Original ArticlesAssessing sub-regional water scarcity using the groundwater footprint
Introduction
In the last few years, the demand for groundwater has increased considerably to be able to supply the needs of economic sectors and domestic use. At world level and in proportions that vary widely from one country to the next, especially in those regions where there is no surface water and groundwater is the only source, groundwater exploitation covers approximately: 40% for industrial activities; 20% for irrigation and 40% for drinking water needs (Zektser and Lorne, 2004). The high demand of this resource and the lack of proper management strategies have generated some concerns around a possible scarcity of groundwater in certain regions due to an accelerated decrease in water levels (Zektser and Lorne, 2004, Wada et al., 2010, Rodell et al., 2009, Konikow and Kendy, 2005).
A novel indicator used to study sustainability, vulnerability and stress of aquifers is the groundwater footprint concept- GF (Gleeson and Wada, 2013). The GF determines the volume of water that is required for a consumer or producer, also known as blue water (Aldaya et al., 2012), without taking into account the surface water. It is used to estimate groundwater stress and was introduced for the first time by Gleeson et al. (2012). Groundwater stress is an indicator of water scarcity, calculated as the ratio of the groundwater footprint and aquifer area. The aforementioned indicator focuses on groundwater quantity and ignores the resourcés possible contamination problems, which may result in a smaller water footprint and stress.
There are well-documented studies of the largest global aquifers’ water footprint and scarcity (e.g. Gleeson and Wada, 2013, Gleeson et al., 2012, Hoekstra et al., 2012) that help to classify those regions with an elevated water stress, either by the characteristics of the environment or the overexploitation of the resource. Colombia has a low groundwater footprint in the majority of its territory (Hoekstra et al., 2012); however, on a sub-regional or local-level, the situation may be different but there is not enough evidence in the literature.
This is the case of the aquifer system that is located in the Sucre department, found in the north of the country, where small creeks represent the main water surface bodies but run dry several months of the year; hence, major source of supply is groundwater. Besides, the groundwater abstractions in the region, which are mostly for domestic use, are not fully controlled by the environmental entities, as the exploitation areas are very large. Every year the National Water Study shows the condition and dynamics of the water in Colombia (VYDT, 2014); however, the study does not establish a clear division between surface and groundwater footprint. Moreover, the analysis undertaken of hydrogeological zones is more on a national than a sub-regional or local scale. For this reason, it is necessary to assess the current conditions of the aquifers and establish if the levels of water use could lead to water shortages and ecological damage in the short and long term. We believe that the groundwater footprint and groundwater stress indicators, calculated in a spatial way, will provide a more reliable and accurate overview of the situation in Sucre and will be a useful tool for the decision makers to implement suitable water management strategies. In this respect, the main goal of the research is to investigate the applicability of the groundwater footprint concept in a sub-regional level to define water scarcity and design measures to improve sustainability.
Section snippets
Characteristics of the study area
The study area is located in the Sucre department in the north of Colombia, which is a part of the Caribbean region. This department hydrography is composed by a perennial natural network of rivers and marshes located in the southern part (Fig. 1).
Conversely, in the northern part rivers run dry most of the year. The six main aquifers of the Sucre department located within 19 of the 26 municipalities that conform the department represent an area of 5000 km2 approximately (Fig. 2a). This area has
Methodology
Water scarcity in a region is defined based on Aldaya et al. (2012) as the ratio of the blue water footprint to the blue water available. In a region in which only groundwater provides water for the different types of demand, the definition needs to take into consideration the ratio of groundwater footprint to groundwater availability. The groundwater footprint (GF) can be defined as the area required to sustain groundwater use and groundwater-dependent ecosystem services
Abstractions
The calculation of the abstractions can be made using information on consumption from water concessions typically provided by environmental entities or water supply companies. However, this was not possible for this case as most of the municipalities within the study area lack of information about consumption. The latter is because in this municipalities there are local water infrastructure rather than municipal water distribution networks. For the particular case of Sincelejo (capital city of
Conclusions
We have used the groundwater footprint to assess water scarcity in a savannah climate region located in northern Colombia. To estimate abstractions, we used the results of a door-to-door survey performed in the study area. Domestic, industrial and agricultural consumption were estimated, and the source of water was defined. Recharge was estimated using a semi-distributed hydrological model based on the concept of approximate infiltration capacity.
Our analysis of the study area suggests that
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Science, Technology, and Innovation Fund of the General System of Royalties of the Republic of Colombia (Fondo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación del Sistema General de Regalías de la República de Colombia) – Project: Implementación de un modelo hidrológico ambiental para el soporte de decisiones en el departamento de Sucre, Caribe (BPIN: 2013000100021, Código DANE: 70000). The authors also express their gratitude to the Office of the Governor of the State of
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