R. Klingbeil, 2014. Recent Developments at Global and Regional Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers with a Focus on Arab Gulf Countries.

Recent Developments at Global and Regional
Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers with a
Focus on Arab Gulf Countries
KISR, Kuwait
01 April 2014
Ralf Klingbeil
Regional Advisor Environment and Water

Outline
• Shared Groundwater - Transboundary Aquifers
• Legal Instruments
– Global - Regional - Bi- or Multi-lateral
• Inventory on Shared Water Resources in Western Asia
– Overview
– Groundwater Chapters related to GCC, focus on Kuwait
• Conclusions and Outlook
www.escwa.un.org 2April 2014

April 2014 www.escwa.un.org 3
Schematic Diagram of a Shared Aquifer
and its Flow Directions
Puri,S.&Arnold,G.E.2002.

Challenges with Shared Groundwater –
Transboundary Aquifers in the Region
Klingbeil&Al-Hamdi,2010.
Historic and Prior Use
Renewable / Non-renewable Groundwater
Differences in Recharge and Use Areas
Spatial Extent of Surface and Groundwater
Catchments
Aquifer Management Units ≠
Entire Aquifer / Aquifer System

Overview Global and Other Regional
Legal Instruments
1966
Helsinki Rules
1997 UN
Watercourse
Convention
1992 UN ECE
Water
Convention
2003 UN ECE
Amendment
1998 SADC
Water Protocol
2000 SADC
Revised Water
Protocol
2000 EU WFD
2006 EU GW
Dir
2008 UN GA
Law of TBAs
2011, -13, -16
UN GA Reviews
Aquifer Mgmt Unit:
Groundwater Body 2010 AMWC Res
for Drafting AWC
Annual AMWC
Reviews

UN General Assembly 2008 - 2013
Transboundary Aquifer Draft Articles
• 11 Dec 2008: UNGA A / RES / 63 / 124 “The law of transboundary
aquifers”
• Encourages States concerned to make appropriate bilateral or regional arrangements,
• Decides to include in provisional agenda of sixty-sixth session (2011) item entitled “The
law of TBAs”, and
• Examining question of form that might be given to draft articles.
• 09 Dec 2011: UNGA A / RES / 66 / 477
• Further encourages States concerned to make appropriate bilateral or regional
arrangements,
• Decides to include in provisional agenda of sixty-eighth session (2013) item entitled
“The law of transboundary aquifers”, and
• Continue to examine question of final form that might be given to draft articles.
• 16 Dec 2013: UNGA A / RES / 68 / 118
• Commends (..) as guidance for bilateral or regional agreements and arrangements for
proper management of transboundary aquifers,
• Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-first session (2016) item
entitled “The law of transboundary aquifers”.

UN SG report 2013
Transboundary Aquifer Draft Articles 1/2
22 Jul 2013: UN GA publishes UN SG report on status of law of
transboundary aquifers (A/68/172), comments by IRQ, KUW, MOR,
22 Oct 2013: further comments by BAH, QAT, PAL, Arab Group
Kuwait
23. Kuwait noted that, in the arid environment in which it was located, there was no
surface water and the usable groundwater was either limited or overexploited.
That state of affairs necessitated effective management of its transboundary
aquifers, including the Dammam Limestone Formation and the Kuwait Group
aquifer system, the major recharge zone of which was located in Saudi Arabia
and the discharge zone of which extended along the coastal parts of Kuwait
and the lower parts of the Shatt al-Arab valley in Iraq.
24. To ensure the effective sustainable management of its transboundary aquifers,
Kuwait had identified a number of necessary measures. First, a
comprehensive and cooperative hydrological evaluation of the aquifer systems
in neighbouring States was essential to assessing the long-term sustainability
and water quality of the aquifers in the region. (…)

February 2014 www.escwa.un.org 8
UN SG report 2013
Transboundary Aquifer Draft Articles 2/2
(cont.)
Kuwait
24. (…) Second, it was vital that the States in the region managed brackish
groundwater resources cooperatively in order to enable their sustainable use,
preservation and protection. Moreover, Kuwait would make all efforts to
formulate bilateral and regional agreements with neighbouring States in
relation to transboundary aquifers. In that effort, it might seek the assistance of
the UNESCO Internationally Shared Aquifers Resources Management
Programme.
25. For Kuwait, the draft articles on the law of transboundary aquifers, and their
commendation to the attention of Governments by the General Assembly,
represented a timely step in supporting the effective management of
transboundary aquifers. It hoped that the draft articles would soon be adopted,
taking into consideration the viewpoints of all stakeholders concerned. Kuwait
also looked forward to using the draft articles in its efforts to reach mutual
understandings with neighbouring States.

