Abstract
The trouble with groundwater is that despite its critical importance to global water supplies, it frequently attracts insufficient management attention relative to more visible surface water sources, irrespective of regional climate, socioeconomic profile, and regulatory environment. To this end, the recently defined sub-discipline of “socio-hydrogeology”, an extension of socio-hydrology, seeks to translate and exchange knowledge with and between non-expert end-users, in addition to involving non-expert opinion and experience in hydrogeological investigations, thus emphasising a “bottom-up” methodology. It is widely acknowledged that issues pertaining to groundwater quality, groundwater quantity, climate change, and a poor general awareness and understanding of groundwater occurrence and movement are global in their scope. Moreover, while effective communication and engagement represent the key tenet of socio-hydrogeology, the authors consider that multiple actors should be identified and incorporated using stakeholder network analysis and may include policymakers, media and communications experts, mobile technology developers, and social scientists, to appropriately convey demographically focused bi-directional information, with the hydrogeological community representing the communication keystone. Accordingly, this article aims to highlight past and current work, elucidate key areas of development within socio-hydrogeology, and offer recommendations to ensure global efficacy of this increasingly important and growing field going forward. The authors seek to assist in protecting our global groundwater resource for future generations via an improved framework for understanding the interaction between communities and hydrogeological systems.
Highlights
Re et al [20] TunisiaNitrate ContaminationRodrigues-Capítulo et al. [26] ArgentinaCoastal Aquifers, Urban Development Limaye [13] IndiaRisk Awareness and Communication Limaye [27]
This paper aims to highlight past and current work, highlight past and current work, elucidate key areas of development within socio-hydrogeology, and elucidate key areas of development within socio-hydrogeology, and offerimportant recommendations to ensure offer recommendations to ensure global application of this increasingly and growing field global forward
Overview of paper structure: We present the evolution of theofdefinition of socioFigure 1.1.Overview of paper structure: We present the evolution of the definition socio-hydrogeology, hydrogeology, its aimportance in a as global context, as well challenges solutions for socioits importance in global context, well as challenges andassolutions for and socio-hydrogeology
Summary
Current concerns regarding water scarcity and insecurity are both ubiquitous and varied, manifesting themselves in a myriad of respects worldwide [16]. To date, the majority of socio-hydrogeological applications have occurred in low income countries (Table 1), potentially painting a picture of socio-hydrogeology occurred in low income countries (Table 1), potentially painting a picture of socio-hydrogeology as as a science relevant to the “developing” world primarily. Despite best efforts by the hydrogeological community, groundwater traditionally receives significantly less attention than surface water, inevitably resulting in lower receives levels of significantly than[11,17]. Research to groundwater resources inmicrobiological medium- and mediumand high-income has shown relating that contamination, and high-income countries has shown that contamination, and microbiological pollution, is a recurring problem leading to endemic and epidemic waterborne infectious pollution, diseases in isthese a recurring regions problem [21,22,23]. Research to groundwater resources inmicrobiological medium- and mediumand high-income has shown relating that contamination, and high-income countries has shown that contamination, and microbiological pollution, is a recurring problem leading to endemic and epidemic waterborne infectious pollution, diseases in isthese a recurring regions problem [21,22,23]. leading to endemic and epidemic waterborne infectious diseases in these regions [21,22,23]
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