55 | P a g e provide a good estimate of the travel time and therefore provides a recharge rate for that system.
Publicly available data sets were utilised in this preliminary assessment of PFAS as a novel approach to recharge estimation. Investigation sites with water quality data that included PFAS measurements and key hydrogeological data such as bore lithology, SWL, multiple screen-depths, and other aquifer properties were collected and analysed. The assessment utilised data from sites that had the most detailed hydrogeological information and examined minimum data requirements.
The results from this initial assessment indicate that providing that a site
investigation has a well-planned and detailed monitoring network, PFAS can be used to quantify recharge rates in a groundwater system. Given that there are many water quality/contamination studies across a range of aquifer systems requiring the measurement of PFAS, this data can be utilised not only for determining if a site exceeds health and environmental criteria, but can be used to provide valuable model input data and sustainable groundwater management for regulators in the future.
Community Engagement, Cultural Values and
56 | P a g e technologies and cropping methods are available for uptake, but these need to be accessible, affordable and acceptable to the community. This means community centred programs are necessary, for sense of ownership and liability as a delegate to be infused and self-centred approach is discouraged.
Lining of canals and ground water recharging: socio-economic implications for sustainable agricultural development in Pakistan
Saira Akhtar 1 , Zakir Hussain 1 , Mohammad Zeeshan 1 , Abdul Ghafoor 1 1. University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Pakistan has one of the biggest irrigation system but still among those countries which are predicted to be hit by water scarcity hence has implications for sustainable agricultural development. One of the reasons of this poor management is excessive ground water usage without appropriate recharging. This study was conducted under Punjab Irrigation System Improvement Project (PISIP) to have an assessment of the socio-economic implications of canals lining completed under this project. The study was carried out in 4 districts i.e. Faisalabad, Sargodha, Bahawalnagar, and DG Khan of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Triangulated study took 446 respondents for quantitative and around 45 respondents for qualitative data collection. Findings of the study showed mixed opinion of the respondents. Most of the respondents were not happy with the planning, design and construction of the project as to them project did not identify domestic needs in terms of washing places for animals, theft control and garbage cleaning from the water. An important implication of the design was the negative impact on ground water recharging as canals were lined on beds and sideways with the non-porous material. A positive outcome was the increasing awareness level and concern of users about importance of ground water recharging.
They also added that design did not identify the importance of bumps to control speed of water where users had to rely on indigenous methods by putting of sandbags which created further problems. A lot of trees were cut for construction work and were not replanted. No significant productivity in major crops was seen before and after the lining of canals, however a positive outcome was the more organized and unified role of Water Users Associations in the areas which strengthen the socio-economic integration among the users. It is suggested that sideways lining of canals either without bed lining or lining with porous material should be
considered in future with attention to domestic needs of the respective areas.
57 | P a g e
Engaging Surat Basin landholders in groundwater monitoring
Mabbie Elson 1 , Ross Carruthers 1
1. Department of Natural Resources Mines and Energy, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
Since coal seam gas (CSG) development began in the Surat Basin landholders have voiced concern that this development would adversely impact their groundwater resources. Despite the fact that the Queensland Government established a framework to monitor and manage likely impacts and legislation to protect the landholder’s interests, members of the community were not comforted.
Groundwater Net is a grassroots groundwater monitoring program involving community education and engagement designed to address some of these landholder concerns. Landholders are engaged in groups by geographical area, provided with information on local hydrogeology, the CSG industry and existing monitoring data. Landholders were supported and encouraged in monitoring their own bores and provided with a mechanism with which to submit monitoring data directly to the department’s groundwater database.
Groundwater Online was a complementary program involving the installation of continuous monitoring loggers and telemetry on 60 strategically sited bores (some on private landholder bores). The community can freely access this data ‘live and online’ through the Queensland Globe or the department’s Water Monitoring Information Portal.
Results from both Groundwater Net (landholder monitoring) and Groundwater Online (continuous loggers) is used to independently cross-reference and verify
groundwater monitoring results from the CSG companies.