Legal Framework for
Shared Water in the Arab Region
• Legal Framework for Shared Water in the Arab Region –
“Arab Water Convention”
• Preparation of Draft Text for Legal Framework, Cooperation of
• UN ESCWA
• Centre of Water Studies and Arab Water Security
• supported by ACSAD, BGR Germany
• Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) Resolutions
• Res. No. 20, Second Session, Cairo - 2 Jul 2010
• Res. No. 37, Third Session, Cairo - 15 Jun 2011
• Res. No. 56, Fourth Session, Baghdad - 29 May 2012
• Res. No. 71, Fifth Session, Cairo - 06 Jul 2013
• (Res. 71 of Exec. Bureau of AMWC - 29 Jan 2014)
• (Fourth Consultative Meeting, Ministries of Water and Foreign
Affairs, Cairo - 28-29 Apr 2014)

Bi- and Multi-lateral Agreements
• Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System - NSAS:
Chad, Egypt, Libya, Sudan
• Système Aquifère du Sahara Septentrional - SASS
(North-Western Sahara Aquifer System – NWSAS):
Algeria, Libya, Tunisia
• supported through
Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel
(Observatory of the Sahara and Sahel) –
OSS

Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia - Overview
www.waterinventory.org

Inventory of Shared Water Resources in
Western Asia - Overview

Inventory - Features

Inventory - Chapter Features - Groundwater

Inventory - Key Findings

Inventory - Shared Aquifer Systems

Inventory - Umm er Radhuma - Dammam
• Umm er Radhuma - Dammam most extensive aquifer
system in Arabian Peninsula,
• Main geological aquiferous formations: Umm er Radhuma,
Dammam and Rus,
• Variation in thickness, sequence and water-bearing
characteristics, lateral variations in lithology, but
hydraulically continuous across the peninsula,
• While scientifically correct to refer to full aquifer system as
one, from Yemen to Iraq – little help for practical
implementation,
• Inventory: Umm er Radhuma - Dammam Aquifer System
divided into several sections.

Shared Aquifer Systems
ESCWA member countries Non-ESCWA
BH EG IQ JO KW LB OM PS QA SA SY UAE YE IR IL TR
ARABIANPENINSULA
SaqRam Aquifer System (West)  
Wajid Aquifer System  
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer System (South)  
Wasia-Biyadh-Aruma Aquifer System (North)  
U er R‘ Dammam Aquifer System (South)    
U er R‘ Dammam Aquifer System (Centre)   
U er R‘ Dammam Aquifer System (North)   
Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System  
MASHREK
Anti-Lebanon  
Western Aquifer Basin   
Coastal Aquifer Basin   
Basalt Aquifer System (West)  
Basalt Aquifer System (South)  
MESOPOTAMI
Taurus-Zagros   
Jezira Tertiary Limestone Aquifer System  
Neogene Aquifer System (North-West)  
Neogene Aquifer System (South-East)   

Umm er Radhuma - Dammam Aquifer
System (North), Widyan-Salman

April 2014 23

AGREEMENTS
• No water agreements in place for Umm er Radhuma - Dammam Aquifer
System (North) between Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
COOPERATION
• Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are reportedly preparing a joint study of the shared
aquifer.
OUTLOOK
• Monitoring of groundwater quality in general and the groundwater-seawater
interface in particular would allow for the detection of increasing salt
concentrations.
• Effective joint management decisions could decrease the risk of salinization
and make the aquifer system more sustainable.

Neogene Aquifer System (South-East):
Dibdibba - Kuwait Group, Dibdibba Delta

The Wadi ar Rimah -
Wadi al Batin System

AGREEMENTS
• No water agreements in place for Neogene Aquifer System
(South-East) between Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
COOPERATION
• No information was available regarding cooperation between the riparian
countries on the aquifer system.
OUTLOOK
• The quantity and quality of available groundwater in the Neogene Aquifer
System (South-East) suggest that it could sustain agricultural development in
the central gravel plain, along the eastern bank of Wadi al Batin and near the
mouth of the delta.
• On the plain itself, the aquifer system may have some potential as a source of
recharge to the underlying Paleogene Formations, especially where the two
aquifer systems are used as a common source of groundwater.

Inventory - Website

Conclusions and Outlook
• ESCWA BGR Inventory useful to improved understanding of
shared groundwater between countries in the region.
• Further joint research cooperation recommended:
• Umm er Radhuma - Dammam Aquifer system:
IRQ / KUW / SAU joint monitoring of groundwater quality esp. saltwater
interface with intention to reduce risk of salinization.
• Neogene Aquifer System - central gravel plain, along eastern bank of
Wadi al Batin and near mouth of delta:
Joint IRQ / KUW / SAU studies on quantity and quality of groundwater
with perspective for agricultural development.
• Neogene Aquifer System - on plain itself:
Joint IRQ / KUW / SAU investigations of aquifer system as potential
source of recharge to underlying Paleogene formations.
• Based on joint research transboundary cooperation can be
developed with a focus on win-win solutions for all parties.

R. Klingbeil, 2014. Recent Developments at Global and Regional Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers with a Focus on Arab Gulf Countries.

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R. Klingbeil, 2014. Recent Developments at Global and Regional Level on Shared Groundwater Aquifers with a Focus on Arab Gulf Countries.