Groundwater Governance in Lebanon, the case of Central Bekaa - A Policy White Paper (original) (raw)
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Groundwater Governance: A synthesis
This synthesis report is part of a project on "Groundwater Governance in the Arab World," funded by USAID, which includes a review of global groundwater management and policy options. It pays particular attention to the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with case studies in Tunisia (Haouaria region), Jordan (Azraq groundwater basin), and Lebanon (central Bekaa). Each country’s case study was the object of two scientific reports: a study of the groundwater policy background and history and a report on field investigations in each basin. The latter were carried out to document the current dynamics and problems of groundwaterbased agriculture. Further to these studies, dialogues were conducted with and between local stakeholders and policy-makers in each location. The control and regulation of groundwater abstraction is perhaps the most vexing issue of water management worldwide, with very few encouraging 'success stories'. This broad synthesis exercise aims to present the variety of problems and challenges that exists around the world in relation to groundwater governance in order to inform management and policy pathways. With reference to history, politics, and regulation, we analyze the management tools available, reflecting on the laws, community action, and institutional structures that can be mobilized to curb groundwater over-abstraction. The report is based on a selection of the existing and accessible literature, as well as direct email exchanges with several experts worldwide. However, we have not attempted to be exhaustive. The examples reported and analyzed here are organized in a comprehensive manner, with the objective of shedding light on the challenges posed by groundwater over-abstraction and identifying potentially effective action and enabling factors. We also aim to flag the limitations, or even irrelevance, of certain policies that have become standardized or seen as desirable. The gravity and complexity of the situation requires a systematic and wide-ranging approach that builds on the existing knowledge and practices in and beyond the region. Innovations in groundwater regulation and legislation must be identified so as to reverse or dampen the current trend in groundwater depletion and avert greater environmental and economic disaster.
Governing groundwater in the MENA region_Advances in Groundwater Governance.pdf
Groundwater is a key resource in the Middle East and Northern Africa region for both water supply and agriculture. While farmers in irrigated areas have tapped aquifers as a response to dwindling and uncertain surface water supply, investors have drilled wells and expanded agriculture into arid or desert areas. Most countries in the region have adopted standard water regulations, with emphasis on zoning (of stressed areas), licensing, metering and sometimes pricing, but enforcement has been problematic, and results on the ground modest to non-existent. This reflects a lack of material and financial means to handle tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dispersed wells but also a lack of political will. This can be explained by the state’s lack of appetite for curtailing access to a resource that substantially contributes to the rural economy, a drop in state authority after the Arab Spring, inter-sectoral policy contradictions, the interest of politically well-connected investors, and sometimes the complexity of tribal politics. While state-centred governance has been largely ineffective, attempts at co-management or instilling a degree of participation from users have also been limited and unconvincing, reflecting wider governance systems in the region. The worrying depletion of many vital aquifers in the region is increasing the cost of abstraction, heightening social differentiation, as smaller farmers are pumped out and foreshadows a gradual collapse of the groundwater economy.
Innovations in Groundwater Governance in the Mena Region
There is a large number of water related meetings taking place in the MENA Region each year. This is not surprising in a region where this essential resource for ensuring livelihoods is scarce. The shortage of water is a technicality for the rich countries in the region. Most of the countries on the Arabian Peninsula invest in desalination and create “new water”. It is a response to a limitation in local conditions, which also provide these countries with great wealth through its oil reserves. This does not apply to all countries in the region. The poorer countries, without large oil deposits, rely on their agriculture as the main source of income to the state, with contributions from foreign development aid and retributions from their nationals working elsewhere. For these countries there is little margin for error and no (financial) space for experimenting. Innovative solutions in groundwater management need to be sustainable and preferably self-sustaining even in the short run, since capital for investment is often lacking and money for running facilities is uncertain. Aquifers – most of which straddle international boundaries – are of major strategic importance. Underground aquifers are often the only natural source of water in arid and semi-arid areas and therefore in most of the MENA region – 95% of freshwater withdrawal in Saudi Arabia (2006), 73% in Tunisia (2001) and 65% in Jordan (2005)1. Irrigation systems also depend largely on groundwater resources in many countries – 90% in Libya. Increased use of water due to population and economic growth and a reduction in recharge due to climate change will lead to an increasing pressure on the available water – innovation is needed.
Managing the invisible : understanding and improving groundwater governance
2012
Groundwater is playing an increasingly important role in domestic, industrial and agricultural water supply. With the advent of the tube well and driven by the rapid growth of demand for agricultural and municipal water, annual global groundwater extraction has increased in recent decades from 100 km3 a year in 1950 to a current estimated use of about 800 km3 a year (Wada et al., 2010; Margat, 2008). Today, 43 percent of global irrigation (Siebert et al., 2010) as well as more than 50 percent of the world's drinking water supply (Zekster and Everett, 2004) and a large share of global industrial activity depend on groundwater. In addition to its capacity to answer growing water demand, groundwater also provides unique opportunities to cope with increased climate variability due to climate change. Climate change will have an impact on all components of the hydrological cycle and result in changes in the seasonal and geographical distribution of water on the planet. Climate change ...
Water, 2016
The crucial role of groundwater and the centrality of water governance in accommodating growing water demands sustainably are becoming well recognized. We review 10 case studies of groundwater governance-representing diverse global regions and local contexts-from the perspective of four well-established elements: (1) institutional setting; (2) availability and access to information and science; (3) robustness of civil society; and (4) economic and regulatory frameworks. For institutional setting, we find that governing is often a thankless task that paradoxically requires popularity; legislation does not always translate to implementation; conflict resolution is central to governance; and funding is critical for governance. In terms of information access, we see: a need for research for natural systems, social systems, and institutions; trust as an essential element in research; and that urbanized landscapes are critical components of groundwater governance. Looking at civil society robustness, we observe that equity is an essential element for governance; community-based governance requires intention; and leaders can play a powerful role in uniting stakeholders. As for frameworks, the cases suggest that economic incentives sometimes yield unintended results; "indirect" management should be used cautiously; and economic incentives' effectiveness depends on the system employed. Collectively, the lessons speak to the need for shared governance capacities on the part of governments at multiple levels and civil society actors.