In August 2016 I posted on the creation of the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP), a global partnership for sustainable groundwater management launched by IWMI. GRIPP is not just a website that professes to do do great things. ; it has just published the first two Case Profiles reports.
1) Aquifer Contracts: A Means to Solving Groundwater Over-exploitastion in Morocco? by Alvar Closas and Karen G. Villholth
Download GRIPP_GW_Contract_Morocco
Abstract (also in French, Spanish and Arabic in the publication)
The Moroccan government has used aquifer contracts as a management tool to
control groundwater depletion. The first aquifer contract was signed in 2006 for the Souss region as a technical and financial non-binding contract between stakeholders and the government. The contract contemplated specific measures to be implemented across the Souss Massa-Draa Basin, including water fees and restriction of cultivated areas. This GRIPP Case Profille reviews the evolution of aquifer contracts in Morocco and the case of the Souss, examining the various social, political and institutional challenges surrounding its endorsement and implementation. Despite its innovative approach as a multi-user platform aiming to consolidate specific groundwater management activities on the ground, the voluntary nature of the aquifer contract limited the number of
participating stakeholders. Also, the lack of institutional capacity and clarity of roles under the decentralization process prohibited its oversight and enforcement. The Case Profile illustrates the complexity of groundwater management within a context of increased resource dependence, and the necessity to enhance and sustain inclusive participatory arrangements. In order to improve the effectiveness of aquifer contracts, Morocco needs to solidify its decentralization of groundwater management, and clear up environmental, agricultural and irrigation policy inconsistencies. Better data to understand and manage groundwater resources in an integrated manner are also needed, as well as proper oversight and binding measures that encourage transparency and adherence to the water law.
Here is the second publication:
2) Controlling Groundwater through Smart Card Machines: The Case of Water Quotas and Pricing Mechanisms in Gansu Province, China by Eefje Aarnoudse and Bettina Bluemling
Download GRIPP_GW_Smart_Card_Machines
Abstract (in French, Spanish, and Chinese in the document).
Since the 1970s, intensive groundwater abstraction by smallholder farmers has led to falling groundwater levels and related problems in many parts of North China. The 2002 revised Water Law urges local authorities to regulate groundwater use in regions of overdraft. This GRIPP Case Profile documents two cases of local groundwater abstraction regulation in Gansu Province, Northwest China, based on primary data collection. In both cases, smart card machines were installed on farmers’ wells to control groundwater abstraction. However, in the case of Minqin County, the local authorities opted for quotas, while in the case of Guazhou County, they opted for tiered water pricing as a regulation instrument. The quotas in Minqin have been implemented in a way that directly affected farmers’ groundwater use practices. Consequently, farmers are no longer free to decide when and how much groundwater to use. The tiered water pricing in Guazhou has had little implications for farmers’ individual groundwater use practices. The pricing threshold is flattened out at farm group level and the price is not raised to a level which instills behavioral change. Hence, it can be concluded that the potential of smart card machines to control groundwater abstraction is highly dependent on the design and implementation of the regulatory mechanism behind the machines. Although the present study cannot draw hard conclusions on the effectiveness of quotas and pricing mechanisms per se, it does provide an indication that, in the given societal context, the
practicability of quotas to reduce farmers’ groundwater abstraction is higher than that of ered pricing. Notably, the case of Minqin exemplifies that quotas lend themselves well to ensure equitable water access to all farmers and maintain the buffer function of conjunctive surface water and groundwater use. These are important principles to design effective groundwater regulation policies, both in and outside China.
Each of these looks to be a very practical, useful publication.
Enjoy!
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