Lecture: Management of Karst in the transboundary context

8/14/2019 Lecture: Management of Karst in the transboundary context

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Postojna June 2007

Shammy PuriSenior Consultant UNESCO Division of Water Science

IHP & ISARM

Managing transboundary karstaquifers: some myth and more magic, than

logic?

15th International Karstological School Management of transboundary karst aquifersJune 18th 22ndPostojna, Slovenia


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Postojna June 2007

What its about

q some myth and more magic, than logic??q Perceptions of Karst: the scientist vs the man on the

street

q Why science topolicy for transboundary aquifers?q The ISARM process, and some outcomes so farq Global environmental gains & aquifersq Aquifers link to sustainable land useq

Case study approach: DiKTASq Complex non homogenous aquifers & sustainableenvironmental management

q Looking ahead to the 16th School some reflections


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Postojna June 2007

Many pathways to solve the karst labyrinthpuzzle ?

99% of global

freshwater lies

hidden inaquifers out

of sight and out

of mind

UN WWDR


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Perceptions: karst of thescientist, karst of the people

Proteus anguinus


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Karst landform, protectionq

IUCNs suggested reasons for protection of national karstregions include:

As habitat for endangered species of flora and fauna. As sites containing rare minerals or unique land forms. As important sites for the study of geology,

geomorphology, palaeontology and other# disciplines. As culturally important sites, both historic and prehistoric. As spiritual or religious features. For specialised agriculture and industries. As "windows" into understanding regional hydrology.

As sources of economically important materials. For tourism and its associated economic benefits.

q Similar principles accordingly adjusted could alsoapply to transboundary karst regions


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Defining the systems

Methodology

that addresses

in-homogeneity

in typical karstic

systems see

application inthe Tara

National Park,

Western Serbia

(Zinanovic, et

al)


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Karst research & its scope



Transition of IHPs phases:Transition of IHPs phases: continuity with changecontinuity with change

1996-2001 IHP-V1996-2001 IHP-V

Hydrology and Water Resources DevelopmentHydrology and Water Resources Development

in ain a Vulnerable EnvironmentVulnerable Environment

2008-2013 IHP-VII (proposed)2008-2013 IHP-VII (proposed)

Water Dependencies:Water Dependencies:

Systems under StressSystems under Stress andand Societal ResponsesSocietal Responses

1990-1995 IHP IV1990-1995 IHP IVHydrology and Water Resources Sustainable DevelopmentHydrology and Water Resources Sustainable Development

in ain aChanging EnvironmentChanging Environment

2002-2007 IHP-VI2002-2007 IHP-VI

Water Interactions:Water Interactions:

Systems at RiskSystems at Riskandand Social ChallengesSocial Challenges

Science to policy in the IHP



THEME V:THEME V:

Water EducationWater Education

for Sustainable Developmentfor Sustainable Development

New Initiatives:

II, III, IV, VTHEME IV:THEME IV:

Water and Life Support SystemsWater and Life Support Systems

THEME III:THEME III:

Ecohydrology for SustainabilityEcohydrology for Sustainability

THEME II:THEME II:

Strengthening Water GovernanceStrengthening Water Governance

for Sustainabilityfor Sustainability

THEME 1:THEME 1:

Adapting to the Impacts of Global ChangesAdapting to the Impacts of Global Changes

in River Basins & Aquifer Systemsin River Basins & Aquifer Systems

Water Dependencies: systems underWater Dependencies: systems under

stress & societal responses (stress & societal responses (IHP-VIIIHP-VII))

EducationEducation & C& Capacity Buildingapacity Building

Key Theme:

I

HydrologicalHydrological

ResearchResearchWater ResourcesWater Resources

MManagementanagement

Shared water

resources:

ISARM & PccP



Transboundary Aquifer: no guidance for countries

3D bulk flow



Global freshwater: in ice caps, rivers& aquifers UN 1997 Water

Convention applies

essentially to these !



