Groundwater Critical in Managing Climate Change Impacts

And with climate change threatening land and water resources it is important now more than ever to manage such a critical shared asset, experts gathering at an important GEF conference said this week.

With nearly 2½ billion people currently dependent on groundwater for their daily needs, it is surprising how little attention this water source receives, scientists and policymakers said here.

This simple and perhaps inconvenient truth was a key point of discussion among speakers and attendees at the 5th Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters Conference. Building on that point was the fact that 97 percent of the world’s fresh water is located in aquifer systems.
 
“They are underground - out of sight and out of mind, and hence do not get the attention they deserve,“ said Chusei Yamada, special assistant to Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ambassador.

Most aquifers are transboundary, which means they cross the borders of at least two countries. Through a joint project between UNESCO and GEF, a total of 273 transboundary aquifers have been identified around the globe.

“What this means in human terms is that most groundwater is shared, and in order to manage and share this water, political arrangements are necessary between the relevant nations,” Ambassador Yamada said.

UNESCO scientist Alice Aureli added that groundwater can play a tremendous role in preventing life threatening situations that could arise more frequently with climate change; she agreed that much more attention needs to be paid to groundwater than has been in the past.

“Aquifers have an enormous storage capacity and can be replenished she said. “And the water quality is far superior to that in rivers and lakes.”

The importance of groundwater is highlighted in Australia as the country faces severe water management challenges and groundwater aquifers are also under threat from overuse, salinisation and pollution.

“It is vital that the science and the laws regarding groundwater usage are on GEF’s agenda. “As water shortages become more frequent, access to groundwater becomes more critical, Ms Aureli said.

Ambassador Yamada who is also a member of the UN International Law Commission said that 19 draft Articles of Law relating to groundwater were prepared last year and the aim is to finalise them by 2012.

Above article from http://www.gefweb.org/interior_right.aspx?id=27306