Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Groundwater Sustainability Assessment in Small Islands: The Case Study of San Andres in the Caribbean Sea

Version 1 : Received: 24 July 2018 / Approved: 24 July 2018 / Online: 24 July 2018 (08:12:19 CEST)

How to cite: Lesmes Fabian, C.; Ibañez, J.W.; Prieto, F.S.; Caro Camargo, C. Groundwater Sustainability Assessment in Small Islands: The Case Study of San Andres in the Caribbean Sea. Preprints 2018, 2018070449. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0449.v1 Lesmes Fabian, C.; Ibañez, J.W.; Prieto, F.S.; Caro Camargo, C. Groundwater Sustainability Assessment in Small Islands: The Case Study of San Andres in the Caribbean Sea. Preprints 2018, 2018070449. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0449.v1

Abstract

Groundwater is an important resource for many countries and its scarcity is a major concern in small territories, especially in the islands where the constant extraction is creating a high risk of public calamity. This issue has been increasing because of the anthropogenic activities and the climate change and it has called the attention of scientists and stakeholders in order to assess the sustainability of the water management system, and therefore, to establish strategies for a more sustainable water use. San Andres island was taking as case study and a description of the water balance was carried out in order to understand the management system. Then, a water system sustainability assessment was performed with indicators such as water security, water quality, drinking water, sanitation, infrastructure, climate robustness, biodiversity, attractiveness, and governance, according to the City Blueprint Methodology. The result for the 24 evaluated indicators was a score of 3.2, whose interpretation is “an unsustainable water management”. The qualitative assessment was the base to propose water security, water quality, and governance strategies to improve the water management in the island. The assessment and its discussions are relevant for the water management in small islands across the world whose economy is based on the tourism and whose water security is at a high risk.

Keywords

groundwater; sustainability assessment; small islands; Caribbean islands; sustainability assessment indicators; water management

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science

Comments (1)

Comment 1
Received: 26 July 2018
Commenter: (Click to see Publons profile: )
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Comment: The authors conducted an important study with goal of assessing the sustainability of groundwater in small islands. Considering the current challenges on water availability and sanitation, this study is of great significance. It is valuable particularly to policy makers as it provides a systematic framework for prioritization.

The manuscript was well written and was easy to follow. However, the authors may want to expand more in the materials and methods section to ensure that the study was valid and reproducible. In the current form, the section is brief and some critical information is missing:
  1. What are the exact water processes and water flow that were considered in the study? What criteria did the authors use to select the processes and flows for inclusion in the study?
  2. The authors should probably include a map of the catchment, if possible. This could compliment Figure 1.
  3. Briefly, state the material flow analysis method and describe how you used it in your study. This could help in reproducibility.
  4. State the exact available method that were revised, how they were revised and why they were revised.
  5. What are the 24 indicators and their eight categories in the City Blueprint Framework? You may want to use an illustration or a table for this. How was data collected using the framework? How did you ensure there was no bias (or how did you account for bias/how many people coded the rankings on the City Blueprint Framework and what was their repeatability)?
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