Water management issues related to aquifer intensive use

Born out of the increasing needs for food and water supply, there exist many regions in the world where regional groundwater resources have been and are intensively exploited. The consequences are sadly and widely known - rising cost of pumping, decreasing crop yield, water quality worsening, disappearance of ecologically-sound environments, falling groundwater-levels, land subsidence, so that innovative management approaches are eagerly sought. On the positive side, however, groundwater is so widely spread and has so many attractive characteristics that it has become the central element for development in both developed and developing countries. Tied to the concept of system sustainability in the context of integrated water resources management, this paper presents some ideas and examples of conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, management of groundwater demand in heavily stressed aquifers, and stakeholder participation in the decision-making process.