Annual workshops provide a forum in which to share and discuss monitoring results and other relevant groundwater topics. Participants have expressed confidence in the monitoring data and acknowledged greater understanding of groundwater systems as a result of this program. In response to feedback, amendments have been made, additional information provided, resources developed, and adaptions made to the way data is publically displayed. As knowledge and understanding has increased, so too has the maturity and complexity of the questions that are being asked. An additional by-product of the entire program is the noticeable improvement in the relationships between government staff, landholders and CSG company groundwater staff.
Social and gender constructions associated to water resources in isolated Rural Pakistan
Farooq Tanwir 1
1. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Women and children play a pivotal role in the management of water in rural areas of Pakistan. On the one hand, they are relatively more vulnerable to water shortage amidst climate change. On the other hand, the food and nutrition security concerns are quite apparent in these exclusive genders. In addition to economic value, water is dubbed as social good which determines the social and family constructions of a community. Access to water is a reflection of social richness which ultimately causes economic strength of communities. The study was particularly aimed at exploring the
58 | P a g e socio-economic hurdles that may confront the rural communities in managing water resources. Moreover, this research effort was aimed at exploring the
multidimensional role of women and children in the social constructions associated to water management in some selected rural areas of Pakistan. It was noted that 4-6 hrs on average are required to fetch 4-5 pots (50-60 liters) in Parts of Sindh. By reviewing the existing body of literature and situation analysis of some villages in Southern Punjab and Northern Sindh, the storyline so developed clearly reflect the fact that the shortage of water is a psychological concern of women who are to manage it for drinking and domestic purposes. The study narrates that poverty in terms of access to water is most common a phenomenon in these selected rural areas where women had to travel a long distance for getting a few liters of water. It is also imperative to note in some parts of Punjab and Sindh provinces that without the serious efforts of women and children, the overall social and economic survival is very tough. It has also been reflected from some regions that a good number of children may be a good source of water to be brought from far off areas. The conference paper will be based on secondary data, some very suggestive and analytical in-depth case studies and an overview of the historical discourse of traditional water management and conservational techniques.
Out of the comfort zone – stakeholder engagement outside the Ivory Tower
Petah Rhynehart 1 , Elesha Curran 1 , Peter Baker 1
1. Department of Environment and Energy, Office of Water Science, Canberra, ACT, Australia The Office of Water Science (OWS), within the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, provides technical and secretariat support to the
Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC). The IESC provides independent scientific advice to
Commonwealth and state regulators and ministers on the impact of coal resource development on water resources.
A key component of OWS’ support is assisting the IESC in engaging with external stakeholders – proponents; regulators; consultants; peak industry groups and environmental non-government organisations. Over the last two and a half years OWS has worked closely with the IESC to increase the level of engagement with these groups. This has resulted in a change in the perception of the IESC from being considered a ‘secret society’ to being recognised as an open and transparent entity who is willing to listen to the views of others in order to improve the quality of its advice.
This presentation details the success and failures of this engagement over the past three years. It explores the differences in response from various stakeholders, how that some activities had to be modified both ‘on the fly’ and at subsequent
engagements and will qualify the change in response across this time period.
The presented results provide an interesting and informative case study of engagement with the coal resource industry specifically, but also with others involved in its development.
59 | P a g e
Integrating stakeholder engagement into bioregion scale assessments
Anthony Swirepik 1 , Mitchell Baskys 1 , Mitchell Bouma 1 , Emily Turner 1 1. The Department of Environment and Energy, Parkes, ACT, Australia
As part of the “Towards a New Energy Future” package, the Australian Government committed $30.4 million to undertake the Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) program. The GBA program will provide independent scientific advice on the potential impacts of shale and tight gas development on water and the environment in three onshore Australian basins.
The GBA program recognised the need to deliver assessment products that meet the information needs of key stakeholders. To address this, user panels have been established in the target regions as part of the assessment. Comprised of key stakeholders for the regions, panels include state, territory & local governments, commonwealth agencies, traditional owners, land holders, natural resource
managers, and petroleum companies. The panels provide an opportunity for users to advise program staff of their information needs, and a forum for the program to engage with and advise members on assessment progress and findings. Members are asked to provide community or organisation views on the unconventional gas industry, potential impacts on the environment & water, and to feedback program progress and findings to their communities. The panels provide a two-way street that allows the program to understand our user’s information needs, while building
confidence and trust in the underpinning science.
