MODULE

11

GROUNDWATER AND CLIMATE CHANGE

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

2 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA
 MODULE

CONTENT 11

Groundwater and Climate Change

MODULE 11
Groundwater and Climate Change
11.1 Introduction 4
11.2 Groundwater as part of the hydrologic cycle 5
11.3 Climate variability and climate change 6
11.4 Climate change scenarios 7
11.5 Impacts of climate change on groundwater 8
11.6 Climate change and population growth 11
11.7 Implications for groundwater dependent sectors 11
11.8 Adaptation to climate change 12
11.9 Summary 16
11.10 References and Web Reading 17

Imprint
© Copyright 2015, all rights reserved
The use of the manual is FREE of cost. AGW-Net simply requests that users give proper
attribution “Integration of Groundwater Management into Transboundary Basin Organizations in
Africa - a Training Manual by AGW-Net, BGR, IWMI, CapNet, ANBO, & IGRAC” . Modification is
only allowed with permission of AGW-Net.
Photos are copyright to their respective owners.

■■ A4A – Aqua for All

■■ AGW-Net – Africa Groundwater Network
■■ ANBO – African Network of Basin Organisations
■■ BGR – Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe
■■ BMZ – Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
■■ GWP – Global Water Partnership
■■ IGRAC – International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre
■■ imawesa – Improved Management of Agricultural Water in Eastern and
Southern Africa
■■ IWMI – International Water Management Institute
■■ UNDP-CapNet – United Nations Development Programme Capacity Development
Network in Sustainable Water Management

Editorial Staff: Vanessa Vaessen, Ramon Brentführer – BGR

Layout: [Link] GmbH, Hannover, Germany
Picture: IWMI

Implemented by:

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 3

MODULE

11
GROUNDWATER AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Groundwater and Climate Change
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
■■ To become familiar with the basic concepts of the impacts of climate change
on groundwater
■■ To explore the link between climate change impacts and groundwater resources
■■ To understand the potential for climate adaptation through groundwater
management

11.1 Introduction
Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in Africa and has a rapidly expand-
ing role in irrigation to combat growing food insecurity. This module deals with both the
impact of climate change on groundwater resources and the role that groundwater can
play in adapting to the impacts of climate change. Although the focus is on Africa, it is
important to recall the global extent of climate change, and to consider the impacts on
the scale of the global hydrologic cycle.

Of Africa’s population of 1 billion, roughly 60% live in rural areas. Around 80% of them
rely on groundwater-based community or household supplies for domestic and other
water needs (JMP, 2008). Currently there are more than 300 million people in Africa
without access to safe drinking water, many of whom are amongst the poorest and
most vulnerable in the world (MacDonald et al. 2012). Climate variability and change
influences groundwater systems both directly through replenishment by recharge and
indirectly through changes in groundwater use. These impacts can be modified by
human activity such as land-use change (Taylor et al., 2013).

Climate change will manifests itself by modifying rainfall and evaporation patterns in
the river basins thus altering the hydrological balance. Changes in mean annual rain-
fall, as well as in its temporal and spatial distribution, would be expected to influence
the water balance as a whole, including groundwater recharge.

River basins incorporate the interaction of environmental changes and human activ-
ities at different spatial and temporal scales. Regional temperature trends presented
in IPCC (2001) show trends for grid boxes located in Sudan and Ethiopia in the order
of +0.2-0.3 ºC/decade from 1946 to 1975. Hulme et al. (2001) found an African mean
trend of about 0.5 ºC/century. According to Conway (2005), there is high confidence
that temperatures will rise in the Nile basin, leading to greater losses to evaporation.
Higher evaporation rates will increase aridity and hence desertification due to the loss
of soil moisture.

Even though much attention is given to the negative effects, it should not be forgotten
that some areas will benefit from lower temperatures and increase in the mean rainfall
amount that facilitates an increase in groundwater recharge and hence storage.

4 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

11.2 Groundwater as part of the hydrologic cycle 11

The hydrologic cycle represents the continuous movement of water within the atmos-
phere, the earth’s surface (glaciers, snowpack, streams, wetlands and oceans) and soils Groundwater and Climate Change

and rocks. The term groundwater refers to water in soils and geologic formations that
are fully saturated. Groundwater is part of the hydrologic cycle, which is recharged from
precipitation. The hydrologic cycle primarily is governed by the balance between input
(Precipitation/rain) and output (Evapotranspiration, runoff and discharge) (Fig. 11.1).

