Abstract
Fresh water is a scarce and depletable resource that has been studied by analyzing declinations of groundwater tables in various regions throughout the world. Climate change effects on water resources are pressing all types of water users to implement adaptation measures. So far, the management of groundwater has been mainly studied from the supply-side and engineering perspectives. This is necessary, but not sufficient to solve the problem of overexploitation of groundwater resource. There has been less research on the demand side of the problem, on how to induce cooperation among users to conserve water resources.
Water scarcity in a location results when extraction rates of users, exceed the available water stock and the recharge capacity of the aquifer. Therefore, adaptation to water scarcity depends on how the water users adjust their water extraction - over time - to the recharge capacity of the aquifer. This requires water users to have knowledge on water extraction volumes of all water users of the aquifer, and the recharging capacity of the aquifer. Based on this information, water users might consider the connection between water inflows, outflows and stock determinants of the water balance, as a key concept for sustainability of ground water resource management.
This research was focused upon the demand side of water scarcity in three Colombian municipalities Corozal (Sucre), Guamal (Magdalena), and Riohacha (La Guajira) with the objective to better understand the nature of cooperation among water users. This researcher analyzed drivers of cooperation, behavior and institutional mechanisms, using complementary lenses of common pool resource theory, behavioral economics and institutional economics.
This general research question used for structuring this research was:
1. How does information on water scarcity affects the extraction behavior of water users, and how can current information provision strategies be improved?
Subquestions involve:
2. What are the main drivers and inhibitors of cooperation among water users in water management systems in dry regions?
3. How do social rules coexist with legal rules in the overexploitation of aquifers in dry regions?
4. How does egoistic behavior and free riding from neighbor users affect collective action in the adaptation to climate variability?
The research strategy to collect empirical data involved field experiments, review of historical documents on institutional developments in water management in Sucre and la Guajira, and interviews of water users. Experimental sessions were designed to understand the decision-making processes of farmers, by providing them information on competing extraction sources and information on well capacity. The effect of information on decision-making was measured as part of the experiments. For each type of information, two experimental groups, were organized: (i) information on water extraction quantity was provided to all participants and free communication was allowed, and (ii) information on time remaining before aquifer exhaustion. In the two control groups, as part of the experiment, communication among participants was limited and also, allowed to test the effects of the possibility to design agreed upon decisions on extractions.
The field experiments were implemented as games in which players were asked to allocate water caps under diverse scenarios of depletion including suggestions to extract a balanced volume of water or take into account the remaining time for sustainable aquifer management. Participants were asked to allocate water resources for their current and future use, for themselves and their neighbors. Collaborative behavior of participants was tested by measuring compliance with suggested water extraction caps.
In total 62 farmers representing 10 communities participated in the field experiments, took part in 668 experimental rounds, based upon 2,670 observations used for empirical data analysis. The qualitative analyses included 40 semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Both quantitative analyses of data obtained through the field experiments, and qualitative data resulting from semi-structured interviews, provided the evidence for answering the research questions
Water scarcity in a location results when extraction rates of users, exceed the available water stock and the recharge capacity of the aquifer. Therefore, adaptation to water scarcity depends on how the water users adjust their water extraction - over time - to the recharge capacity of the aquifer. This requires water users to have knowledge on water extraction volumes of all water users of the aquifer, and the recharging capacity of the aquifer. Based on this information, water users might consider the connection between water inflows, outflows and stock determinants of the water balance, as a key concept for sustainability of ground water resource management.
This research was focused upon the demand side of water scarcity in three Colombian municipalities Corozal (Sucre), Guamal (Magdalena), and Riohacha (La Guajira) with the objective to better understand the nature of cooperation among water users. This researcher analyzed drivers of cooperation, behavior and institutional mechanisms, using complementary lenses of common pool resource theory, behavioral economics and institutional economics.
This general research question used for structuring this research was:
1. How does information on water scarcity affects the extraction behavior of water users, and how can current information provision strategies be improved?
Subquestions involve:
2. What are the main drivers and inhibitors of cooperation among water users in water management systems in dry regions?
3. How do social rules coexist with legal rules in the overexploitation of aquifers in dry regions?
4. How does egoistic behavior and free riding from neighbor users affect collective action in the adaptation to climate variability?
The research strategy to collect empirical data involved field experiments, review of historical documents on institutional developments in water management in Sucre and la Guajira, and interviews of water users. Experimental sessions were designed to understand the decision-making processes of farmers, by providing them information on competing extraction sources and information on well capacity. The effect of information on decision-making was measured as part of the experiments. For each type of information, two experimental groups, were organized: (i) information on water extraction quantity was provided to all participants and free communication was allowed, and (ii) information on time remaining before aquifer exhaustion. In the two control groups, as part of the experiment, communication among participants was limited and also, allowed to test the effects of the possibility to design agreed upon decisions on extractions.
The field experiments were implemented as games in which players were asked to allocate water caps under diverse scenarios of depletion including suggestions to extract a balanced volume of water or take into account the remaining time for sustainable aquifer management. Participants were asked to allocate water resources for their current and future use, for themselves and their neighbors. Collaborative behavior of participants was tested by measuring compliance with suggested water extraction caps.
In total 62 farmers representing 10 communities participated in the field experiments, took part in 668 experimental rounds, based upon 2,670 observations used for empirical data analysis. The qualitative analyses included 40 semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Both quantitative analyses of data obtained through the field experiments, and qualitative data resulting from semi-structured interviews, provided the evidence for answering the research questions
Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution |
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Supervisors/Advisors |
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Award date | 29 Sept 2023 |
Place of Publication | Rotterdam |
Print ISBNs | 978-628-01-1031-8 |
Publication status | Published - 29 Sept 2023 |
Research programs
- ESSB PA