Groundwater – a hidden resource for communities when crisis strikes

In their recent article in Nature Geoscience, four international researchers, including Professor of Hydrology at Uppsala University Giuliano Di Baldassarre, highlighted how short-term, strategic use of groundwater can lessen a community’s vulnerability to natural disasters, while improving equity between different groups in society.

Giuliano Di Baldassarre explains.

“In this new article, we propose interdisciplinary and equity-focused approaches that draw on disaster sociology, environmental justice, sustainability science and sociohydrology. We call for new ways of thinking about water management that integrate groundwater as a resource into crisis preparedness, policies and planning. This requires collaboration between the natural sciences, social sciences and research on how resources and risks are distributed in a society. This entails a shift in mindset from seeing groundwater solely as a long-term resource to seeing it as a potential lifeline in a crisis.”

The world’s largest freshwater resource

Groundwater is the world’s largest freshwater resource and is already used for drinking (potable) water, agriculture and ecosystems. The researchers argue that existing wells, pumps and natural groundwater reservoirs (aquifers) can be rapidly mobilised for use in crises, such as when the surface water is contaminated after a flood, or when the water supply infrastructure is damaged in an earthquake.

“There are more examples of where groundwater has served as a critical buffer in a crisis, for example during prolonged droughts or following earthquakes, where it’s been possible to put wells rapidly into service when the supply of surface water has collapsed. These initiatives have often been ad hoc solutions rather than the result of conscious disaster planning, demonstrating the potential and the need for more systematic strategies,” he says.

Used during and after natural disasters

The article shows examples from different parts of the world where groundwater has been utilised successfully during and in the aftermath of natural disasters. However, the researchers stress that groundwater should be used only temporarily, and with due consideration, so as not to deplete this resource for the future. But in what types of natural disasters is groundwater suitable as an emergency resource?

“Groundwater is especially useful in droughts, but also in floods, storms, wildfires and earthquakes, when the surface water often becomes contaminated or the infrastructure is damaged. Because groundwater is usually better protected from direct impact, it can function as a stable, local reserve when other systems fail,” explains Giuliano Di Baldassarre.

Existing resources first

The point of the article is that one should use what already exists in the first instance, not start drilling new wells in the midst of a crisis. Existing wells should be used: municipal as well as private well, and wells used in agriculture or industry. In a crisis, these can be quickly mobilised as temporary water sources and used locally, close to the people who need the water. The water can be pumped up with:

• electric pumps (if electricity is available)
• mobile or backup pumps (e.g. diesel- or solar-powered)
• manual pumps.

This makes groundwater especially valuable in crises, as it does not require advanced infrastructure such as extensive water piping. The researchers describe groundwater as a buffer or backup resource when other water systems are out of action.

A resource for environmental justice

A key point made in the article is that natural disasters often strike those least able to manage them effectively. Socially and economically disadvantaged groups are hit hardest by both the disaster itself and the scarcity of water that follows. In such cases and if properly planned, groundwater can serve as a tool to reduce inequities rather than reinforce them.

Malin Eivergård