Aquifers Overexploitation in SE Spain: A Proposal for the Integrated Analysis of Water Management (original) (raw)

Abstract

Integrated water resources management is a paradigm that incorporates technical, scientific, political, legislative and organizational aspects of a water system. This study presents a methodology for undertaking an integrated analysis of water systems supplied by groundwater. This methodology is here applied to examine the water system of the Altiplano region in Murcia, where the water extraction from the aquifers greatly exceeds recharge and the irrigated areas supplied by those aquifers have a very high agrarian profitability. First, the hydrological problematic of the case study was conceptualized. Then, a sectorial study on each aspect related to the water management of the system was developed. As Bayesian Networks was the chosen technique for the integrated analysis, the information obtained by the sectorial studies was translated into specific variables, which together with the relations among them, modelled the real situation. As from a hydrogeological point of view the water system is comprised of four autonomous aquifers, a Bayesian Network for every aquifer was designed. This decision-support system enables us to evaluate the impacts generated under diverse water management scenarios.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Geological Survey of Spain), Avd. Alfonso X 6, 30008, Murcia, Spain
    José Luis Molina & José Luis García Aróstegui
  2. Instituto del Agua, Universidad de Granada, C/Ramón y Cajal 4, 18071, Granada, Spain
    José Benavente
  3. D. Economía y CC Sociales Agrarias, E.T.S. Ing. Agrónomos UPM, Avda. Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain
    Consuelo Varela
  4. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Geological Survey of Spain), C/ Ríos Rosas 23, 28003, Madrid, Spain
    Africa de la Hera & Juan Antonio López Geta

Authors

  1. José Luis Molina
  2. José Luis García Aróstegui
  3. José Benavente
  4. Consuelo Varela
  5. Africa de la Hera
  6. Juan Antonio López Geta

Corresponding author

Correspondence toJosé Luis Molina.

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Molina, J.L., García Aróstegui, J.L., Benavente, J. et al. Aquifers Overexploitation in SE Spain: A Proposal for the Integrated Analysis of Water Management.Water Resour Manage 23, 2737–2760 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-009-9406-5

Download citation

Keywords