Where appropriate user panel meetings are held in assessment regions and provide opportunities to take panellists into the field to see the environment and industry. By visiting and discussing key environmental, cultural and industry sites, field
experiences aim to improve stakeholder understanding of industry practices and the regional environment.
Groundwater recharge and water security for Bengaluru city with traditional well diggers and their knowledge systems
Vishwanath Srikantaiah 1
1. Biome Enivronmental Trust, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Objectives: To document the traditional well diggers of Bengaluru city and to involve them in building recharge wells for groundwater security for the city.
Design and methodology: Bengaluru city in South India is a fast growing metropolis with an estimated population of 12 million. It is spread over 1250 sq.km. area. The city is completely dependent on the river Kaveri, 95 km. away and 300 metres below the city for all its water requirements. At present 1400 million litres per day is
pumped into the city.
It is estimated that around 400,000 borewells pump 400 to 700 million litres per day. These borewells are broadly undocumented, unmetered and unmanaged. The NITI Ayog, a Central government of India think tank, estimates that Bengaluru will run out of groundwater by 2020.
60 | P a g e The Mannu Vaddars are an indigenous community of traditional well diggers who have been digging wells all around the country since centuries. Well digging saw a decline with the advent of the borewell technology especially since the 1980s. About 750 families of well diggers have been identified in 15 villages who still continue the tradition of cleaning old wells and deepening them. About 10,000 wells were
documented with the assistance of the well diggers.
Original data and results: Around 10,000 shallow, open wells have been documented around in the city. A constant process of documentation using WhatsApp and simple maps is being developed. Recharge wells being dug by the well diggers are updated.
Skills training to the well diggers on rainwater harvesting is given.
A goal of a million recharge wells in the city has been set by the well digger
community. Typically, 3 feet in diameter and 20 to 30 feet deep, and leading filtered rainwater from rooftops and stormwater, it is hoped to increase the total recharge to at-least 50 % of the total rainfall. In the meantime, old wells are being identified, rehabilitated, cleaned and brought to service to supplement the city’s water needs.
Conclusion Using traditional knowledge of the well digger community, creating increased livelihood options for them , using science to understand recharge zones , using the unconfined shallow aquifer well and by communicating the skill set present with the well diggers to a city , a better understanding of groundwater is being developed and water resilience for the city being built.
1. http://cgwb.gov.in/district_profile/karnataka/bangalore_urban_brochure.pdf
https://www.thebetterindia.com/173853/bengaluru-ground-water-crisis-well-digging-day- zero-zenrainman/
Social research in socio-hydrology
Yongping Wei 1
1. The University of QLD, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Socio-hydrology is an emerging discipline aiming to understand and predict the dynamics and co-evolution of coupled human-water systems. In spite of rapidly increasing interests, there is no mechanistic understanding of how social drivers and social responses interact with the hydrological cycles in a co-evolving human-water system.
This paper proposed a framework for representing the social components of socio- hydrologic systems and interactions among them and with hydrological cycles. The key part of this framework are three interactive elements: societal value change (willingness to change), technological progress (capacity to change) and governance reform (change regulated). In this context, societal value (i.e. culture) is a set of common values, beliefs and attitudes shared by the majority of a regional population on water allocation, technological progress is about technology development on storage, distribution, diversion and use of water. Governance reform refers to formal government reform or self-organising informal institution change relevant to water allocation.
Evolution of social values on water in Australia (1843-2017) and in China (1946- 2017), irrigated technology progress in China (8000 BC-1911), and transition of water governance in Australia (1843-2017) and in China (1946-2017) were taken as three examples to describe and measure these three interactive elements. Historical documents (newspapers, technology encyclopedia, and government documents)
61 | P a g e were used as data sources, text-mining, social network analysis, and mathematical regression were used as the main methods.
These three case studies provided an exploratory approach to understand social drivers and social responses of a human-water system in a measurable way. They enable to integrate these social variables into process-based hydrological models, thus, enable to develop predictive models for how social drivers and social responses interact with the hydrological cycles in a co-evolving human-water system.
An important future research direction is the development of understanding of how societal values, technological progress and governance reform interactively influence water management decision-making in a normative way. This proposed framework and its further developments can be used as a basis for water governance transition toward sustainability.