Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India
The intentional recharge and use of aquifers for drinking, domestic use and irrigation is one of the most elaborate community initiatives in groundwater governance. Communities deal with difficult waters like flash floods and runoff for short periods, and for more prolonged periods with dry spells...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Water Alternatives Association
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Water Alternatives |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol16/v16issue1/686-a16-1-3/file |
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| author | M. Amine Saidani Uma Aslekar Marcel Kuper Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum |
| author_facet | M. Amine Saidani Uma Aslekar Marcel Kuper Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum |
| author_sort | M. Amine Saidani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The intentional recharge and use of aquifers for drinking, domestic use and irrigation is one of the most
elaborate community initiatives in groundwater governance. Communities deal with difficult waters like flash floods
and runoff for short periods, and for more prolonged periods with dry spells that prompt frugality in water use.
These collective systems have been challenged in recent decades by the massive development of individual
boreholes; these have emerged in connection with intensive groundwater-based agriculture and have led to
unsustainable groundwater exploitation. This article analyses how communities have been confronted with, and
have resisted, such challenges in recent times. It focuses on two long-standing and functional community aquifer
recharge and use systems, one in Algeria (M’Zab Valley) and the other in India (Randullabad, in the state of
Maharashtra). We show that sharing such difficult waters requires, first, practice-based and shared knowledge of
the complex interactions between the surface and groundwater that is collectively owned by the community;
second, robust collective action to maintain and operate the common infrastructure that is undergoing continuous
adaptation to the particular socionatural conditions of a specific area; and, third, adaptive institutions to carefully
balance available water resources and their frugal use. Our analysis shows that community governance of
groundwater is embedded in social norms and meanings and that these are expressed in the frugal use of scarce
resources and/or the continuous challenging of irresponsible water use when it threatens domestic water supply.
These community initiatives can represent sources of inspiration for ecologically sustainable and socially equitable
forms of groundwater governance, even in very challenging situations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:20:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a13b78542004490b92715ec09c329a99 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1965-0175 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:20:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Water Alternatives Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Alternatives |
| spelling | doaj.art-a13b78542004490b92715ec09c329a992023-03-08T09:04:46ZengWater Alternatives AssociationWater Alternatives1965-01752023-02-01161108133Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and IndiaM. Amine Saidani0Uma Aslekar1Marcel Kuper2Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum3Center for Research in Applied Economics for Development (CREAD)Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM)University of MontpellierIHE-DelftThe intentional recharge and use of aquifers for drinking, domestic use and irrigation is one of the most elaborate community initiatives in groundwater governance. Communities deal with difficult waters like flash floods and runoff for short periods, and for more prolonged periods with dry spells that prompt frugality in water use. These collective systems have been challenged in recent decades by the massive development of individual boreholes; these have emerged in connection with intensive groundwater-based agriculture and have led to unsustainable groundwater exploitation. This article analyses how communities have been confronted with, and have resisted, such challenges in recent times. It focuses on two long-standing and functional community aquifer recharge and use systems, one in Algeria (M’Zab Valley) and the other in India (Randullabad, in the state of Maharashtra). We show that sharing such difficult waters requires, first, practice-based and shared knowledge of the complex interactions between the surface and groundwater that is collectively owned by the community; second, robust collective action to maintain and operate the common infrastructure that is undergoing continuous adaptation to the particular socionatural conditions of a specific area; and, third, adaptive institutions to carefully balance available water resources and their frugal use. Our analysis shows that community governance of groundwater is embedded in social norms and meanings and that these are expressed in the frugal use of scarce resources and/or the continuous challenging of irresponsible water use when it threatens domestic water supply. These community initiatives can represent sources of inspiration for ecologically sustainable and socially equitable forms of groundwater governance, even in very challenging situations.https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol16/v16issue1/686-a16-1-3/filewater sharingirrigationknowledgeinstitutionsinfrastructurealgeriaindia |
| spellingShingle | M. Amine Saidani Uma Aslekar Marcel Kuper Jeltsje Kemerink-Seyoum Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India Water Alternatives water sharing irrigation knowledge institutions infrastructure algeria india |
| title | Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India |
| title_full | Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India |
| title_fullStr | Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India |
| title_short | Sharing difficult waters: Community-based groundwater recharge and use in Algeria and India |
| title_sort | sharing difficult waters community based groundwater recharge and use in algeria and india |
| topic | water sharing irrigation knowledge institutions infrastructure algeria india |
| url | https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol16/v16issue1/686-a16-1-3/file |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maminesaidani sharingdifficultwaterscommunitybasedgroundwaterrechargeanduseinalgeriaandindia AT umaaslekar sharingdifficultwaterscommunitybasedgroundwaterrechargeanduseinalgeriaandindia AT marcelkuper sharingdifficultwaterscommunitybasedgroundwaterrechargeanduseinalgeriaandindia AT jeltsjekemerinkseyoum sharingdifficultwaterscommunitybasedgroundwaterrechargeanduseinalgeriaandindia |