkey 13
(Margat & van der Gun, 2012)
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–5

6. Abstraction of non-renewable groundwater by country (at the beginning of the 21 st century)
GWM
Percentage of total water withdrawal covered by non-renewable groundwater (at the beginning of the 21 st century)
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–6
GWM
Margat & van der Gun, 2012

7. GWM
GWM is:
● a global phenomenon after 1940
● accelerating (N. India, …)
● USA = 22% of global total 1900–2008
● GWM contributes 12,6 mm to sea
level rise 1900–2008
(6,7% of total rise)
Cumulative net groundwater depletion 1900–2008 estimated for the entire world.
(Konikow, 2011)
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–7

8. GWM
Groundwater footprints of aquifers important for agriculture
The equivalent recharge area for long–term use is larger than their geographic areas
(Gleesson et al., 2012)
Use of groundwater reserves not accounted for
Comments Long–term sustainability may be not the goal
Non–optimal share of water resources between use and ecology
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–8

9. The Groundwater Mining Project – GWMP
Duration: 2 years
Participation: 7 to 10 countries or well–defined regions
raises his own resources
Conditions: each participant is the proprietor of what he produces
Coordinator: ● sets the wanted contents
2 / 3 coordination meetings
● get resources for a small steering group
producing a final comprehensive report
Content of each study (with possible adaptations to each situation)
hydrogeological background
● Country / region overview of GWM water resources conditions
● Small scale case for detailed analysis economic issues and analysis
social and ethical issues
final balance
Final report: responsibility  the coordinator
authors / coauthors  those who want to contribute to each chapter
It will be freely available on the web
published as a book if it is possible
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–9

10. GWMP
Tentative index of the final report
To be followed as far as possible by country / region reports, in what applies
1 ● Introduction and overview
2 ● GWM hydrological effects
3 ● GWM environmental effects
4 ● GWM quality–related problems
5 ● GWM benefits (present and discounted)
6 ● GWM costs (present and discounted)
7 ● GWM externality evaluation
8 ● GWM social and ethical aspects under actual conditions
9 ● What after GWM ceases
10 ● Long–term economic and social balance
11 ● Guidelines for legal norms, in general under local conditions
12 ● Water policy conclusions
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–10

11. Some references
Foster, s., Loucks, D.P. (eds.). 2011
Non–renewable groundwater resources: a guidebook on socially–sustainable
management for water–policy markers
IHP–VI Series on Groundwater 10. UNESCO / IAH / GW–Mate–World Banck
Gleeson, T., Wada, Y., Bierkens, M.F., van Beek, L.P.H. 2012
Water balance of global aquifers revealed by groundwater footprint
Nature, 488: 197–200. DOI: 10.1038/nature11295
Wada, Y., van Beek, L.P.H. 2012
Nonsustainable groundwater sustaining irrigation: a global assessment
Water Resources Research, 48, DOI: 10.1029/2011WR010562
Margat, J., van der Gun, J. 2012
Groundwater around the world
UNESCO–PHI / IGRAC: 212 + Annexes
Custodio, E. 2012
Intensive groundwater development: A water cycle transformation, a social
revolution, a management challenge
In: L. Martínez–Cortina, A. Garrido and E. López–Gunn: Rethinking Water and
Food Security Chap. 14. FB / CRC Press: 259–298
Aeschbach–Hertig, W., Gleeson, T. 2012
Regional strategies for accelerating global problems of groundwater depletion
Nature Geoscience, 5, Dec. 2012: 853–861
2013–GWM–UN–Zaragoza–