Sustainable management of the internationally shared groundwater resources of the Guaraní Aquifer System (South American)
Country / Region: Supraregional sector project / Paraguay
Focal point: Internationally shared groundwater resources
Begin of project: March 27, 2003
End of project: June 1, 2009
Status of project: November 9, 2009
Groundwater from the Guaraní aquifer system is a vital resource for the people in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Source: BGR
Increasing industrialisation and fast growing urbanisation lead to an increasing groundwater demand and use and to a higher risk of pollution of the groundwater resources. Only through a sustainable management, the pollution of groundwater resources can be stopped and the exploitability can be assured for future generations. For “transboundary” regions, where several countries share groundwater resources, a common strategy on resources management is needed.
The long-term objective of the GEF-Project “Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of the Guaraní Aquifer System” is the sustainable, integrated management and use of groundwater. The Guaraní Aquifer System is almost contained in the Paraná River basin in South America, and underlies parts of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
To achieve the long-term objective, the project supports the four countries in jointly elaborating and implementing a common institutional and technical framework for managing and preserving the Guaraní Aquifer System for current and future generations.
OAS is the Executing Agency, acting on behalf of the four countries, and is responsible to the WB (as the Implementing Agency). With respect to the multinational character of the project, institutional arrangements have been implemented. All activities are driven by the Project Steering Committee, while the technical aspects of the project are provided by a Coordinating Council. The day-to-day activities are managed by the Guaraní Secretariat under the direction of the OAS and with oversight from the CC. Activities within each country are carried out by country-based project executing units.
The BGR supports the GEF-Project with a TC-measure that has a budget of about 0.8 million €. The BGR’s contribution consists of two compounds:
- support to Paraguay in its accomplishment of the obligation required from the GEF-project in the field of hydrogeology and the groundwater modelling,
- direct consultation of the overriding GEF-projects, for instance, in the final formulation and recommendations of the groundwater management for the whole aquifer system.
Technical Cooperation with Paraguay
Project contributions:
- TC Supraregional: Sustainable Use of the Transboundary Groundwater Resources of the Guaraní Aquifer System (GAS-PY)
- TZ überregional: Nachhaltige Nutzung der grenzüberschreitenden Grundwasservorkommen des Guaraní-Aquifer-Systems (SAG)
Literature:
Partner:
Direccion General de Proteccíon y Conservacíon de los Recursos Hidricos (DGPCRH) of the
Secretaría del Ambiente (SEAM), OAS, World Bank/GEF
