Groundwater Resources and Transboundary

Aquifers in Asia

Han Zaisheng

Dec. 2012

Asia Area: 44 M km2 Population >4 B Countries: 48 Groundwater resources investigation have been taken in most countries.

Groundwater resources assessments provide basis data and information over large area. As the level of groundwater abstractions increases, negative consequences have come manifest.

Groundwater Resources in Asia

There are several Transboundary aquifers, involving two or more countries in Asia. The inventory of Transboundary aquifers will form a basis to improve scientific knowledge and to develop a toolkit for groundwater governance. The updated map will provide missed Transboundary aquifers in Asia. Those TBAs information will responsibility, participation, information availability, transparency and custom for the political leaders, policy makers and planners.

Preliminary Inventory for TBA in Asia Two case studies

Transboundary aquifers in Asia are based on groundwater systems analysis.

11 groundwater systems and 36 subsystems

Tableland & plateau cold temperate zone Temp. semi-humid upland and plain of northeastern Asia North China Plain and temperate semi-arid area of Loess Plain Temp. arid area of inland basin & hilly area Tropic arid, semi-humid area of Iran Plateau-Asia Minor Peninsula Tropic arid area Arabian Peninsula- Mesopotamian plain Frigid zone of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Tropic humid-semi humid zone of India River- Ganges River Plain-Deccan Plateau Tropic humid upland Indo-China Peninsula Subtropics humid hilly area of South China Equatorial humid islands southeastern Asia

We have collected the essential and the missed Transboundary aquifers data. On the update Inventory, 67 Transboundary Aquifers are inventoried. The TBA aquifers in Asia have been classified into two grades: regional and local grade. The regional TBA extension is more than 3000 km2. The Local TBA extension is less than 3000 km2.

Regional 49

Local 18

Southeast Asia 8 East Asia 25 5 Central Asia & Caucasus 6 13 West Asia 4 South Asia 6

Southeast Asia

Name of TBA Countries Type Extension Northern Kalimantan Brunei , Malaysia 1 6246 Downstream of Lancang River China, Myanmar 2,3 39509

Hong River basin China, Vietnam 1,2,3 60805 The mid of Mekong River

V i e t n a m , L a o s , Thailand 1,2,3 106816

Kele plateau Laos, Thailand 1,2 90837

Mekong River delta Cambodia, Vietnam 1,2 223422

South Burma Myanmar, Thailand 1,2,3 33715 The Up of Mekong River

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos 1,2,3 31841

East Asia

Countries Type Extension

Central A

sia and Caucasus

Name Countries Type Extension

West A

sia

Name of TBA Countries Type Extension

Paleogene an C r e t a c e o u s aquifer

Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, I raq, Jordan, Syria

1,2,3 2135251

E a s t e r n Mediterranean

Israel, Jordan, L e b a n o n , P a l e s t i n e Territory, Syria,

1,2,3 15000

Upper Jezira Turkey, Syria, Iraq 1 100000

Hauran and Al-Arab

Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, 2 48000

South Asia

Name of TBA Countries Type Extension Mid of

Brahmaputra River

India, China 1,2 35905

Southern of Himalaya mountains

India, Bhutan

1,2 29717

Ganges River plain

India, Bangladesh

1 180384

Southern of Himalayas

India, Nepal 1,2 311589

India River plain India, Pakistan

1 394625

Kabul River Aquifer

Pakistan, Afghanistan

1,2 6219

Type : 1 - porous, 2 - fissured/fractured, 3 - karst

T h a n k You We are very appreciate for suggestions on TBA in Asia