Groundwater as a Source of Drinking Water in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: A Multi-Country Review of Current Reliance and Resource Concerns

Naomi Carrard,Tim Foster,Juliet Willetts

doi:10.3390/w11081605

Abstract

Groundwater is widely acknowledged to be an important source of drinking water in low-income regions, and it, therefore, plays a critical role in the realization of the human right to water. However, the proportion of households using groundwater compared with other sources is rarely quantified, with national and global datasets more focused on facilities—rather than resources—used. This is a significant gap in knowledge, particularly in light of efforts to expand water services in line with the inclusive and integrated agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. Understanding the prevalence of groundwater reliance for drinking is critical for those involved in water services planning and management, so they can better monitor and advocate for management of water resources that supports sustainable services for households. This paper contributes data that can be used to strengthen the integration of resource considerations within water service delivery and inform the work of development partners supporting this area. We approach this issue from two perspectives. Firstly, we collate data on the proportion of households using groundwater as their primary drinking water source for 10 Southeast Asian and Pacific nations, finding an average of 66% (range of 17–93% for individual countries) of households in urban areas and 60% (range of 22–95%) of households in rural areas rely on groundwater for drinking. Together, these constitute 79% of the total population across the case study countries. Secondly, we review current and emerging groundwater resource concerns within each country, using a systems thinking approach to assess how groundwater resource issues influence household water services. Findings support the case for governments and development agencies to strengthen engagement with groundwater resource management as foundational for achieving sustainable water services for all.

Highlights

Around the world, groundwater makes a critical contribution to progressive realization of the human right to water
With the increasing use of piped and packaged water [1,27], there is a growing knowledge gap about the extent to which households rely on groundwater. This is evidence of the “paucity of well-structured, globally useful, up-to-date and SDG-relevant groundwater data available”, as found by Guppy et al [4] in their analysis of the interlinkages between groundwater and the SDGs. Addressing this gap, this paper offers an analysis of the role of groundwater in supplying drinking water services across ten Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries
We note that pollution from unsafe sanitation emerged as a common threat to groundwater resources across case study countries, there is substantial ongoing work in the WASH sector focused on progressing safe sanitation [82,83], so we focus this discussion on other implications from the analysis

Summary

Introduction

Groundwater makes a critical contribution to progressive realization of the human right to water. In developing country contexts—where 2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed water and 844 million lack even basic water [1]—development of groundwater is considered a key strategy for addressing gaps in service delivery [2] and for building resilience to the impacts of climate change [2,3]. Groundwater is already the preferred source of drinking water globally [4], often considered more reliable than surface water and more accessible, given it can be directly exploited by users [5]. There is recognition by hydrogeology scholars that groundwater resources are under threat from overexploitation and pollution.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion