GROUNDWATER INTENSIVE USE ROLE IN RE-THINKING WATER AND FOOD SECURITY BY PROF. M. RAMÓN LLAMAS

1. 5TH WORLD WATER FORUMSIDE EVENT ON “THE ROLE OF GROUNDWATER SILENT REVOLUTION IN ACHIEVING THE MOTTO MORE CASH AND NATURE PER DROP”HOSTED BY M. BOTIN FOUNDATION WATER OBSERVATORYANDIUCN AND LONDONS SCHOOL OF ECONOMICSDAY: 20TH MARCH, 2009:17:00-19:00VENUE: FESHANE/LALLE HALL GROUNDWATER INTENSIVE USE ROLE IN RE-THINKING WATER AND FOOD SECURITY BY PROF. M. RAMÓN LLAMAS M. BOTÍN FOUNDATION WATER OBSERVATORY

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS • THE M. BOTIN FOUNDATION WATER OBSERVATORY • THE 1ST B.F. WATER WORKSHOP • MAIN CAUSES OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION” • PROS AND CONS OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION” • THE RELEVANCE OF ETHICS AND THE WATER FOOTPRINT ANALYSIS IN CHANGING CURRENT PARADIGMS ON WATER AND FOOD SECURITY • WHY GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ARE LESS PRONE TO CORRUPTION? • CONCLUSIONS

3. 1.- THE M. BOTÍN FOUNDATION WATER OBSERVATORY • CREATED IN SEPTEMBER 2008. • A SMALL THINK-TANK TO DEAL WITH GLOBAL WATER PROBLEMS. • IT IS INTERDISCIPLINARY (HYDROLOGY-MRLL; ECONOMICS-AGC; POLITICAL SCIENCES-ELG; ECOLOGY-MMA. • NEXT WORKSHOP: RE-THINKING WATER AND FOOD SECURITY.

4. 2. THE FIRST B. F. WATER WORKSHOP • THE FIRST WATER WORKSHOP WAS HELD IN MADRID IN 2001. THE PROCEEDINGS WERE PUBLISHED BY BALKEMA IN 2003 “GROUNDWATER INTENSIVE USE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES (SOLD OUT). • THE CONCEPT OF SILENT REVOLUTION WAS FIRST PRESENTED IN THE 3WWF (KYOTO 2003). • LATER IN A GOOD NUMBER OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS INCLUDED AN EDITORIAL IN 2005 IN THE ASCE JOURNAL ON WATER MANAGEMENT.

5. 3.- MAIN CAUSES OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION” • SECURITY AGAINST DROUGHT. B. WATER AT DEMAND. C. ADVANCES IN DRILLING METHODS AND PUMPING DEVICES. D. HYDROGEOLOGY AS A SOLID SCIENCE. E. USUALLY DRIVEN BY THE MARKET.

6. 4.-PROS AND CONS OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION” (I) ■ PROS: • FACILITATOR FOR MDG. B) POSITIVE SOCIAL TRANSITION IN RURAL AREAS. C) HIGHER HYDROLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY: MORE CROPS, CASH AND JOBS PER DROP.

7. 4.-PROS AND CONS OF THE “SILENT REVOLUTION” (II) ■ CONS: • SCARCE PLANNING AND CONTROL. B) POTENTIAL PROBLEMS OF WATER QUALITY DEGRADATION. C) POTENTIAL IMPACT IN WATER ECOSYSTEMS.

8. 5.- THE RELEVANCE OF THE WATER FOOTPRINT ANALYSIS IN CHANGING CURRENT PARADIGMS ON WATER FOOD SECURITY (I) • VIRTUAL WATER TRADE IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO CHANGE THESE CONCEPTS. • IN MANY ARID AND SEMIARID REGIONS STAPLE FOOD IS IMPORTED AND THEN THE LOCAL WATER RESOURCES CAN BE USED FOR MORE BENEFICIAL USES (INDUSTRY URBAN WATER SUPPLY, CASH CROPS AND OTHERS).

9. 5.- THE RELEVANCE OF THE WATER FOOTPRINT ANALYSIS IN CHANGING CURRENT PARADIGMS ON WATER FOOD SECURITY (II) • IN THESE ARID AND SEMIARID REGIONS CASH CROPS USUALLY USE GROUNDWATER IRRIGATION AS SECURITY AGAINST DROUGHT.

10. 6.- ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE: WHY GROUNDWATER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ARE LESS PRONE TO CORRUPTION? • IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED (TI 2008) THAT IN A GOOD NUMBER OF COUNTRIES UP TO 25 PERCENT OF THE FUNDS FOR WATER PROJECTS ARE LOST TO CORRUPTION. • GROUNDWATER PROJECTS ARE LESS PRONE TO CORRUPTION BECAUSE: A) INVESTMENT IS USUALLY SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER. B) THE TIME FRAME TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT IS SHORTER.

11. 7.-CONCLUSIONS • THE MAIN OBSTACLE FOR GOOD GW MANAGEMENT IS A MIX OF: A) ARROGANCE B) NEGLECT C) IGNORANCE D) CORRUPTION • THE BEST ACTION TO CORRECT IT DEPENDS ON EACH COUNTRY. THERE IS NOT A BLUE PRINT.

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