The components of the groundwater balance are displayed in the figure and consist
of recharge (direct recharge and inter-aquifer flows) and discharge (groundwater flow
to streams, springs, lakes, wetlands, oceans; groundwater abstraction; evapotranspi-
ration). The difference between recharge and discharge determines the change in the
volume of groundwater.

Figure 11.1: Hydrological components

[Precipitation (Rain)- ET- Runoff - Recharge= change in storage]

Any variation in climate has the potential to affect input into the groundwater (re-
charge) and output into surface water bodies as baseflow and springs (discharge),
either directly or indirectly as vapour return into atmosphere.

An example of a direct impact would be reduced recharge due to a decrease in precip-

itation. An indirect impact would be salt-water intrusion into coastal aquifers due to sea
level rise, which represents a major threat to coastal groundwater quality.

However probable impacts of land use change and groundwater abstraction on

groundwater quantity and quality are expected to be the most significant indirect
impacts of climate change on groundwater. These changes may include increased
irrigation from groundwater to offset declines in rain-fed crop production.

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 5

MODULE

11
11.3 Climate variability and climate change
Climate variability refers to a deviation of climate from the long-term meteorological
Groundwater and Climate Change average over a certain period of time, e.g. a specific month, season or year. These
variations are a natural component of the climate caused by changes in the system/s
that influence the climate such as the general circulation system.

On the other hand, climate change is “an altered state of the climate that can be
identified by change in the mean and/or variability of its properties and that persists
for an extended period, typically decades or longer”. It may be due to “natural internal
processes or external forcing, or to persistent anthropogenic changes in the composi-
tion of the atmosphere or in land use” (IPCC, 2007).

Figure 11.2: Relative changes in precipitation (%) for the period 2000-2099, relative to 1980-
1999. Values are multi-modal averages based on the SRES A1B scenario for Dec-Feb (left)
and June-Aug (right). White areas are where less than 66% of the models agree in the sign of
the change and stippled areas are where more than 90% of the models agree in the sign of the
change (IPCC, 2007).

Over the past 150 years global mean temperatures have increased with the rate of
warming accelerating in the past 25 to 50 years. This process will continue in the
future (IPCC, 2007) and it has an impact on mean annual precipitation (Fig. 11.2).
Climate also varies in response to natural phenomena, on seasonal, inter-annual, and
inter-decadal scales such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation. The presence of and
degree of influence from these natural phenomena will vary between countries and
even watersheds.

Variations in climate will induce hydrologic change. Table 11.1 summarizes the var-
iations in climate and hydrology that are projected to occur due to global warming.
The potential impacts of these changes for groundwater resources are discussed in
subsequent sections.

6 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

Table 11.1 Projected impact of global warming for primary climate and 11
hydrologic indicators
Groundwater and Climate Change

Variable Projected future change*

Temperature Temperatures are projected to increase in the 21st century, with geographical
patterns similar to those observed over the last few decades. Warming is
expected to be greatest over land and at the highest northern latitudes, and
least over the Southern Oceans and parts of the North Atlantic ocean.
It is very likely that hot extremes and heat waves will continue to become more
frequent.
Precipitation On a global scale precipitation is projected to increase, but this is expected
to vary geographically - some areas are likely to experience an increase and
others a decline in annual average precipitation.
Increases in the amount of precipitation are likely at high latitudes. At low
latitudes, both regional increases and decreases in precipitation over land areas
are likely. Many (not all) areas of currently high precipitation are expected to
experience precipitation increases, whereas many areas of low precipitation and
high evaporation are projected to have precipitation decreases.
Drought-affected areas will probably increase and extreme precipitation events
are likely to increase in frequency and intensity.
Sea level rise Global mean sea level is expected to rise due to warming of the oceans and
melting of glaciers.
The more optimistic projections of global average sea level rise at the end of
the 21st century are between 0.18-0.38 m, but an extreme scenario gives a rise
up to 0.59 m.
In coastal regions, sea levels are likely to also be affected by larger extreme
wave events and storm surges.
Evapo- Evaporative demand, or potential evaporation, is influenced by atmospheric
transpiration humidity, net radiation, wind speed and temperature. It is projected generally
to increase, as a result of higher temperatures. Transpiration may increase or
decrease.
Runoff Runoff is likely to increase at higher latitudes and in some wet tropics, including
populous areas in East and South-East Asia, and decrease over much of the
mid-latitudes and dry tropics, which are presently water stressed.
Water volumes stored in glaciers and snow cover are likely to decline, resulting
in decreases in summer and autumn flows in affected areas. Changes in
seasonality of runoff may also be observed due to rapid melting of glaciers and
less precipitation falling as snow in alpine areas.
Soil moisture Annual mean soil moisture content is projected to decrease in many parts of the
sub-tropics and generally across the Mediterranean region, and at high latitudes
where snow cover diminishes. Soil moisture is likely to increase in East Africa,
central Asia, the cone of South America, and other regions with substantial
increases in precipitation.

