GEF International Waters Science Conference 2012 Bangkok, Thailand – 24 to 26 September 2012

Transboundary aquifers management : How can science help?

Prof. Cheikh B. Gaye, UCAD, Senegal

Groundwater stored

= Water resources inherited from the past millennia

Groundwater: an important part of the Water Cycle

Groundwater…the “hidden” resource

Aquifers have differences with respect to their hydrogeological setting.

Underground reservoir (rocks) and transmitted through interconnected spaces

Storage capacity (storage coefficient or specific yield)

Transfer capacity (transmissivity)

•Physical and chemical interaction capacity (reservoir-rock vs GW)

Aquifers main functions

WHYMAP (UNESCO – BGR)

• Hard rock or soft rock terrain?

Availability of groundwater and also its primary natural quality is largely dependent on geology.

Groundwater occurrence in Africa

Shared aquifer systems of the World and GEF projects

Guarani aquifer

Latin America Africa

Major findings of the Groundwater WG

• Science has played an important role, particularly the hydrological sciences.

• Science has provided understanding of water occurrence in most of the projects, great benefits and opportunities but also carries a warning

• Not all sciences involved

Scientific outcomes and impactsScientists side

• Scientific target audiences are primarily other scientists. • Poor communication skills

• Lack of follow through to extract the applied significance of results

• Short term projects with no responsibility for follow up.

• No clear engagement between scientists and user community and capacity building elements are not incorporated into projects

• Lack of openness in objectives and beneficiaries, as regards especially benefits to poorer members of society

• Time limited projects may not fully account for scientific knowledge in the target/subject areas

• Results are usually confidential and whilst performed to internationally agreed standards and quality assurance, may not be available to wider scrutiny

• Results end up as grey documents and are seldom published in peer reviewed literature

• Data may be seen as confidential, withheld or unavailable and does not contribute to sum total of knowledge for the recipient countries

• Policy makers are not at the hauteur

Scientific outcomes and impactsDonors and decision makers side

How can science help ?

• Enhance scientific knowledge through data gathering and understanding of the functioning of the aquifer systems

• Fill the gap between discovery and application, science and practitioner, know-how and end-user

• Ensure holistic approaches involving not only the physical aspects of groundwater systems, but also the management processes in terms of water shares for the different users including the ecosystem and potential impacts (quality and quantity ) on the neighbouring countries sharing the resources.

Thank you

www.iwlearn.net/iwsc2012