Water awareness for sustainable local groundwater management

Abstract

Saijo city in the Ehime Prefecture, Japan, has an abundant supply of groundwater. Many local residents pump groundwater up from their own private well. This natural resource attracts both local people and the water industry. The environmental impact of groundwater is a matter of concern for local people. The survey made in 2008 showed that that those groundwater users try instinctively to pump it within sustainable limits. In this research, we make a hypothesis that local people have individual knowledge about their use of groundwater and if this is so, we need to use potential water awareness effectively in local water governance. Using water awareness for sustainable water management is crucial. We analysed the problem using an open ended questionnaire. People pointed out problems with salty water and muddy water from different locations. Those places show common characteristics. The local water awareness about muddy water was successfully used for local water management. Colon bacillus was detected afterwards. In this paper, we propose how to use water awareness for local water management. © 2014 WIT Press.