Kuwait — Arid countries like Kuwait are increasingly focussing on techniques using stable isotopes to assess their ground water resources and meet the challenge of managing the fresh water resources.
“There are no permanent rivers or lakes in Kuwait and groundwater is our only natural water resource. We have an average rainfall of just 115 mm per year and fresh water streams do not exist,” said Muhammad Al-Rashed, Executive Director of the Water Research Center (WRC) in the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). Therefore, effective water management policies are vital to ensure quality and quantity of water availability to meet the demand of the country’s population of more than four million.
Kuwait’s groundwater reserves are mainly in the north of the country with limited recharge, as only a small percentage of rain water reaches these aquifers.
Isotope hydrology techniques are one of the key scientific methods that experts in Kuwait use to trace fresh water movement and to assess the age of available groundwater. It is based on the natural “tagging” water carries of various isotopes, which can be used to determine the source, age, movement and interactions of water above and below ground. The data obtained and visualized as hydrological maps enable experts in taking evidence-based decisions on sustainable resource management. Al-Rashed and his colleagues have conducted several isotope hydrology studies for the management of groundwater in Kuwait.
Kuwait's water use is among the highest in the world, with per capita consumption of over 400 litres per day. The withdrawal rate of groundwater is 255 million m³ per year. In contrast, the natural underground inflow to the aquifers from neighbouring countries is estimated at 67 million m3 per year. With limited fresh water resources, Kuwait relies heavily on desalinating seawater, which is an expensive process.
“We have to look at all available areas for potable water, and this is where isotope technology helps with investigations, as it looks at an optimum utilisation of all water resources required for sustainable development,” said Khaled Hadi, the Director of the Operations Division at WRC.
National efforts focus on investigating groundwater resources using isotope hydrology in combination with physicochemical methods, evaluating precipitation recharge, establishing an optimum water production strategy and evaluating the feasibility of artificial recharge of aquifers, said Nader Al-Awadi, KISR’s Executive Commissioner for International Cooperation.