Global Aquifer distribution



The ISARM Programme (2000 2007):Multi disciplinary integrated approach

Under preparation: UNConvention on the Use of

Transboundary Aquifers

Sharing countries will work

together to ensure the

continued, sound functioning

of aquifer systems and will

reduce the risks to the integrity

of an aquifer system

Inventory process well advanced,70 in Americas, >30 in Africa, 90 in Europe, ?? In Asia

Current focus, till the

culmination of the

Programme



Transboundary Aquifer typologies: limitedapplicability of the UN Convention

Groun

dWate

rTable

Imperm

eabl

eLayer

Aquifer

ImpermeableLayer

STATE A

STATE B

Border

River

Groun

dWate

rTabl

e

Impe

rmeabl

eLa

yer

Aquifer

ImpermeableLayer

STATEA

STATEB

Trans

-Borde

r

River

Groun

dWate

rTabl

e

Impe

rmeabl

eLay

erAqu

ifer

ImpermeableLayer

STATEB

"Domes

tic"Riv

er

STATEA

STATEASTATEB

GroundWater

Table

Aquifer

Imperm

eableRo

ckForm

ations

Ground

WaterT

able

STATEASTAT

EB

LineofConfinement

Imperm

eableLa

yerConfi

nedAqu

ifer

Imperm

eableLa

yer

ImpermeableLayer

ConfinedAquifer

ImpermeableLayer

RECHARGE

ZONE



ISARM Inventories examples Americas & Balkans

Extensive regional

consultation with expert

groups: Africa, Med,Balkans, Asia, MENA



Global environmental losses ascertained from inventoriesq Pollution: some water unusable, local disease burdenq Wasteful Water Use, Droughts, Competition for

scarce water resourcesq Over fishing in freshwater systems: Livelihoods & $

60 billion of trade in jeopardyq Millennium Ecosystem Assessment confirms threatsq MDGs might not be met because of water

mismanagement/unresolved conflictsq

Peace, stability, security at risk, in varying degrees, inmany areasq Climate variability a new & uncertain factor for

aquifer management, especially in transboundarycontext



Global environmental gains through a newtransboundary water law / convention

Sovereignty vs integrity q International freshwater law remains immature due to

the polarisation between the doctrine of absoluteterritorial sovereignty (Harmon Doctrine) and absoluteterritorial integrity (permits a country to use all waterwithin its territory as long as it does not harm a co-riparian)

q An emerging doctrine of limited territorial sovereigntyrequires riparians to share water based on equitableutilisation

q The principle of subsidiarity promotes resolution ofissues at their most appropriate level, be they atcommunity group level, or in sub hydrographic units

q International freshwater agreements can be traced back2500 years, when Lagash & Umma (Mesopotamian CityStates) ended their conflict


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International law negotiated conventions

q Customary international law recognises that riparian states havelegal rights to international watercourseslimited territorialsovereignty is becoming a customary rule adopted by theInternational Court of Justice (in the 1990s)

q YET countries remain polarised between the doctrines ofabsolute territorial sovereignty and absolute territorial integrity linked also to investment in national infrastructure drawing onIFI funds, such as development banks

q In the 50s the WBank would not lend to projects wherecountries were in dispute over international waterwaysby 1985,taking the cue from developments in international law, the policybecame more flexibleproject finance became available toborrowing Countries.

q To address such issues, closely connected with economic

development (irrigation, power generation, navigation), UNinstitutions began to consider international legislation. & after27 years of negotiation produced a Convention on the NonNavigational Use of International Water Courses

q . Why 27 years ?? Why non navigational and what aboutshared aquifers ??


