Sustainability of mining activities in the European Mediterranean region in terms of a spatial groundwater stress index

Abstract

Mining activities depend significantly on water resources availability as it consists a major tool of the extraction, processing and the post closure mining operations. Especially, groundwater is the major water source in most mining areas. However, overexploitation, competition from the communities and climate change effects have caused significant stress on the groundwater resources in many areas of the Mediterranean basin. The sustainability of mining operations is threatened as well as the uninterrupted supply of raw materials to the industry. In this work spatial estimation and analysis of groundwater stress at hydrological basin-scale in the European part of the Mediterranean region is applied using local and global datasets. Aquifer productivity index and groundwater use information at monitoring sites are extracted from the River Basin Management Plans of the European Environment Agency, while groundwater recharge is considered from the World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Program (WHYMAP) after validation. The processing of these data using the Self Organized Maps technique and their integration within a novel function, provide the groundwater stress index. The output of this work can be used for governance and management decisions that will improve groundwater resources availability in vulnerable areas ensuring the sustainable use from the communities and the industry.