Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews | 2021
Sustainable groundwater management in rural communities in developed countries: some thoughts and outlook
Abstract
This essay aims to contribute to some reflections about the sustainable management of groundwater systems in developed countries focusing on dispersed rural communities. There is a misleading assumption that countries have reasonable sound groundwater system management. Indeed, there is a need for a paradigm shift in sustainable water resource management, particularly groundwater systems. A reduction or lack of consistent research and successful studies in rural communities and peri-urban areas are noticed. Additionally, intermittent supply system problems are often observed. As a result, the urgent need to develop a reliable research program supported by tight cooperation with populations, local authorities, water management agencies, academia, practitioners and representatives of rural groups and water user communities is emphasised. To accomplish this is to underline the need for data collection for creating a GIS-based hydrological toolkit for groundwater management and sustainability in rural and peri-urban communities. This type of approach covers the characterisation, assessment, availability, and management of groundwater resources. Besides, groundwater resources quality and quantity are crucial for evaluating the rural water supply systems. Therefore, sound methods and techniques are essential to achieve a comprehensive utilisation in rural areas, from field inventory and mapping to water quality, vulnerability, hydrodynamic studies, and improve well sitting, construction and monitoring techniques and also socio-hydrogeology, geoethical and environmental law studies. This transdisciplinary approach will allow the transfer of science, technology, and information to support sustainable water resources management decisions and design nature-based solutions in rural communities within a hydrogeoethical framework.