*Relative to 1990 baseline. Source: IPCC (2007), SKM (2009)

11.4 Climate change scenarios

There is considerable uncertainty surrounding the future of Africa’s climate as reported
in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) (Christensen et al., 2007).
First, average temperatures are likely to increase. Hulme et al. (2000) show that for Af-
rica as a whole, warming in the 20th Century occurred at a rate of about 0.5 ºC across
the century, and that the rate of warming increased in its last three decades. In future,
based on predictions under the medium-high greenhouse gas emissions scenario,
annual mean air temperature between 2080 and 2099 is expected to be 3-4ºC higher
than it was between 1980 and 1999.

Second, annual rainfall is likely to fall in the northern Sahara and in southern Africa,
and is likely to increase in the Ethiopian Highlands. Wider predictions are difficult to
make as changes in precipitation are much less certain than those for temperature,
particularly for the Sahel and the West African coast. Downscaling to the level of large

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 7

MODULE

11
river basins with current circulation models may produce more hydrological ‘noise’,
rather than clearer insight (Calow and MacDonald, 2009).
Groundwater and Climate Change

Finally, rainfall is likely to become increasingly unpredictable in terms of both intensity

and duration, with increases in the frequency of extreme events - droughts and floods.
Mean annual rainfall is already highly variable across Africa, ranging from almost zero
over parts of the Sahara to around 10,000 mm in the Gulf of Guinea. Inter-annual and
seasonal variability is likely to increase.

11.5 Impacts of climate change on groundwater

Introduction
Groundwater will be less directly and more slowly impacted by climate change than
surface waters. This is because rivers get replenished on a shorter time scale, and
drought and floods are quickly reflected in river water levels. Groundwater, on the
other hand, will be affected more slowly.

The key areas where climate change affects groundwater is through recharge, dis-
charge and storage. Irrigation dominates current groundwater use by volume, and
the effects of future climate variability and change on groundwater may be greatest
through indirect effects on irrigation-water demand (Taylor et al., 2013).

However domestic groundwater use is the most widespread use of the resource, cov-
ering over 2 billion people. Although groundwater is generally regarded as a ‘drought
resistant’ resource, many of the shallow aquifers that supply rural populations are vul-
nerable to annual and longer droughts. It is the deep and confined aquifers that tend
to exhibit declining trends only after prolonged droughts (BGR, 2008).

nd
wa
sno
c l i n ing xtend
De ice e

Irriga
ted la
nd in
creas
es ev
apotr
ansp
iratio
n

es
but
ntri
t i o n coe
le is
dep el-r
w a ter ea-lev
nd to s
Increased seasonally Grou
in groundwater-surface-
water interactions
Return flows from
surface-water-fed
irrigation recharges
groundwater Groundwater-fed
irrigation depletes
groundwater storage
in dry areas Groundwater abstraction
from coastal aquifers drives
saline intrusion

Figure 11.3: Conceptual representation of key interactions between groundwater and climate
(source: Taylor et al., 2013)

8 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

Recharging of groundwater from precipitation, increase in irrigation to meet food secu- 11

rity and groundwater pumping are interlinked through the impact from climate change
(Fig. 11.3). Groundwater and Climate Change

Groundwater recharge
Groundwater is the major source of water across Africa both in rural and urban areas.
In major metropolitan areas in Africa, surface water plays a leading role. Groundwater
recharge can occur locally from surface water bodies or in diffuse form from precipita-
tion via the unsaturated soil zone. Recharge is not only influenced by the magnitude of
precipitation, but also by its intensity, seasonality, frequency and changes in land use.

Natural replenishment of groundwater occurs from both diffuse rain-fed recharge and
focused recharge via leakage from surface waters (that is: streams, wetlands or lakes)
and is highly dependent on prevailing climate as well as on land cover and underlying
geology. Climate and land cover largely determine precipitation and evapotranspira-
tion, whereas the underlying soil and geology dictate whether a water surplus (pre-
cipitation minus evapotranspiration) can be transmitted and stored in the subsurface
(Taylor et al., 2013).

This water may reach the aquifer rapidly, through fractures, or more slowly by infiltrat-
ing through micro-pores in the soils overlying the aquifer. A change in the amount of
effective rainfall will change the recharge into the groundwater.

Global warming due to temperature increase is important in directly controlling evapo-

transpiration and thus the portion of precipitation that may drain through the soil profile
into aquifers. Other factors affecting groundwater recharge include land cover, soil,
geology, slope and aquifer type.

Increased variability in rainfall may decrease groundwater recharge in humid areas

because more frequent heavy rains result in the infiltration capacity of the soil being
exceeded, thereby increasing surface runoff and hence flooding. In semi-arid and arid
areas, however, increased rainfall variability may increase groundwater recharge, be-
cause only high-intensity rainfalls are able to infiltrate fast enough before evaporating,
and alluvial aquifers are recharged mainly by inundations during floods (BGR, 2008).

Recharge is very important in regulating the volume of groundwater. Reduction in

recharge will reduce the volume of renewable groundwater.

Output
Extreme climatic variation has a control over the hydrologic balance through reduction
or increase in input and output components. Output components include evapotran-
spiration, runoff, groundwater discharge into streams and springs, and groundwater
pumped from boreholes.

The impact of climate change on groundwater discharge is related to lowering of the

groundwater table, which is linked to baseflow to rivers and springs. The impact can
be most readily observed through changes to groundwater dependent ecosystems.
Another cause for decrease in discharge is the over-pumping of renewable ground-

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 9

MODULE

11
water in order to cope with the water stress as a result of climate change. Increased
pumping lowers the water table, and thus reduces discharge to baseflow.
Groundwater and Climate Change

The impact of climate change on output parameters may not be the same. Due to the
increase in temperature, evapotranspiration will increase, but there is no guarantee of
an increase in precipitation. If precipitation decreases, runoff will decrease, and in ad-
dition groundwater recharge will decrease, thus leading to a decrease in groundwater
baseflow into streams and springs.

For evapotranspiration, direct climate change impacts include:

■■ Changes in groundwater use by vegetation due to increased temperature and CO2
concentrations, and
■■ Changes in the availability of water to be evaporated or transpired, primarily due to
changes in the precipitation regime. Increased duration and frequency of droughts
is likely to result in greater soil moisture deficits. Where soil water becomes de-
pleted, vegetation may increasingly depend on groundwater for survival (if ground-
water occurs in proximity to the root zone). During dry periods this may lead to
increased evapotranspiration from groundwater. Indirect impacts associated with
land use change may also affect groundwater evapotranspiration.

Groundwater flow to surface water bodies will be driven by the relative head levels be-
tween groundwater and surface water. If groundwater falls below surface water levels,
groundwater discharge as baseflow or spring discharge may no longer occur. Similar-
ly, if surface water has been flowing to the groundwater system, for example from a
losing stream, this recharge may cease if surface water levels decline below the local
groundwater levels. In semi-arid and arid regions, the dependence on groundwater
to maintain baseflow in permanent streams is likely to be greater during periods of
extended drought.

Groundwater over-pumping is an indirect climate change impact and also forms a

mechanism for groundwater discharge. Projected increases in precipitation variabil-
ity are likely to result in more intense droughts and floods, affecting the reliability of
surface water supplies. Human demand for groundwater is therefore likely to increase
to offset this declining surface water availability and, where available, groundwater will
become a critical facet for communities to adapt to climate change.

Groundwater storage
Groundwater storage is the balance between input and output over a given period of
time. Aquifers provide water that was recharged over centuries and millennia. Stor-
age is controlled by the intrinsic aquifer properties such as storativity, transmissivity
and aquifer geometry. Regionally extensive aquifers receive recharge from extensive
catchment areas and hence do not react to short term climatic variability while shallow
unconfined aquifers are more responsive to smaller scale climate variability. The im-
pact of climate change on storage depends on whether or not groundwater is renewa-
ble or non-renewable (fossil) resource. Even though there is no direct climate change
impact on fossil groundwater, the impact would encourage over-abstraction of fossil
water during the stress period. Shortage of recharge due to climate change results in
reducing the renewable storage.

10 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

Water quality 11
In many areas, aquifers provide an important source of freshwater supply. Maintaining
water quality in these aquifers is essential for the communities. In shallow aquifers, Groundwater and Climate Change

groundwater temperatures may increase due to increasing air temperatures. In arid

and semi-arid areas increased evapotranspiration may lead to soil salinization, which
will affect the quality of soil moisture and associated groundwater system. In coastal
aquifers, sea level rise and storm surges are likely to lead to sea-water intrusion and
salinization of groundwater resources especially in areas with over-abstraction of
groundwater resources.

In areas where rainfall intensity is expected to increase, pollutants (pesticides, organic

matter, heavy metals, and pit latrines) will be increasingly washed into water bodies,
including the groundwater. In addition, recharge from polluted surface water bodies
will further compromise groundwater quality.

11.6 Climate change and population growth

Population growth has intimate relation with climate change. Increased population
leads to increased water demand both for domestic use, and for production for food
and industry. The associated land use changes and socio-economic factors are likely
to influence the capacity to appropriately manage the groundwater resource.

Especially in Africa, groundwater has been poorly managed. Low investment in

groundwater investigations and management has placed groundwater under stress
either through pollution or over abstraction. Increased groundwater use associated
with population growth has also been a factor, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas
where water is scarce.

African population will grow by about 154% between 2000 and 2050 under the UN
medium variant and by 119% to 193% under low and high variants according to UN-
FPA (2000, 2008 cited in Carter and Parker, 2008). It is well-established that demand
for water grows over time as a consequence of both increasing population and chang-
ing water use patterns (Carter and Parker, 2008).

Land use change also affects groundwater resources. The degree and magnitude of
impact will depend on local conditions. In a small Sahelian catchment in Niger, Seguis
et al. (2004) found that the transition from a wet period under a ‘natural’ land cover
(1950) to a dry period under cultivated land cover (1992) resulted in a 30 to 70%
increase in runoff. Recharge in this catchment occurred preferentially through ponds,
and thus the increased runoff caused a significant and continuous groundwater table
rise over the same period.

11.7 Implications for groundwater dependent sectors

As a result of climate change and scarcity of surface water, dependence on groundwa-
ter especially in Africa is expected to be high. Climate change and population increase
may compromise the availability and quality of groundwater resources with significant
implications for human and environmental health, livelihoods, food security and social
and economic stability.

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 11

MODULE

11
Shallow wells often provide an important source of drinking water for dispersed rural
populations in Africa. The predicted increase in demand and increased severity of
Groundwater and Climate Change droughts may cause many of these shallow wells to dry up. The drying up of shallow
groundwater has a tremendous negative impact on the rural livelihood. With limited
alternatives for safe drinking water supplies and long distances between such water
points, the loss through drying out of these well would force people to use unsafe wa-
ter resources (Fig. 11.4). Small-scale irrigation, usually reliant on shallow groundwater,
would also be affected.

Where increases in heavy rainfall events are projected, floods can wash away san-
itation facilities, spreading wastewater and potentially contaminating groundwater
resources. Flooding is linked to increased risk of diarrhoeal disease. The risk is likely
to be greater in urban areas due to higher population density and concentration of
source pollutants. In coastal regions, sea-water intrusion may limit the capacity of
groundwater to serve already large and rapidly expanding populations.

