Groundwater for Sustainable Development: Problems, Perspectives and Challenges

Groundwater has become the most important source of water for domestic needs (e.g. drinking water), industrial, and agricultural water supply in the world and its use has increased manifolds. A substantial amount of groundwater is used indiscriminately to fulfill the demand in the agricultural sector, especially in regions with rather dry and/or semi-arid climate to enhance crop production for sustainable food supply. Most rural areas in both the developed and the developing world depend on groundwater sources for drinking purposes. Its high dependence will increase even further during the next decades due to severe limitations in the availability of reliable surface water volume and its continuous degradation in terms of quality. Thus, this important natural resource demands suitable management strategies for sustainable development.