Dear Colleagues,

Other than polar ice caps and glaciers, groundwater is the largest global source of available freshwater, but groundwater recharge is slow and finite. Groundwater plays a pivotal role in sustaining life, human development, and economic activities, and in maintaining the health of groundwater-dependent ecosystems. In many parts of the world, this vital resource is excessively exploited and increasingly contaminated by anthropogenic activities. Unfortunate consequences of unsustainable groundwater usage are becoming increasingly evident worldwide. In the developing world, the worsening situation is primarily due to groundwater pumping for irrigated agriculture, and to growing groundwater quality degradation by pollutants from natural and anthropogenic (point and non-point) sources. The driving forces behind this worsening situation are increasing population, rapid urbanization and industrialization, large-scale mismanagement, and disregard for nature within developmental activities. The sustainable availability of adequate groundwater resources for present and future generations is highly uncertain under current conditions. Thus, our ability to successfully address the grand challenges of the 21st century (i.e., how to ensure water security, food security, energy security, and environmental security) is at risk. This Special Issue of Sustainability relates specifically to the present context of burgeoning water and environmental problems faced by humankind and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   

The purpose of this Special Issue is to draw the attention of the international scientific community toward the contemporary and complex issue of groundwater vulnerability and sustainability and to collate scientific research addressing this critical issue from different parts of the globe in one place for the benefit of decision makers and researchers. It addresses the growing problems of groundwater depletion and groundwater contamination and their intricate relation to sustainable groundwater management. Such an integrated approach following modern water management concepts and tools can aid the evolution of a robust scientific framework for sustainably managing shrinking groundwater resources under changing environmental conditions.

Research papers (case studies, reviews, and policy related) from different parts of the world dealing with the following topics are invited:

1. Groundwater depletion: in-depth problem analysis and management strategies for sustainable groundwater utilization;
2. Case studies focusing on scientific strategies for sustainable use of groundwater for agriculture or other uses—for example, an efficient strategy for the conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water in canal command areas, and other innovative strategies for the efficient use of irrigation water;
3. Studies on the groundwater–food–energy–environment nexus in different agro-climatic regions;
4. Simulation and optimization modeling for sustainable utilization of available water resources in irrigated agriculture;
5. Studies dealing with the role of groundwater in sustaining ecosystems and its contribution to Sustainable Development Goals;
6. Demonstration of potential techniques for assessing groundwater vulnerability to contamination in different hydro-climatic and hydrogeologic settings;
7. Comprehensive assessment of risk of groundwater contamination or insufficiency in urban and rural regions along with potential technical strategies to minimize adverse impacts;
8. Evaluation of groundwater sustainability under diverse hydroclimatic and hydrogeologic conditions or technical notes dealing with successful stories of sustainable groundwater management;
9. Studies dealing with spatial and temporal variability of safe/sustainable or mining yields of aquifers at a basin scale under different hydro-meteorological and hydrogeologic conditions;
10. Studies on application of IWRM and/or virtual water concepts in solving real-world water problems.

Prof. Dr. Madan Kumar Jha
Prof. Dr. Richard C. Peralta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• groundwater depletion
• aquifer vulnerability
• water scarcity
• groundwater sustainability
• integrated water resources management
• simulation and optimization modeling
• sustainable groundwater yield
• mining yield
• groundwater protection
• virtual water