Figure 11.4: Water stress challenges

11.8 Adaptation to climate change

What is adaptation?
In order to cope with climate change, an integrated approach is needed. Such an ap-
proach embraces both mitigation, which addresses the drivers of climate change, and
adaptation, which considers the measures necessary to accommodate such changes.

Adaptation is adjustments made to natural and human systems in response to expe-

rienced or projected changes in climatic conditions and their beneficial and adverse
impacts (Fig 11.5). In the context of groundwater they are concerned with reducing the
vulnerability of groundwater dependent systems to climate change and hydrological
variability. However adaptation to climate change is also likely to increase the use of
and dependence on groundwater in response to declines in surface water resources.

How can basin organizations adapt to climate change?

Adaptations are essentially management responses to risks associated with climate
variability and climate change. With regards to water resources, it is the basin organ-
izations that will have to implement strategies and policies to mitigate the risks asso-
ciated with water stress and to adopt water management suited to the changing water
resources conditions.

12 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

Every basin will be different due to differences in the water storage in the basin, 11
whether surface or groundwater, and due to the changes bought about by climate
change. In addition, demand for water in each basin differs due to a variety of so- Groundwater and Climate Change

cio-economic issues. Basin organizations can be proactive towards climate change by

carrying out risk assessments for their own basins and then building their adaptation
strategies accordingly. This can be an important exercise for basin organizations to
carry out before crises surface.

Importance of groundwater in a changing climate

Groundwater plays a critical role in adapting to hydrologic variability and climate
change (Clifton et al. 2010). Groundwater provides options for enhancing the reliability
of water supply for domestic, industrial, livestock watering and irrigation. Some adap-
tations that can be accessed using groundwater include:
■■ Integrating the management of surface water and groundwater resources –
including conjunctive use of both groundwater and surface water to meet water
demand. Integrated management aims to ensure that the use of one water re-
source does not adversely impact on the other. It involves making decisions based
on impacts for the whole hydrologic cycle, and on the spatial distribution of surface
and groundwater resources and the demand distribution for water.
■■ Managing aquifer recharge (MAR) – including building infrastructure and/or
modifying the landscape to intentionally enhance groundwater recharge. MAR is
among the most promising adaptation opportunities for developing countries. It
has several potential benefits, including storing water for future use, stabilizing or
recovering groundwater levels in over-exploited aquifers, reducing evaporative
losses, managing saline intrusion or land subsidence, and enabling reuse of waste
or storm water.
■■ Land use change – changing land use may provide an opportunity to enhance
recharge, to protect groundwater quality and to reduce groundwater losses from
evapotranspiration. Changes in land use should not result in adverse impacts to
other parts of the environment. Lower water demand crops and salt tolerant crops
are potentially useful land use changes to adapt to different water stresses.

Building adaptive capacity for groundwater management

Building adaptive capacity is a crucial cross-cutting theme and applies, at least partial-
ly, to multiple themes. Adaptive capacity building options are generally concerned with
providing the necessary conditions for other forms of adaptation to be implemented
successfully, rather than managing or avoiding climate or hydrological risks directly.
Some adaptation options from Clifton et al. (2010) are given in Table 11.2.

