Groundwater Resources from Eastern Romania under Human and Climatic Pressure

Ionuț Minea,Daniel Boicu,Marina Iosub

doi:10.3390/su122410341

Abstract

Groundwater resources from a region may be subject to complex human and climatic pressure. The present study tries to analyze the human and climatic pressure on the groundwater resources from the eastern part of Romania, between 1983 and 2017, for seven groundwater bodies. Two parameters, the groundwater exploitation index (GWEI) and the Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI) for identifying hydrogeological droughts, were used to assess human and climatic pressure. The high values of GWEI show a significant increase in human pressure on water resources in recent decades, in lower and more populated areas, from the south and north part of de region, amid increasing investment in agriculture. In the case of climate pressure, the SGI values show significant values for the years 1983, 2000, 2007, and 2012. However, the overlap of hydrogeological droughts with an increase in human pressure can have a significant impact on the groundwater resources from this region, with negative effects in the mid and long term, under the growing effects of the regional climate changes.

Highlights

For our current society, the groundwater reserves represent one of the most important resources
Given that the same situation happened in the entire region, we consider it worthwhile to emphasize the necessity of such an evaluation of the groundwater resources, especially since in this area, which covers more than 20,000 m2, 50% of population lives in ruraSlucsotaminambiluityn2i0t2ie0,s1.2T, xhFeOmR PaEiEnRwREaVteIErWsupply source is provided through the underground wa4teofr,16mainly from25i%ndoivf itdhuearluwraelllpso(pounlalytio2n5,%inotfhtihsererugiroanl,pisopcuonlanteicotned, intothaiscernetgraiolinze, diswcoantenrescutpedplytosayscteenmt)r.alized wateGrrsouupndpwlyasteyrsrteesmou).rcGesroaruenedswtimataeterdreasto2u51r.c4ems ailrlieonesmti3m(watiethdaaftlo2w51r.a4temoifll7i.o9n7 mm33/s()wofitwhhaicflho3w4.7rate of 7.97mmi3ll/iso)nomf w3 (h1.i1chm33/4s.)7cmomileliofrnomm3gr(o1u.1nmdw3/ast)ercosmouercferso,mlocgartoeudnndewarattheer ssuorufarcesa,nlodc2a1t6e.d7 nmeiallriotnhems3urface and(261.867.7mm3/sil)lfiroonmmd3ee(p6.8so7umrc3e/ss[)3f7r]o. m deep sources [37]
The evaluation of groundwater resources in the eastern part of Romania, classified according to the appurtenance to different groundwater bodies, was performed in two directions of analysis: Human impact and pressure induced by the evolution of climatic elements, especially at hydrogeological droughts level

Summary

Introduction

The groundwater reserves represent one of the most important resources. To make matters even more complicated, this population increase is accompanied by a growing demand for food, which in turn, yields a direct effect through the needed increase in cultivated surfaces and the corresponding irrigation resources [2] These requirements, coupled with the rapid development of the urban areas and the economic growth, lead to the overexploitation of both the surface and groundwater resources. The areas that have large aquifers can use those as an extra water resource, often times the aquifers end up being overexploited or even completely drained because the groundwater extraction exceeds the recharge capacity of the aquifers, both spatially and temporally Such contexts can lead to decreases in the phreatic level, increases in the extraction costs, decreases in the natural water flow, soil alteration, as well as decreases in the water quality [2,3,4,5]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion