Groundwater governance: The illegality of exploitation and ways to minimize the problem

In Brazil, there are about 2.5 million tubular wells in which 88% of them are illegal, extracting more than 17,580 Mm(3)/yr. This irregular use may cause sustainability issues that may be economic, social, or environmental (overexploitation, well losses and associated increases of water conflicts; aquifer contamination; and land subsidence). This paper aims to address the illegal wells in Brazil and discuss measures to minimize it. Conclusions indicate that users do not understand the aquifer dynamic and, therefore, do not have a proper understanding of problems such as loss of water quality and quantity caused by the excess of groundwater exploitation. This creates a false idea that there are no water conflicts among users, which causes a lack of engagement by society. Without groundwater users and stakeholder pressure, the government does not aim to control or close illegal wells, and the vicious cycle persists. The one way to break this vicious cycle would be programs of social communication and users' participation, coupled with improvements to the control apparatus and inspection from State institutions, making sure that there is correct management and not only legislations that are not applied.

Automated summary

The study highlights the prevalence of illegal wells in Brazil, with 88% of them being unauthorized; lack of understanding and engagement from users contributes to unsustainable groundwater exploitation; solutions include social communication programs, user participation, and enhanced government control and inspection mechanisms.