Groundwater dimensions of national water resource and river basin planning : promoting an integrated strategy

This briefing note deals primarily with promoting an integrated approach to water resource planning whereby groundwater is incorporated into the overall national strategy for water conservation. Groundwater and surface water are intimately linked, being part of the same overall hydrological cycle. Aquifers discharge to surface water bodies, and can be recharged by them, depending on local conditions. There is no technical reason why groundwater and surface water resource management should not be integrated, but integrating groundwater into river basin planning often requires addressing constraints presented by weak and fragmented legal and institutional frameworks.