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The major stumbling blocksThe no-harm ruleq As in the case of neighbouring land owners, States may not take

actions on their territory, that would cause damage to neighboursq actions includes a whole range of neighbourly relations,

including protection of the environment and the allocation ofwater among their competing demands

Equitable & Reasonable Utilisationq This principle governs theprior allocation of the water and gives

complete priority to existing activities.q Low lying fertile lands tend to have been intensely developed

from antiquity (Nile, Indus, Ganges);

q Mountainous regions requiring high investment costs (eg dams),tend to be developed only after long economic performance,q So prior allocation would deprive mountainous (=upstream)

countries of their water resources.. slowing down theireconomies the notions of shared vs transboundary


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1997 UN Convention vis a vistransboundary aquifers gap analysisInvestment for national economic developmentq Bank Loan, Algeria (1990), NSAS the borrower will take all

necessary measures to ensure that the use of aquifer resourcesin the region shall be planned in accordance with .. askingTunisias no objection

q Bank underwriting of risk to a BoT on the Disi-Amman project(1998) that draws from the Rum Saq transboundary aquifer no objection requested from Saudi Govt

UN Convention and the gaps on application to aquifers:q Only those groundwater that form a physical part of surface

watersq

Part of a unitary whole,q Normally flows to a terminus that is common to surface flowsq Has parts of the system located in different states


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Territorial sovereignty &transboundary aquifer flows

q States have absolute sovereignty over theirsoils / rocks but do they have the samesovereignty over the water that is contained,and flows within them ???

qThe UN ILC had decided to defer its work ongroundwater, as a topic to be later addressedwithin the scope of shared natural resources(confined groundwater) & single geologicalstructures of oil & gas


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Transboundary rivers, homogenous &hetereogenous aquifers

Replenishmentcould cease withgeotechnical change

Mis match betweendischarge &catchment

Uncertainty in

location of sourceworks

3-d with randomflow paths

Aquifers (in-h)

Replenishment could beslow, net gain can bedrawn upon over longerperiods

Rapid & timeconstrained gainfrom replenishment

Replenishment maytake place from any, orall of 3-dimensions.

Replenishmentalways fromupstream sources.

Resources may be

extracted from and usedextensively over outcrop& subcrop

Use of resources

generally limited tovicinity of the riverchannels

Bulk 3-dimensionalsystems

Long linear features

Aquifers (h)Rivers


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Factors relevant to equitable use

Proportion of aquifer area found in each aquifer

system State

The comparative size of the aquifer in

each aquifer State

An economic and social assessment of the value

of any groundwater dependent ecosystems,

Aquifer system in the related ecosystem.

Cost benefit analysis of alternative resourcesThe availability of alternative sources

The long term joint aquifer management plan

withdrawal rates, rates of replenishment, capital

investment, O&M & financial recovery

Development, protection and

conservation & the costs of measures

adfopted

The transboundary impacts through repeated

observations

Effects of the utilization in one State on

another

Population that draws on the resourcesPopulation dependent on resources

Requirements for potable. agricultural & industry,

hydropower

Social and economic needs of States;

Integrates rainfall, soil moisture changes &

infiltration sustainable land use

Contribution to recharge &

replenishment

Addressed in a conceptual model approachThe natural characteristics

Explanation of the factorIndicative factor for aquifers


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Postojna June 2007

ILCs work on shared naturalresources: aquifers (2002)

q shared vs international vs transboundaryq Aquifer Systems approach more

technically & legally precise, allowsconsideration of the matrix, the watercontained within it & inter related strata

q Scope: regulates the uses of transboundary

aquifer systems andother activities

that arelikely to have an impact, and to measures ofprotection, preservation & management


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Aquifer functions that are not coveredby Multilateral Conventions

How to incorporate

integrity into policy?


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Integrity of the aquifer systemThe integrity of the aquifer system refers to

q the aquifer rock matrix, the hydrostatic conditions of the waterwithin the matrix, the hydrochemistry of the water;

The integrity of the system is at risk when any of the followinghave been over stressed:

q the recharge process that ensures adequate replenishment,q the discharge process that ensures baseflow to streams and

coastal areas (including mangroves, lagoons),q the hydrostatic relationship throughout the rock matrix that

determines flow and the hydrochemical process that determineswater quality.

