Groundwater governance: synthesis of thematic papers/case studies

The purpose of this ‘global’ project on groundwater governance presents something of a paradox – it is looking for a global solution to a set of essentially local problems. Patterns of groundwater use are necessarily determined by the aquifers that host the groundwater and the hydrogeological process that condition groundwater flow. Governance of that use is relatively straightforward – groundwater users and their pumps can usually be identified and appealed to as policy targets. But promoting improved governance of groundwater protection involves a more extended set of policy targets, from direct users of aquifer services, to land use mangers and all those who dispose solid and liquid waste to land and surface water. Overall, the main objective is the long term functionality of aquifer systems that furnish groundwater and other related economic and environmental services. In this sense, the terms aquifer and groundwater are not equivalent and care has to be taken when referring to the groundwater derived from aquifers, and the aquifer systems themselves.