Proper management of groundwater resources plays an important role in securing water availability for the agricultural sector. Despite the great importance of ground water, these resources are not optimally managed and are often subject to excessive use or contamination.
As many as one billion people in the world risk having problems with accessibility to water, now or in the near future.
- Water is life, water is economy, water is power. And the water needs to be fresh and clean, Alireza Motevalli says.
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock. Water-bearing rocks are permeable, meaning that they have openings that liquids and gases can pass through.
Many areas in the world rely on these aquifers for drinking water and for agricultural purposes. But due to drought, caused by climate change, the coastal areas especially are a extreme risk of loosing their access to fresh water for irrigation and drinking water.
An overuse of fresh water from these aquifers will contaminate them with saltwater from the sea.
Alireza Motevalli is himself from the region of Ghaemshar-Juybar, an area where he conducts his study.
- We identify which part of the area that is at risk for salinization.
Now when Alireza Motevalli and his research colleagues are prioritizing the vulnerability of the affected areas, they highly recommend that the water demand should be properly managed in the identified vulnerable areas in order to secure the accessibility to water.