Insights and participatory actions driven by a socio-hydrogeological approach for groundwater management: the Grombalia Basin case study (Tunisia)

• Published in: Hydrogeology journal Vol. 25; no. 5; pp. 1241 - 1255
• Main Authors: Tringali, C., Re, V., Siciliano, G., Chkir, N., Tuci, C., Zouari, K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-08-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Basins; Case studies; Decision making; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Economic development; Evaluation; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Groundwater; Groundwater management; Groundwater pollution; Groundwater protection; Hydrogeochemistry; Hydrogeological investigations; Hydrogeology; Hydrology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Knowledge management; Network analysis; Pollution sources; Protection; Public participation; Social organization; Sustainability; Sustainability management; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Water protection; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Water resources management; Tunisia; Groundwater protection; Bir Al-Nas; Public engagement; Tunisia; Socio-economic aspects
• ISSN: 1431-2174; 1435-0157
• DOI: 10.1007/s10040-017-1542-z

Sustainable groundwater management strategies in water-scarce countries need to guide future decision-making processes pragmatically, by simultaneously considering local needs, environmental problems and economic development. The socio-hydrogeological approach named ‘Bir Al-Nas’ has been tested in the Grombalia region (Cap Bon Peninsula, Tunisia), to evaluate the effectiveness of complementing hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological investigations with the social dimension of the issue at stake (which, in this case, is the identification of groundwater pollution sources). Within this approach, the social appraisal, performed through social network analysis and public engagement of water end-users, allowed hydrogeologists to get acquainted with the institutional dimension of local groundwater management, identifying issues, potential gaps (such as weak knowledge transfer among concerned stakeholders), and the key actors likely to support the implementation of the new science-based management practices resulting from the ongoing hydrogeological investigation. Results, hence, go beyond the specific relevance for the Grombaila basin, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the importance of including social assessment in any given hydrogeological research aimed at supporting local development through groundwater protection measures.