Reacción a "The depletion of transboundary aquifers is similar to that of domestic aquifers"

This is an interesting article on the management of transboundary aquifers because it provides the first global assessment of agricultural groundwater use and depletion.

The main conclusion is that it finds no evidence that transboundary aquifers are, on average, more overexploited than those that are not. The article highlights that the specific geographical and hydrogeological conditions of each aquifer are decisive, and that the governance of transboundary groundwater should be organised according to the geographical distribution of water uses and potential interactions between countries, rather than treating shared aquifers as homogeneous management units.

The importance of the geographical location of water uses and of hydrogeological factors is well known and is not a new finding. This applies to all aquifers, whether transboundary or not. In my view, the most novel aspect of the study is that transboundary aquifers do not, on the whole, show a higher degree of depletion than national aquifers.

This conclusion raises interesting questions. Could it be due to more effective management than expected in some shared systems? Or does it reflect the fact that management problems are equally common in both national and transboundary aquifers? The study does not allow us to answer these questions directly, but it highlights the need to explore them further.

We must bear in mind that groundwater has historically been the great neglected aspect of water resource management. If we are to adapt to climate change, this situation must change, particularly in regions facing water scarcity or an increasing risk of drought, such as Spain and Portugal