Water and Irrigation Management

Water and Irrigation Management

Groundwater Resources Withdrawal and Depletion Estimation Methods (Part 2: An Overview of the World and Iran Condition)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mohammad Mahdi Rasouli
Elmira Valipour
Hamed Ketabchi
Departement of Water Engineering and Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jwim.2023.355855.1058
Abstract
Groundwater resources are critical water resources for present and future generations. However, it has not been used sustainably in most of  Iran's plains, and due to the increase in population and food demand caused by it in the last century, it has been withdrawn more than in the past. The issue has been raised as a serious threat to the maintenance of livelihoods, the stability of local communities, and economic investments in the region. To prevent the continuation of this process, it seems necessary to identify, review, and formulate solutions. A variety of methods can be employed for estimating the withdrawal (country reports and hydrological modelling) and depletion (water balance methods, volume-based methods and indirect geodetic estimates or geodetic) amounts according to their limitations and characteristics. Based on literature reviews in two parts of the world and in Iran, the methods of estimation of withdrawal and depletion were evaluated to obtain a general understanding of its situation. Studies show that 800 and 184 billion cubic meters are respectively withdrawn and depleted on a global scale. In addition, there are 71 and 6.9 billion cubic meters (which is 10% and 4% of the global amount) for Iran, and this reflects Iran's dependence on groundwater resources. The dependency leads to the emergence of problems such as salinity and groundwater level depletion, subsidence and related social and economic issues. Moreover, most of the use of groundwater is linked to agriculture, and despite the decrease in its portion of withdrawals, the relationship between depletion and withdrawals has not changed.
Keywords
Groundwater level depletion
Subsidence
Sustainable use
Water balance
Subjects
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Water and Irrigation Management
Volume 13, Issue 2
Summer 2023
Pages 407-427