The integrity of an aquifer can be destroyed, if for example salineintrusion (resulting from significantly disturbed hydrostatics)invades to such an extent, that the aquifer system stopsfunctioning and cannot effectively be rejuvenated.

We need to increasingly consider resilience of aquifers &ecosystems..


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Resilience, what is it?

q Going from Conventional toAdaptive freshwater managementfor human and ecosystem compatibility

q Ecosystem resilience is capacity of an ecosystem to cope with change and perturbation, such as

storms, drought and pollution. loss of resilience leads to more vulnerable systems, and to possible ecosystem shifts to undesired states that provide fewer

ecosystem goods (like fish and crops) and services (like food control andwater purifcation).

q Such loss of resilience can be caused by, for example, pollution, climate variability, loss of biodiversity or altered freshwater

flows.

q With decreased resilience, clear lakes can suddenly turn intomurky, oxygen-depleted pools, grasslands into shrub-deserts,and coral reefs into algae-covered rubble.

q Resilience is the capacity of a system both towithstand pressures and to rebuild and renew itself ifdegraded.


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Where we are atin 2007q Draft Articles presented to the Sixth Committee at the 61st Session

of the UN General Assembly (Dec 2006) quotes fromdeliberations..

q Delegations have welcomed the Articles though still not clear onwhether to place them into a Convention, guidance or rules..(Austria, China, Hungary, Argentina, New Zealand, Malaysia,Romania,)

q Theinternational regulation of the uses of and impacts on sharednatural resources was considered of the highest significance(Netherlands),particularly for those States with transboundaryaquifers, such as the Guaran Aquifer. (Uruguay, Brazil,)

q However, a view was expressed that the draft articles went wellbeyond current law and practice and that context-specificarrangements might be preferable in light of the wide variety ofgroundwater resources and the relative scarcity of informationregarding them. (United States of America)


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Connecting Water to EcoSystem services

EcoSystem

services could

not operate

without water !

Degradation ofecosystems =

degradation of

water

Using the MAFramework in

IWRM, applied

to conjuctive

use


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EcoSystem goods, values inIWRM

Eco sys goods & services in

IWRM flood control, stream

base flow, groundwater

recharge

Discharge of groundwater to

dependent ecosystems in

rivers & wetlands

Valuation of these goods & services

being introduced as policy tools for

IWRM

Negative externalities have led to

loss of aquifer storage

Can we value the sound functioning of aquifers? To ensure

integrity & build up resilience to greater climate variability.


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Non homogenous aquifers & environmentalsustainability

Dinaric Karst

Transboundary

Aquifer System

What driving forces

do we need to

harness, so thatThe karst aquifer

system continues tofunctionThe ecosystems

dependent on it, are

sustainableThe cooperative

efforts can be

catalysed for

measurable benefits


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Case Study - DiKTASComponent A:

Implementation of a KarstProgramme of Action based on an

agreed TDA and a SAP to reduceimpact of stress

Component D:Data sharing and exchange facility

for long term joint management and

monitoring of the DiKTAS

Component B:Establishment of a DiKTASCollaborative Mechanism

Component C:Demonstration Projects aimed atstress reduction at key locations

Scientificassessments &hydro-environmental

analyses

Integration ofnationalpolicies forregionalcollaboration

Innovativesolutions providingmultiple benefits

Consistent hydroenvironmental

data from stressedzones for jointmanagement

INTEGRATION OF THE DINARIC KARST TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS INTO SUSTAINABLEECOSYSTEMS OF THE BALKANS


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Looking ahead..16th School

qRisks & uncertainties in transboundary karstaquifer management

qHazard identification & risk reduction

qClimate variability in the context of karstaquifer dependent ecosystems

qGlobalisation impacts: on the resilience,vulnerability, and adaptability

qEconomic issues in national & transboundarycontext sharing a basket of benefits


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If we miss opportunities to raise theissues into policy dialogue

the waiting

could be too

long formany people

on our planet

!!

Thank you for your

attention !

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Lecture: Management of Karst in the transboundary context

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