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 13

MODULE

11
Table 11.2. Adaptation options: building adaptive capacity

Groundwater and Climate Change Adaptation option Adaptations

Social capital ■■ Education and training – to improve community and
These options are concerned stakeholder understanding of climate risks and their capacity
with enabling communities to participate in management responses and/or generate,
to understand climate and modify or apply adaptations.
hydrological risks and actively ■■ Governance – devolve some level of responsibility for
participate in management planning and management of groundwater to local
responses. communities to increase local ‘ownership’ of problems and
responses.
■■ Sharing information – instigate processes for sharing of
information regarding climate risks and responses within and
between vulnerable communities.
Resource information ■■ Understanding climate – analysis of historical and paleo-
Gathering and providing climate information to understand the natural drivers of
information on climate risks and climate variability.
the groundwater system being ■■ Climate change projections – developing downscaled climate
managed. change projections for the area of interest.
■■ Quantify the groundwater system – understand the scale and
characteristics of the aquifer(s); recharge, transmission and
discharge processes; water balance (including use); water
quality, etc.
■■ Monitoring, evaluation and reporting – of the state of the
groundwater resource.
Research & development ■■ Climate impact assessments – studies to better define
Research and development the nature of projected climate change impacts on the
activities to improve the groundwater system and the associated climate and
effectiveness of adaptive hydrological risks.
responses to climate change ■■ Management of groundwater recharge – methods.
and hydrological variability.
■■ Management of groundwater storage – technologies, water
management and other practices to maximize groundwater
storage capacity and resource availability.
■■ Protection of water quality – technologies and management
systems to enable treatment and reuse of contaminated water
and avoid contamination of higher quality water by water of
lesser quality. Protection of island and coastal aquifers from
effects of sea level rise.
■■ Managing demand for groundwater – technologies and
management practices that: improve the efficiency of
urban and agricultural uses of water; reduce water quality
requirements of non-potable uses; or reduce the need for
water.
Governance & institutions ■■ Conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater
Improving governance and in rural areas. Integrated water cycle management (including
institutional arrangements various potable and non-potable sources in urban areas).
for groundwater resource ■■ Multi-jurisdictional planning and resource management
management. Improved arrangements for large scale aquifer systems that cross
planning regimes for jurisdictional boundaries.
groundwater and associated
human and natural systems. ■■ Defining water allocations based on resource share rather
than volume.
■■ Set and regulate standards for (eg.) groundwater resource
and land use planning, water governance, environmental
management.
■■ Drought response planning.
Markets ■■ Markets – establishment and operation of markets for trading
Establishment and operation of water within a groundwater system. Market to determine
of markets for water and the price for water.
associated environmental ■■ Property rights – establish clear title and property rights to
services. groundwater.

14 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

Managing groundwater recharge 11

Groundwater recharge areas may be managed to protect or enhance water resourc-
es and to maintain or improve water quality. One method would be through managed Groundwater and Climate Change

aquifer recharge. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) involves building infrastructure

and/or modifying the landscape to intentionally enhance groundwater recharge (Fig.
11.6). It forms one of the ‘managing aquifer recharge’ adaptation responses and is
increasingly being considered as an option for improving the security of water supplies
in areas where they are scarce (Gale, 2005). MAR is among the most significant ad-
aptation opportunities for countries seeking to reduce vulnerability to climate change
and hydrological variability. It has several potential benefits, including: storing water
for future use; stabilising or recovering groundwater levels in over-exploited aquifers;
reducing evaporative losses; managing saline intrusion or land subsidence; and ena-
bling reuse of waste or storm water. Implementation of MAR requires suitable ground-
water storage opportunities. Aquifer conditions must be appropriate and suitable water
sources (e.g. excess wet season surface water flows or treated waste water) are also
required. MAR potential should be determined in any particular country or region be-
fore activities commence.

ASR ASTR Bank filtration

Dune filtration Infiltration pond

Percolation tank Rainwater harvesting

le cycle cycle de
STP humide séchage

Soil aquifer treatment Underground dam

Sand dam Recharge releases

Figure 11.6: Examples of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) approaches.

ASR: aquifer storage and recovery; ASTR: aquifer storage, treatment and recovery, STP:
sewage treatment plant. Source: Peter Dillon cited in Clifton et al., 2010

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 15

MODULE

11
Protecting groundwater quality
Climate change and hydrological variability may affect the quality of groundwater avail-
Groundwater and Climate Change able for use in a groundwater dependent system. This is particularly true of ground-
water resources on small islands and coastal areas that are projected to be subject
to sea level rise. It is also true where reduced security of supply leads water resource
managers to include lower quality water in the supply stream (e.g. through MAR using
storm water or treated waste water) or where increased pressure on groundwater
resources leads to increased use and greater risk of contamination of a high quality
aquifer by any overlying or underlying poorer quality aquifers.

Managing groundwater storages

While aquifers are recognized as underground water storages, they are rarely oper-
ated with the same level of precision and control as major surface water storages.
Opportunities exist to manage groundwater storages more effectively, and reduce
the vulnerability of systems that depend on them to climate change and hydrological
variability.

