"Water that fills voids, cracks, or other spaces between particles of clay, silt, sand, gravel or rock within a saturated zone or formation (aquifer) below the soil surface." (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.y.)

Sources

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. "A Glossary of Water-Related Terms", by Brian Benham. Publication 442-759

Could you describe your professional career and/or personal experiences related to space technology and water? Where does your interest in those sectors come from?

I started my research career in 2013, with research interests revolving around various environmental concerns that were deeply rooted in water related issues of Pakistan. Having an educational background in Space Science, it was quite intuitive to possess understanding of the very high potential of applicability of Geospatial technologies in the water sector.

Interview with Prof. Hesham El-Askary

Prof. Hesham El-Askary works at Chapman University in the Earth Systems Science Data Solutions (ESsDs) lab. Here, he supervises students on the use of satellite earth observations for topics including agriculture, water resources, air quality and climate action, and makes use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Prof. El-Askary is researching natural and anthropogenic pollution’s influence on the environment and is particularly interested in the concept of “glocal” impact—how what’s happening globally in terms of climate affects us locally. He believes that one of the biggest challenges in implementing sustainable water management is the lack of data to monitor progress, and advocates for space technologies to mitigates this shortage.  

Comment l'espace a révolutionné les affaissements?

Traduit de l'anglais par Mussa Kachunga Stanis

Introduction

L’affaissement de terrain est un phénomène mondial et se définit comme :

"Un tassement progressif ou un affaissement soudain de la surface de la Terre dû à l'enlèvement ou au déplacement de matériaux terrestres souterrains" - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2021)

Can space technologies help improve WASH provision in camps and informal settlements?

The Human Right to water and sanitation

What does your morning routine look like? For most readers I’d assume you use the toilet, wash your hands, and maybe take a shower. However, do you ever stop to consider the water you use to shower, or the soap you use to wash your hands? Often, especially in developed countries, these things are taken for granted, rightly considering access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as basic Human Rights (Figure 1).

Space-based technologies and data complementing GRACE datasets for groundwater assessments and monitoring

With increasing populations, groundwater abstraction also increased as about half of the global urban population access their water through aquifers (Foster et al., 2020). With 74% of the world population depending on it for safe drinking water services and sanitation (WHO and UNICEF, 2021), groundwater plays a vital role in health.

United Nations/Ghana/PSIPW - 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management

From 10 to 13 May 2022, the United Nations Officer for Outer Space Affairs organized the 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management. The conference was hosted in a hybrid format in Accra, Ghana, by the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani on behalf of the Government of Ghana. The event was attended by several senior government representatives of the host country including Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, the Honorary Minister of Education Dr.

Est ce que les Technologies Spatiales Peuvent Améliorer les Provisions WASH dans les Camps et Quartiers Informels

Le droit humain à l'eau et à l'assainissement

À quoi ressemble votre routine matinale ? Pour la plupart des lecteurs, je suppose que vous utilisez les toilettes, vous vous lavez les mains et peut-être que vous prenez une douche. Cependant, vous arrive-t-il de vous arrêter pour réfléchir à l'eau que vous utilisez sous la douche ou au savon que vous utilisez pour vous laver les mains ?

Space technologies in the detection, monitoring and management of groundwater

Global groundwater supplies

Groundwater accounts for 30% of Earth’s freshwater resources (Shiklomanov 1993) (Figure 1) and is estimated to globally provide 36% of potable water, 42% of irrigation water, and 24% of industrial water – indicating its significant value (Global Environment Facility 2021). Groundwater affords a host of benefits, from providing better protection against drought and microbiological contamination than surface waters, to being generally low cost and accessible to many users.

Global Precipitation Mission: Improved, accurate and timely global precipitation information

Continuous and reliable global precipitation information is crucial for myriad of weather, climate and hydrological applications. The importance of precipitation in the form of rain, hail, sleet, snow etc. is known to science and clear to a layman. However, it’s quite tricky to measure past precipitation trends or predicting accurate future forecasts. There are three main categories of precipitation data sets available: ground based, satellite-based and blended products of ground and space data (Climate Data Guide, 2014).

Technologies Spatiales pour la Détection, la Surveillance et la Gestion des Eaux Souterraines

Les réserves mondiales d'eau souterraine

Les eaux souterraines représentent 30 % des ressources en eau douce de la planète (Shiklomanov 1993) (figure 1) et fournissent au niveau mondial 36 % de l'eau potable, 42 % de l'eau d'irrigation et 24 % de l'eau industrielle, témoignant de leur valeur considérable (Global Environment Facility 2021).

How has space revolutionised subsidence?

Introduction

Land subsidence is a global phenomenon and is defined as:

“a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface due to removal or displacement of subsurface earth materials” - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2021)

From Jakarta to Nusantara: Land subsidence and other pressing water challenges in a sinking mega city

Jakarta, “the sinking city”, is the current capital city of Indonesia. Located on the Java Sea, this coastal city is home to nearly 30 million people within the greater-Jakarta area. Jakarta has grappled with water management issues for decades, leading to several current day water-related crises. Access to a reliable, potable water supply is extremely limited as there is a significant disparity between those with piped water access and those without. Citizens without piped water access have consequently relied heavily on groundwater and have dug thousands of unregulated wells as a result. This has led to a second water crisis – the chronic overextraction of Jakarta’s underground aquifers. Land subsidence is of the utmost concern as this sinking city is placed at high flood risk from the surrounding ocean. Approximately 40% of Jakarta now lies below sea level as a result and predictive models suggest that the entire city will be underwater by 2050 (Gilmartin, 2019). Compounding these problems, the climate crisis has led to significant sea level rise as glaciers and ice caps continue to melt (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2019; Lindsey, 2022). As the city of Jakarta continues to sink and sea levels rise, millions of citizens within Jakarta are at extremely high risk of flooding, particularly during monsoon season. Thousands of residents have already been forced to abandon their homes in search of improved conditions and higher ground (Garschagen et al., 2018).

Interview with Prof. Hesham El-Askary

Interview with Cadence Kaumoana, Chair at Te Huia and Rangiwherowhero Trust

Short description of the Māori community

Our community is made up of direct descendents from our ancestors; Te Huia and Rangiwherowhero. Our Trust is made up of over 700 beneficiaries and is from the Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Apakura tribes which has over 60,000 overall affiliated tribal members.

Interview with Hafsa, Aeman, National Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWM), CGIAR

In the interview, Hafsa Aeman discusses her passion for integrating water resource management with space technologies. She uses remote sensing and AI to tackle challenges like seawater intrusion and coastal erosion, focusing on vulnerable coastal ecosystems. By leveraging satellite data, her work provides critical insights for sustainable water management, crucial for communities impacted by climate change. Ms Aeman highlights the significant role of space technology in water management, especially through remote sensing, which helps monitor precipitation, soil moisture, and groundwater levels. Her proudest achievement is a publication on seawater intrusion, recognized for its innovative use of AI and remote sensing, contributing to Pakistan’s Living Indus initiative. At the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Hafsa’s research integrates AI and remote sensing to optimize water and irrigation management systems. She emphasizes the importance of addressing seawater intrusion, which poses threats to agriculture, ecosystems, and global food security. She also underscores the role of community engagement in sustainable water management through capacity-building workshops for farmers, promoting smarter irrigation practices. She advocates for leadership opportunities for young scientists and believes AI can revolutionize water management by enabling more accurate and efficient data analysis. Rain, symbolizing renewal and sustenance, is her favorite aggregate state of water.

Interview with Amin Shakya, PhD Candidate at the University of Twente

We present an interview with Amin Shakya, a PhD candidate at the ITC Faculty of Geo-information science and earth observation at the University of Twente. We delve into Amin’s first engagements with geospatial technologies, his current PhD research on river discharge estimation using earth observation, as well as his prior work on groundwater analysis using space technologies. Further, Amin is engaged with the youth community particularly with the Groundwater Youth Network. We discuss his take on the role of youth in climate change adaptation. Throughout this interview, we touch upon various water challenges across the globe, from disaster risk management in Nepal, to urban water challenges in Mexico, to his current PhD research focused in Europe and in Africa.

Interview with Hannah Ritchie, PhD student in WASH at Cranfield University

Hannah has always had a love for the outdoors and especially for being by the sea. From her interest in both hydrogeology and development, developed during her undergraduate studies in geology and her travels respectively, she is now undertaking a PhD in WASH, researching water security in rural communities in Kenya. Hannah undertook a six-month internship with Space4Water at UNOOSA in 2021, where she developed her understanding of the importance and application of space-based technologies in the water sector. She believes that groundwater and sanitation are two areas where space technologies are currently under-exploited but in which they hold a lot of potential.

Interview with Naledi Msiya

Describe your professional (and/or personal) experience relating to water (and space technologies). Please indicate whether an experience is related to water or to both, space and water).

I have always had an interest for science and the environment and before starting university I was introduced to hydrology which really caught my interest and led me to studying a BSc Degree in Hydrology and Geography.

Interview with Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado

Name of the community

Maya

Short description of community and hydrogeology of the area

Yucatan is located in the southeast portion of Mexico. The total area of Yucatan is 124, 409 km2 and the population (by 2018) was ca. 2.1 million inhabitants. The landscape of the area is defined by a highly permeable karstic soil, a notable absence of rivers or permanent freshwater resources in the surface, and a high number of natural wells or sinkholes (locally called cenotes, from the Maya word t´sonot).

Interview with Melody Lepine, Director at the Mikisew Cree First Nation Government and Industry Relations

Suncor upgrader, tailing ponds, Athabasca River and Tar/oil sands in Northern Alberta. Photograph taken by Garth Lenz, 2019

Photo by Garth Lenz.

Short description of the Mikisew Cree First Nation community

Nestled on the northwest shore of Lake Athabasca, Fort Chipewyan is one of the most northern communities in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Isolated by nature, Fort Chipewyan can only be accessed by plane or boat in the summer and by a winter road in the winter.

Interview with Claudia Ruz Vargas, Researcher at IGRAC

Claudia Ruz Vargas is a civil engineer, graduated from the University of Santiago, Chile, with an international master’s degree in Groundwater and Global change. Her master thesis focused on groundwater modelling for recharge and saline intrusion risk assessment under climate change scenarios, in Cape Verde. Claudia has six years of work experience as a project engineer and researcher. She is currently a researcher at the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), where she is involved in projects of high impact on the groundwater sector. In this interview, we talked to her about her career path, and how she has contributed to an improved and more sustainable management of groundwater resources, at a regional and global levels.

Interview with Dr Khalid Mahmood, Assistant Professor at the University of the Punjab

Could you describe your professional career and/or personal experiences related to space technology and water? Where does your interest in those sectors come from?

Interview with Joshua Ubah, Geospatial Environmental Engineer

Joshua is a Master’s student in Tropical Hydrogeology and Environmental Engineering at Technische Universität of Darmstadt. His interest is focused on hydrogeological processes, groundwater modelling, application of remote sensing and GIS in environmental studies, water management and climate change. He also works as a graduate Intern at AgriWatch BV, a company that applies geospatial solutions for precision Agriculture. As a graduate intern, he applies his interdisciplinary knowledge in developing smart-farming solutions using space-based technologies to farmers in the Twente region of the Netherlands. He deploys satellite imagery, field studies and machine learning algorithms to predict the effect of climate change on arable crops. He also utilizes precipitation data to predict rainfall events to aid farmers in determining planting and harvesting periods. Joshua earned a bachelor’s degree in Geological Sciences, his bachelor’s thesis research aimed at carrying out paleoenvironmental reconstruction using paleocurrent indicators of water flow and direction, and application of ArcGIS to produce maps. Currently, he is working on his master’s thesis with emphasis on the impact of the ancient climate on the paleoenvironment particularly on vegetation, where he tries to research plants response to long-term greenhouse periods and short-term warming events on various timescales throughout Earth's history. His research interests revolve around the application of space technologies in providing solutions and tackling climate change.

Call for abstracts - until 31 August - for the 5th SADC Groundwater conference

The SADC Groundwater Management Institute will host its 5th SADC Groundwater Conference on 16, 17 & 18 November 2022.

The conference is held annually, with the primary objective of providing a platform for the advancement of knowledge sharing on sustainable management of groundwater at national and transboundary levels across SADC Members States

This year the event will be physically held in Windhoek, Namibia with an online participation option.

Call for local perspectives: Groundwater challenges

Local perspectives and case studies

The aim of the local perspectives and case studies feature is to learn about gaps in water resource management from affected individuals, communities, civil society, professionals, researchers or organisations in the field to identify needs or potential solutions that space technologies could contribute to.

European Space Agency’s “Water Scarcity” Kick-Start

The challenge

Water is one of the most important substances on Earth and covers 70% of the planet. However, freshwater makes up a very small fraction with 97% being saline and ocean-based. While the amount of freshwater on the planet has remained fairly constant over time, the world’s population has exploded, meaning that freshwater is threatened by significant forces, like overdevelopment, polluted runoff, and global warming.

Interview with Hafsa, Aeman, National Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWM), CGIAR

Interview with Amin Shakya, PhD Candidate at the University of Twente

Interview with Hannah Ritchie, PhD student in WASH at Cranfield University

Interview with Naledi Msiya

Describe your professional (and/or personal) experience relating to water (and space technologies). Please indicate whether an experience is related to water or to both, space and water).

Interview with Claudia Ruz Vargas, Researcher at IGRAC

Interview with Joshua Ubah, Geospatial Environmental Engineer

PSIPW announces winners for its 10th Award (2022)

On 5 June 2022, the Prize Council, under the chairmanship of the president of King Saud University Dr. Badran Al-Omar, and under the direction of PSIPW President HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, approved the winners for the 10th Award (2022) of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW).

PSIPW 10th Award Winners Honoured at the United Nations Office in Vienna for their Innovative Solutions to Water Scarcity

The 10th Awards Ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) was held under the Patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on 13 December 2022 at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Vienna International Centre.

The third Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting

co-organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

The 11th Awards Ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2024)

Under the Patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

and supported by

The 10th Awards Ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2022)

Under the Patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

and organised by

the Permanent Mission of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations in Vienna

and with the cooperation of

Call for local perspectives: Groundwater challenges

Local perspectives and case studies

Interview with Cadence Kaumoana, Chair at Te Huia and Rangiwherowhero Trust

Short description of the Māori community

Interview with Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado

Name of the community

Maya

Short description of community and hydrogeology of the area

Interview with Melody Lepine, Director at the Mikisew Cree First Nation Government and Industry Relations

Photo by Garth Lenz.

Short description of the Mikisew Cree First Nation community

Introduction to Modflow and Model Use

This course provides basic knowledge about MODFLOW and Model Muse, which can be used to develop, run, and post-process models. MODFLOW in Model Muse combines many of the capabilities found in MODFLOW 6, MODFLOW-2005, MODFLOW-NWT, MODFLOW-USG, and MODFLOW-LGR, and provides a platform for adding packages.

ARSET - Water Resource Management Using NASA Earth Science Data

Overview:

This online course covers precipitation (rainfall and snow fraction), soil moisture, evapotranspiration, runoff and streamflow, groundwater, and lake level heights. Participants are introduced to a number of NASA data products.

Objective:

Participants will be able to use NASA remote sensing observations and land-atmosphere models to:

Webinar: Groundwater for Water Security in Africa

Overview

This webinar is meant to contribute to the AMCOW Pan African Groundwater Programme (APAGroP) and its various capacity building actions. The webinar is intended to support African Member States and other relevant stakeholders to develop and implement evidence-based groundwater policy and practice in Africa for improved lives and livelihoods.

ARSET - Groundwater Monitoring using Observations from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Missions

Overview:

Groundwater makes up roughly 30% of global freshwater. It also provides drinking water for the world’s population, and irrigation for close to 1/3rd of global agricultural land. Because of this level of reliance, monitoring groundwater is crucial for water resources and land management. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE-Follow On (GRACE-FO) missions from NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) provide large-scale terrestrial water storage estimation from mid-2000 to present.

Water-ForCE Webinar: Water and Agriculture

During this webinar, we will be discussing water quality (run-off from agriculture, pollution of surface water for irrigation) and quantity of water (drought, extreme rainfall, groundwater level, soil moisture) to tackle the water and agriculture domains for the Copernicus Roadmap.

Speakers:

II Making Groundwater Visible

March 9 through March 30 Digital Event

Stories of the several communities around the planet with the groundwater are extremely important because make the groundwater visible for all!

This is the aim of the second edition of our event: to talk about groundwater for everyone.

50th International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress 2023

The 50th Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists will be hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa from 17 to 22 September 2023.

The Congress theme for IAH 50 is Groundwater: A Matter of Scale. This theme combines scientific advances through local to global scale experiments and case studies, with those extending over various temporal scales.

Groundwater Summit

Overview:

In 2022, the international World Water Day (WWD) will be dedicated to groundwater. As usual, the World Water Development Report (WWDR) for that year will be about the same topic: groundwater. Groundwater Summit is envisaged as a central celebration of the WWD, and the venue for launching the WWDR.

WMO HydroHub Youth Symposium

Water data of adequate quality and quantity is a prerequisite to address the increasing water-related challenges around the world and support decision-making in all aspects of water resources management. Enhancing the provision of water data is vital to effective water resources management and the provision of safe and reliable water supplies. In this regard, the youth engagement in the innovation and operations of water monitoring systems is essential.

5th Space for Hydrology Workshop

The European Space Agency, in the context of the "Earth Observations Science for Society" Programme, the Global Energy and Water EXchanges project (GEWEX) of the World Climate Research Programme and Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) are organising a sequel joint event to Hydrospace2021 and EO4Water2020, called 5th Space for Water Cycle and Hydrology Workshop, HYDROSPACE 2023.

XVIII World Water Congress

Water is for all, including humans and nature. As a precious natural resource, water plays a vital role in meeting human needs, preserving the environment and developing our countries. Thus, water management should consider, coordinate and balance the various needs, and fundamentally achieve harmony, which embodies a dynamic, coordinated, appropriate and equitable relationship, between humans and nature.

Groundwater: Mediterranean and Semi-Arid Regions

GROUNDWATER: Mediterranean and Semi-Arid Regions

16 Feb - 1 Apr 2022 – Online Webinar

A series of webinars about the current challenges of groundwater management.

The distribution of water resources varies at regional and global scales, with intensifying shifts mainly due to population growth, rapid urbanization, higher living standards, water pollution, and changing climates. The pressure on groundwater in particular is becoming a universal challenge, but the crisis is more serious in arid and semi-arid areas.

UNESCO-IWRA Online Conference

The overarching theme of the Online Conference is “Emerging Pollutants: Protecting Water Quality for the Health of People and the Environment”. This theme was selected to focus the conference on the intersection of the science-policy interface when addressing emerging pollutants, and steps and mechanisms that must be pursued to protect the health of people and the environment.

The Online Conference will highlight the ways the world can advance knowledge, research and solutions for managing emerging pollutants to improve and protect water quality in a changing world.

International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

Overview

ICEWRE 2021: International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering is the premier interdisciplinary forum for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. The conference will bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars in the domain of interest from around the world.

This year the conference will be held digitally

Prices

Early Registration Ticket Fees:

GIRE3D International Congress

Abstract: Arid regions are known for their limited water resource potential. The sustainable management of water resources in these areas is a permanent challenge, due to the growing demand, linked to population growth coupled with the negative impacts of climate change. The GIRE3D 4th edition 2023 is an opportunity for all water stakeholders to exchange methodologies adapted to the exploitation and management of water in such contexts.

Groundwater, key to the Sustainable Development Goals

The « Agenda 2030 », the 17 « Sustainable Development Goals » (SDGs), their 169 targets and their 240 well attended indicators, multinational and multilateral roadmaps, constitute a great message of hope for the future of human societies and terrestrial ecosystems, currently facing the impacts of global change.

30th Danube Conference 2023

Danube Conferences traditionally are the common connections of the hydrological regional cooperation. These meetings commenced in Budapest in 1961. Since 1975, cooperation has been conducted within the framework of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO.

United Nations/Ghana/PSIPW - 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management

Rationale and context

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Government of Ghana are jointly organizing a Conference with the support of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) to promote the use of space technology in water management to the benefit of developing countries.

The Conference will be held in Accra, Ghana, from 10- 13 May 2022, hosted by the University of Energy and Natural Resources on behalf of the Government of Ghana.

International Conference on Groundwater Investigations and Remote Sensing Techniques

ICGIRST 2021: 15. International Conference on Groundwater Investigations and Remote Sensing Techniques aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Groundwater Investigations and Remote Sensing Techniques.

IAHR Groundwater Webinar on Roles of Uncertainty in the Assessment of Subsurface Flow and Transport

Modern models of flow and transport across environmental and industrial porous media have reached a remarkable level of complexity, with the aim of capturing the nature of target phenomena and processes. The level of complexity of these models could hamper unambiguous understanding of relationships among model inputs and outputs of interest. This is a critical aspect in a variety of scenarios, including flow and reactive transport in heterogenous aquifers and sustainable use of underground resources. All of these settings are associated with multiple sources of uncertainty.

The role of groundwater in advancing Africa’s socio-economic development

The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) is hosting a webinar that will discuss the significance and contribution of groundwater to water security including domestic supply for drinking and sanitation, agricultural and industrial productions as well as ecosystem services in Africa.

The webinar will feature expert presentations and panel discussions among groundwater experts from the private sector, CSOs, academia and research institutions both within and outside Africa.

The 40th IAHR World Congress in Vienna, Austria 2023

The 40th IAHR World Congress in Vienna, Austria, from August 21st to 25th, 2023.

The main theme of the 40th IAHR World Congress will be “Rivers – Connecting Mountains and Coasts” focusing attention on the importance of considering the integral water cycle to address present and future challenges.

ICSWGWI 2022: 16. International Conference on Surface Water and Ground Water Interactions - Lisbon, Portugal

The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference program. Events will run over a span of time during the conference depending on the number and length of the presentations. With its high quality, it provides an exceptional value for students, academics and industry researchers.

Third International Conference on Water and Climate

This year, at the invitation of the Moroccan authorities and in partnership with the Ministry of Equipment and Water of the Kingdom of Morocco, the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) and the World Water Council (WWC), the 3rd International Conference on Water and Climate (ICWC 3) will be held on 6 and 7 July 2023 in Fez, Morocco.

The 11th Awards Ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (2024)

Winners for the 11th Award

Leading international scientists with a diversity of backgrounds -- including materials science, chemistry, engineering, and environmental science, as well as hydrology -- won the five prizes for a wide variety of relevant, groundbreaking solutions that promise to help provide needed drinking water to the world's people.

IWA Digital World Water Congress

The IWA Digital World Water Congress is a major virtual event which aims to bring together global stakeholders from across the industry. Attendees of the event will include scientists, academics, water professionals, utilities, regulators and engineers.

49th IAH Congress The International Association of Hydrogeologists

The theme of the 49th IAH Congress is “Groundwater Sustainability and Poverty Reduction”. Poverty reduction is a top priority for most countries in the world. Unfortunately, most of the poor countries and regions have been faced with serious problems of water scarcity and contamination. It is the mission and ultimate responsibility of the international community of hydrogeologists to help the people get access to sustainable safe supply of fresh groundwater.

Local Perspectives Case Studies

Women and their everyday lives related to Water: Ilankuzhali Elavarasan

The town administration has cutoff the supply of canned water for drinking and the only potable drinking water is the municipal pipes established at every streets. The water is untreated, clogged and sometimes smell much. There is no confidence that the water is consumable. The village people tend to drink it untreated due to lack of awareness. This may lead to developing diseases like worms, Cholera, etc on the long run.

Lack of continuous qualitative and quantitative groundwater data for groundwater management within the Congo Basin

The Congo Basin (CB), home to the world’s second-largest river basin and tropical rainforest (Laraque et al., 2020), holds significant groundwater resources (Kasongo-Numbi, 2008; MacDonald et al., 2012; Tourian et al., 2023). Despite the abundance of surface water within the region, groundwater is a crucial source of freshwater for the vast majority of the CB’s population. It plays a vital role in sustaining human consumption, particularly for the rural population, also, for ecosystems and agriculture even though the latter is still rainfed. Domestic water use constitutes the first sector that withdraw the large amount of groundwater in the basin. The water withdrawal is projected to grow significantly due to the human population that is expected to double by 2050 in Africa (Partow, 2011, United Nations, 2019). Additionally, considering the emerging importance of the global change due to climate change and environmental alterations that have already affected surface water within the basin (Reed and Miranda, 2007; Wongchuig et al., 2023), groundwater is likely to become a critical resource for future development in the region. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a sustainable groundwater management. However, groundwater management in the CB faces numerous challenges.

Decline in Groundwater levels and quality

Photo of a cenote in Merida Yucatan, CC license

Decline in groundwater quality is the challenge I have observed and experience in my country. Groundwater systems are particularly important in places where no rivers flows on the surface. In Yucatan, Mexico, for example, there are no rivers on the surface but we can find the Yucatán Peninsula Aquifer one of the biggest aquifers in the world. Today, the peninsula only has a population of 2 million, yet groundwater is being overexploited and polluted. In the peninsula, all socio-economic sectors rely directly or indirectly on groundwater. The main users – agriculture and industry – are causing high levels of pollution and severely overexploiting the cenotes. The quality of groundwater is also being affected by the construction of roads, buildings and other modifications that include pumping wells, infrastructure for tourism and the use of technology to extract and modify groundwater. In addition, warmer temperatures and increasingly unpredictable rainfall during the year are making it harder to store water. Another factor is that the large number of cenotes and lack of reliable hydrological data are making it difficult for users to monitor and control their usage of groundwater. Consequently, the population faces a greater risk to its groundwater reserves than is currently recognized. I would like use time–space evidence from the natural and social sciences for Earth information systems, but to find approaches to better integrate Indigenous knowledge and in situ observations from local communities that can be used to identify/estimate parameters that can support the management of aquifers.Y

Water security: A tracking and quantifying methodology for monitoring water resources in a water scarce region

The Kingdom of Bahrain has an arid to semi-arid climate with minimal rainfall amount per year. The rapid increase in urbanization and population growth has placed a huge demand on water resources. The only natural resources available in the country and what has been relied on historically for water usage are spring waters and ground water, which are quickly being depleted due to the increasing demands on water needs. Due to the limits of groundwater and spring waters, they are now majorly complemented with non-conventional water resources to supply the country’s needs. The country has invested heavily in water desalination plants of sea water to meet domestic needs and tertiary sewage treatment plants for municipal and agricultural uses through water and treated wastewater networks.

Socio-groundwater toolbox

Graph describing the interactions between social, economic and political settings, related ecosystems, local knowledge, land and resource management as well as social instututios and other world views

To date, hydrological issues are playing a key role in the implementation of the goals in which water has a crosscutting role linked to many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) set in the 2030 Agenda. According to SDG 6, there is a need to monitor eight different interrelated targets globally. At present, several global tools and initiatives for water monitoring exist. A prerequisite for their implementation is to have a thorough knowledge of the system and a consistent database, usually collected at a country and global scale worldwide.

Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product

Groundwater is an essential factor for ecosystems and humanity alike. It ensures ecosystem stability, energy and food security, and promotes human health. Groundwater is the largest component of global liquid freshwater resources in the water cycle, providing about 30% of the total freshwater. Groundwater accounts for 33% of the global water withdrawals by mankind, with more than two billion people depending on groundwater as primary water resource. However, despite its importance, groundwater is often not included in sustainable water management actions and plans.

Local Groundwater Balance Model

graphic describing the model - including tanks, drinking water, precipitation, water loss, etc.

The development of the LGBM was made by quantifying flows and distribution of groundwater in a local aquifer, with the ultimate goal to influence groundwater literacy.

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water

The Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) is a scientific prize with a focus on innovation. Established in 2002 by HRH Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, it rewards the efforts made by scientists, inventors and research organizations around the world which contribute to the sustainable availability of potable water and the alleviation of the escalating global problem of water scarcity.

Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation of the TU Wien

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Space-based Solution

Water suitability map (Samburu County, Kenya) - in development

Water suitability map (Samburu County, Kenya) - in development

Published on 11 Apr 2023

Water suitability map (Samburu County, Kenya) - in development

Published on 11 Apr 2023 , by

Lilian Nguracha Balanga

Founder of Women .conserve at Samburu women

Claire Muhungi

Ag Deputy Director at Kenya Space Agency

Isabel Zetina

Intern United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Groundwater Relief

Kenya Space Agency

Addressed challenge(s)

Samburu woman drinking (brownish) well water filtered through the fabric of her dress

Samburu tribe lacks access to safe drinking water - Dry spells due to water scarcity

Collaborating actors (stakeholders, professionals, young professionals or Indigenous voices)

Groundwater Relief

Kenya Space Agency

Lilian Nguracha Balanga

Founder of Women .conserve at Samburu women

Claire Muhungi

Ag Deputy Director at Kenya Space Agency

Isabel Zetina

Intern United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Background information on the geology of Kenya

The geology of Kenya was studied to develop several maps with ArcGIS to understand the geological and topographical setting of the locations of the communities. The maps were obtained from the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (see sources).
The geology of Kenya shows Metamorphic rocks in the western part due to high metamorphic processes.
Tertiary and Quaternary Volcanic rock are located in the East due to the split of the East African Rift System causing volcanic activity during these periods.

Geology map of Kenya — Figure 1: National Atlas of Kenya - Geological Map. (n.d.). European Commission, Joint Research Centre.

Location of Samburu in the geological map of Kenya

The geology of Samburu County is mostly magmatic with Quaternary elements (for details see Figure 3).

Geology map of Samburu County Krhoda et al. (2015). — Figure 3: Detailed geological map of Samburu County (Krhoda et al. 2015).

Location of the communities SW of Samburu County

Map of important community locations — Figure 4: Map of locations of the community, from where water access would be needed in the vicinity.

Legend of the map of community locations

Samburu County's topographic map

A topographic map from Samburu County was developed to understand where the major recharge zones are located. These zones in arid areas can also be indicated by the Normalised Differentiated Vegetation Index (NDVI).

Figure 5: Topographic map of Samburu province in Kenya. Credit: Topographic Map (2023)
Location of water sources

The type and location of water sources in the Samburu District were studied with a map provided by the KSA. With the study of the geological maps and the water sources map, a geological and hydrological comparison was made, to understand where groundwater could be located.
Fig.6. Samburu District - Type and Location of Water Sources, Key Landforms, and Soils (Symbols - See Map 11). (n.d.). European Commission, Joint Research Centre. https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/samburu-district-type-and-locati… (visited: 19.10.2023)

Figure 6: Water sources in the Samburu county. Map provided by Kenya Space Agency. Source: G. de Sourza, Dept. Geography, University of Nairobi, J. Keza, Ministry of Water Development.

Development of the maps

With the support from datasets obtained from the Kenya Space Agency a differentiated vegetation map (NDVI), an elevation map (DEM), and a water points map were developed using ArcGIS Pro 3.

DEM map in ArcGIS Pro3

Add your Samburu county map dataset to the project. You can do this by going to the "Map" tab and using the "Add Data" button to import your county shapefile or feature class.
Add Samburu Elevation Data: To create an elevation map, you need elevation data. Download the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data. Once downloaded, add the DEM to your map.
Symbolize Elevation Data: Symbolize the elevation data to represent different elevation ranges. You can do this by right-clicking on the DEM layer, selecting "Symbology," and choosing a suitable color ramp and classification method.
Add Legend: Insert a legend to the map by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "Legend." Configure the legend properties to display the layers and symbology correctly.
Add North Arrow and Scale Bar: Insert a North arrow and scale bar by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "North Arrow" and "Scale Bar." Adjust the properties to suit your map layout.
Adjust Map Layout: Go to the "Layout" tab to set up the map layout. Adjust the size of the map, add a title, and organize the legend, scale bar, and north arrow as desired.
Save and Export: Save your project, go to the "Share" tab, and export the map as an image, PDF, or any other desired format.

Samburu county elevation map — Figure 7: Elevation Map made with QGIS. Version 3.32.3 / Version 3.28.11 LTR.

NDVI map in ArcGIS Pro3

ArcGIS Pro involves using the raster calculator to perform the necessary mathematical operations on the input bands. NDVI is typically calculated using the near-infrared (NIR) and red bands from a multispectral image.

Add county dataset: Add your Samburu county dataset to the map. You can do this by going to the "Map" tab and using the "Add Data" button to import your county shapefile or feature class.
Add satellite imagery: import Samburu County Landsat or Sentinel imagery containing the necessary bands (Red and Near Infrared) for NDVI calculation. You can add the imagery by going to the "Map" tab and selecting "Add Data" or using the "Add Raster Data" option.
Calculate NDVI: Open the "Image Analysis" window by going to the "Analysis" tab and selecting "Tools." Use the "NDVI" tool to calculate NDVI from the available bands.
The equation of NDVI is as follows: NDVI = ((IR - R)/(IR + R)); IR = pixel values from the infrared band and R = pixel values from the red band
Symbolize NDVI: Symbolize the NDVI layer to visually represent vegetation health. Typically, healthy vegetation appears in shades of green, while less healthy or bare areas might be represented in browns or grays.
Add legend: Insert a legend to the map by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "Legend." Configure the legend properties to display the NDVI layer and symbology correctly.
Add North Arrow and Scale Bar: Insert a North arrow and scale bar by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "North Arrow" and "Scale Bar." Adjust the properties to suit your map layout.
Adjust map layout: Go to the "Layout" tab to set up the map layout. Adjust the size of the map, add a title, and organize the legend, scale bar, and north arrow as desired.
Save and export: Save your project, go to the "Share" tab, and export the map as an image, PDF, or any other desired format.

Samburu NDVI map — Figure 8: NDVI made with QGIS. Version 3.32.3 / Version 3.28.11 LTR.

Water points map in ArcGIS 3

Add county dataset: Add the Samburu county dataset to the map. You can do this by going to the "Map" tab and using the "Add Data" button to import your county shapefile or feature class.
Add water points dataset: Import your water points dataset into the map. Use the "Add Data" button to add the water points layer. Make sure the dataset contains information about the location of water points.
Symbolize water points: Symbolize the water points on the map. Right-click on the water points layer, go to "Symbology," and choose an appropriate symbol to represent water points. You may want to use a distinctive symbol like a blue dot.
Add legend: Insert a legend to the map by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "Legend." Configure the legend properties to display the water points layer and its symbol correctly.
Add North arrow and scale bar: Insert a North arrow and scale bar by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "North Arrow" and "Scale Bar." Adjust the properties to suit your map layout.
Adjust map layout: Go to the "Layout" tab to set up the map layout. Adjust the size of the map, add a title, and organize the legend, scale bar, and north arrow as desired.
Save and export: Save your project, go to the "Share" tab, and export the map as an image, PDF, or any other desired format.

Map showing the Samburu county water points — Figure 9: Elevation Map made with QGIS. Version 3.32.3 / Version 3.28.11 LTR.

Suggested aquifer location map

Add the geological map of Kenya dataset: You can do this by going to the "Map" tab and using the "Add Data" button to import your county shapefile or feature class.
Add Water points dataset: Import your water points dataset into the map. Use the "Add Data" button to add the water points layer. Make sure the dataset contains information about the location of water points. Delete the ones that are not relevant to the communities
Add legend: Insert a legend to the map by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "Legend." Configure the legend properties to display the water points layer and its symbol correctly.
Add North arrow and scale bar: Insert a North arrow and scale bar by going to the "Insert" tab and selecting "North Arrow" and "Scale Bar." Adjust the properties to suit your map layout.
Adjust map layout: Go to the "Layout" tab to set up the map layout. Adjust the size of the map, add a title, and organize the legend, scale bar, and north arrow as desired.
Save and export: Save your project, go to the "Share" tab, and export the map as an image, PDF, or any other desired format.

Map showing possible groundwater resources in the Samburu County based on the geology — Figure 10. Suggested aquifer locations in Samburu County based on the geology.

Interpretation

An aquifer could be located in a magmatic/metamorphic basement, which suggests they moderate productivity and low groundwater potential. This is due to the fact that magmatic rocks have low permeability and therefore the groundwater recharge is low.

Ideal outcome: A possible groundwater source exists near the communities homes and a borehole could be developed.

Conclusion

The communities are located in the SW of the Samburu District. The geology of the area is mostly magmatic and metamorphic. This suggests that the ground has very low permeability. However, near the location of the communities, there are two springs. These springs point to an aquifer in the area, where a well for the communities in the area could be developed. Ideally, various groundwater sources could be located with the maps and the support from space technologies. The next steps to be taken are with external actors, e.g. drilling and pumping tests approved by the local authorities

Future steps

Work with hydrogeologists to prepare a borehole siting report as well as an Environmental Impact Assessment. Groundwater relief has some trusted hydrogeologists in their network in Kenya who could implement that and submit the information to the Kenya Water Resources Agency.
Kenya Water Resources Agency needs to grant permission for drilling.
Drilling and pumping test: A contractor performs drilling and a pumping test. The latter is to identify the appropriate pump to be used.
Study the groundwater level, type of aquifer, groundwater recharge, groundwater vulnerability.

Relevant publications

Groundwater

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