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8 - Sustainable water management in arid and semi-arid regions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2010

By
W. Kinzelbach ,
P. Brunner ,
A. von Boetticher ,
L. Kgotlhang  and
C. Milzow
Edited by
Howard S. Wheater ,
Simon A. Mathias  and
Xin Li
Howard S. Wheater
Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
Simon A. Mathias
Affiliation:
University of Durham
Xin Li
Affiliation:
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

As a result of the ever-growing global population, pressure on water resources is increasing continuously, above all in arid and semi-arid regions. In many cases, the presently applied management practices are non-sustainable and lead to serious water-related problems such as the depletion of aquifers, the accumulation of substances to harmful levels, to water conflicts or economically infeasible costs. In this contribution, we illustrate these problems with several case studies. The northwest Sahara aquifer system is used to show the consequences of the overpumping of aquifers. A typical upstream–downstream problem is discussed with the example of the Okavango delta. Another case study discussed is the Yanqi basin in China. The Yanqi basin is a typical example showing how inappropriate irrigation practices can lead to soil salinisation and ecological problems of the downstream. Possible solutions to these problems and the role of numerical modelling as a tool to develop sustainable management practices are discussed. Some of the most common problems in setting up reliable models are highlighted and ideas how to address these problems are given. In the last part of this chapter, we discuss strategies to close the existing gap in thinking between scientists and decision makers.

DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT

In a pragmatic definition, sustainable water management describes a practice which prevents irreversible damage to the resource water and resources related to it such as soils and ecosystems and which preserves in the long-term the ability of the resource to extend its services (including ecological services).

Type
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Information
Groundwater Modelling in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas , pp. 119 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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