Managing demand for groundwater

Climate change adaptations for water resources most frequently operate on demand
management. In many cases, the adaptations for groundwater dependent and surface
water dependent systems will be identical. In areas where climate change reduces
supply security for surface water resources, it is likely that there will be increased
focus on utilization of groundwater resources as an adaptation to climate change. This
will require greater attention to management of demand for groundwater and for con-
junctive management with surface water. It may also be possible to use groundwater
reservoirs as storage space for surplus surface water flows during periods of abundant
supply for use during periods of surface water scarcity.

Management of groundwater discharge

Aquifer systems discharge water to the land surface, rivers, lakes, wetlands or to near
or off-shore marine environments. Discharge, recharge and utilization are in a state of
dynamic equilibrium, such that changes in recharge or utilization ultimately result in a
change in discharge. In some settings, it is possible to increase resource availability
(for use by human systems) by reducing groundwater discharge.

11.9 Summary
Climate change results in further straining already stressed water resources, eco-sys-
tems, and derived systems, which are used to service society. Groundwater needs to
be protected, and its use and maintenance adapted to climate change. Groundwater
can enhance the resilience of domestic, agricultural and industrial uses of fresh water
in the face of climate variability and change. As the only perennial source of fresh wa-
ter in many regions, groundwater is of vital importance to the water security of many
communities, including, most critically, rural dwellers in low-income countries. Ground-
water-fed irrigation provides a buffer against climate extremes and is consequently
essential to global food security (Taylor et al., 2013).

16 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

 MODULE

11.10 References and further reading 11

BGR, 2008. Groundwater and Climate Change

Groundwater and Climate Change: Challenges and Possibilities.

Hanover, Germany

Calow, R.; MacDonald, A., 2009.

What will climate change mean for groundwater supply in Africa?
Odi, background Note.

Carter R.; Parker, A., 2008.

Climate change, population trends and groundwater in Africa.
Hydrological Sciences Journal, 676-689

Christensen, J. H.; Hewitson, B.; Busuioc, A.; Chen, A.; Gao, X.; Held, I.; Jones, R.;
Kolli, R. K.; Kwon, W. T.; Laprise, R., Magaña Rueda, V., Mearns, L.; Menéndez, C.
G., Räisänen, J.; Rinke, A.; Sarr, A.; Whetton, P., 2007.
Regional Climate Projections’ in Solomon, S.; Qin, D.; Manning, M.; Chen, Z.
Marquis, M.; ; Averyt, K. B. ; Tignor, M.; Miller, H. L. (eds),
Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I
to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Clifton C.; Evans, R.; Hayes, S.; Hirji, R.; Puz G.; Pizarro C., 2010.
Water and Climate Change:Impacts on groundwater resources and adaptation
options.
Water working notes. Note No. 25. Water partnership program, bnwpp.

Conway, D., 2005.

From headwater tributaries to international river: Observing and adapting to
climate variability and change in the Nile basin.
Global Environmental Change 15: 99–114

Döll, P.; Floerke, M., 2005.

Global-scale estimation of diffuse groundwater recharge: model tuning to local
data for semi-arid and arid regions and assessment of climate change impact.
Frankurt Hydrology Paper. August 2005.

Hulme, M.; Doherty, R.; Ngara, T.; New, M.; Lister, D., 2001.
African climate change: 1900–2100.
Climate Research 17, 145–168.

IPCC, 2001.
Climate change 2001: the scientific basis. Contribution of Working Group I to
The Third Assessment Report of the IPCC.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA 17

MODULE

11
JMP, 2008. Global water supply and sanitation 2008 report.
Joint Monitoring Programme WHO/UNICEF.
Groundwater and Climate Change Geneva: World Health Organization.

Gale, I. (ed)., 2005.

Strategies for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in semi-arid areas.
UNESCO publication. 34 pp. Available online: [Link]

MacDonald, A.; Bonsor, H.C.; Dochartaigh, B.E.O.; Taylor, R., 2012.

Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa.
Environ. Res. Lett. 7 (2012) 024009 (7pp)

SKM, 2009.
Adaptation options for climate change impacts on groundwater resources.

Taylor et al., 2013.

Groundwater and climate change.
Review article. Nature Climate change. 3: 322-329

[Link]

18 INTEGRATION OF GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT INTO TRANSBOUNDARY BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN AFRICA

Implemented by: