A multicriteria analysis of groundwater development pathways in three river basins in Sub-Saharan Africa

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dc.creatorBellwood-Howard, I.
dc.creatorThompson, J.
dc.creatorShamsudduha, M.
dc.creatorTaylor, R. G.
dc.creatorMosha, D. B.
dc.creatorGebrezgi, Gebrehaweria
dc.creatorTarimo, A. K. P. R.
dc.creatorKashaigili, J. J.
dc.creatorNazoumou, Y.
dc.creatorTiekoura, O.
dc.date2022-12
dc.date2022-11-30T23:50:19Z
dc.date2022-11-30T23:50:19Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T18:40:53Z
dc.descriptionReliance on groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing and expected to rise as surface water resource variability increases under climate change. Major questions remain about how groundwater will be used, and who informs these decisions. We represent different visions of groundwater use by ‘pathways’: politically and environmentally embedded socio-technological regimes for governing and managing groundwater systems. We presented policy actors (9 sets), development and research stakeholders (4 sets), and water users (6 sets) in three river basins in Ethiopia, Niger and Tanzania with information on the social and environmental impacts of six ‘Groundwater Development Pathways’, before gathering their opinions on each, through Multicriteria Mapping (MCM). Participants preferred pathways of low-intensity use, incorporating multiple agricultural, pastoral and domestic purposes, to high-intensity single-use pathways. Water availability and environmental sustainability, including water quality, were central concerns. Participants recognised that all groundwater uses potentially impinge upon one another affecting both the quantity and quality of abstracted water. Across participant groups there was ambiguity about what the most important water use was; each expressed demands for more detailed, certain modelling data. Water users preferred community or municipal-scale management regimes, perceiving that water quality was more likely to be safeguarded by institutions at these levels, whereas policy and development actors preferred individual-scale management, viewed as more efficient in terms of operation and maintenance. We conclude that MCM, combined with more detailed modelling, can provide an effective framework for policy actors to understand other stakeholders’ perspectives on groundwater development futures, enabling equitable, inclusive decision-making and governance.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/125742
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/162575
dc.languageen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceBellwood-Howard, I.; Thompson, J.; Shamsudduha, M.; Taylor, R. G.; Mosha, D. B.; Gebrezgi, Gebrehaweria; Tarimo, A. K. P. R.; Kashaigili, J. J.; Nazoumou, Y.; Tiekoura, O. 2022. A multicriteria analysis of groundwater development pathways in three river basins in Sub-Saharan Africa. Environmental Science and Policy, 138:26-43. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.09.010]
dc.subjectgroundwater management
dc.subjectriver basins
dc.subjectwater policies
dc.subjectwater governance
dc.subjectwater availability
dc.subjectlarge-scale farming
dc.subjectsmall-scale farming
dc.subjectwater use
dc.subjectwater users
dc.subjectmultiple use
dc.subjectwater quality
dc.subjectenvironmental sustainability
dc.subjectgroundwater extraction
dc.subjectstakeholders
dc.subjectcommunities
dc.subjectmodelling
dc.subjectuncertainty
dc.titleA multicriteria analysis of groundwater development pathways in three river basins in Sub-Saharan Africa
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional para el Manejo del Agua (IWMI)