Transboundary aquifers: a global program to assess, evaluate, and develop policy

Transboundary aquifers are as important a component of global water resource systems as are transboundary rivers; yet, their recognition in international water policy and legislation is very limited. Existing international conventions and agreements barely address aquifers and their resources. To re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ground water 2005-09, Vol.43 (5), p.661-668
Main Authors: Puri, S., Aureli, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquifers
Boundaries
Conservation of Natural Resources
Environmental aspects
Environmental law
Groundwater
Guidelines as Topic
International Agencies
international agreements
International Cooperation
International law
International Shared Aquifer Resource Management
Management
nongovernmental organizations
Political aspects
transboundry aquifers
Water
water management
water policy
water resources
Water Supply
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Summary:Transboundary aquifers are as important a component of global water resource systems as are transboundary rivers; yet, their recognition in international water policy and legislation is very limited. Existing international conventions and agreements barely address aquifers and their resources. To rectify this deficiency, the International Association of Hydrogeologists and UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme have established the Internationally Shared (transboundary) Aquifer Resource Management (ISARM) Programme. This multiagency cooperative program has launched a number of global and regional initiatives. These are designed to delineate and analyze transboundary aquifer systems and to encourage riparian states to work cooperatively toward mutually beneficial and sustainable aquifer development. The agencies participating in ISARM include international and regional organizations (e.g., Organization of American States, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Food and Agriculture Organization, and South African Development Community). Using outputs of case studies, the ISARM Programme is building scientific, legal, environmental, socioeconomic, and institutional guidelines and recommendations to aid sharing nations in the management of their transboundary aquifers. Since its start in 2000, the program has completed inventories of transboundary aquifers in the Americas and Africa, and several ISARM case studies have commenced.
ISSN:0017-467X
1745-6584
DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2005.00100.x