Blog post on HuffingtonPost.com by Jeremy Bird, Director General of IWMI, talks about the launch of a new initiative and why the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP) has identified common elements of success that can inform global action.
“In Morocco, the water table of the Saïss deep aquifer has fallen by an annual average of 3 metres over the past 20 years. The government has invested in a number of initiatives to address this, from capturing surface water and directing it to replenish aquifers, engaging farmers locally in managing groundwater collectively, and giving subsidies to farmers to implement smarter systems that use less water such as drip irrigation. However, these water-efficient technologies can also increase the overall area of irrigation carried out, which benefits individuals but does not necessarily lead to the expected water savings. Such complexities must be recognised and managed accordingly.
But the hard work doesn’t stop with good policies. We have a colossal challenge to ensure that they translate into action and sustainable and equitable outcomes. Solutions will differ in each region of the world (some regions like parts of sub-Saharan Africa and eastern India even need to step up use of groundwater for agriculture rather than limit it) and there are many trade-offs and competing goals at stake. That is why the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice(GRIPP) has identified common elements of success that can inform global action.”