Climate Change and Groundwater
In this way, land does not only become useless for agricultural purposes, the soil is not able to store water through its buffer capacities which is enormously affecting vital groundwater resources. Especially in very arid developing countries the dependency on groundwater is very large, at the same time the capacity for adaptation to climate change very small, which could threaten food security even more in the near future.
Therefore, measures for adaptation should be implemented early enough and not when catastrophes have already happened. Groundwater has to be used and managed in a sustainable way in order to maintain its buffer and contingency supply capabilities as well as adequate water quality for human consumption, also under predicted climate changes. Land use planning has to consider groundwater resources as a precious and finite resource, and take all possible measures to protect groundwater resources and their recharge mechanisms in the long run.
Publications:
- Managing the Water Buffer for Development and Climate Change Adaption, Groundwater recharge, retention, reuse and rainwater storage
- Transforming Landscapes, Transforming Lives - The business of sustainable water buffer mangement - Profit from Storage - The cost and benefits of water buffering
- Profit from Storage - The cost and benefits of water buffering