Table 1:
Selected action situations and examples of drought adaptation across levels of social organisation.
| Appropriation | Provision | Monitoring | Conflict resolution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individuals | Efficiency measures groundwater pumping | On-farm or household infrastructure | Metering | Participation |
| Users association (single sector) | Adopt shortage sharing rules | Invest in groundwater storage facilities | Metering; coordinate monitoring and forecasting | Resolve allocation disputes at local tribunals |
| Regional (multiple sectors) | Negotiate shortage sharing between districts/sectors | Share storage | Enhance district and utility-level water accounting | Resolve allocation disputes at regional tribunals |
| Interstate | Adopt shortage triggers and shortage sharing rules | Share storage across state borders | Invest in monitoring networks | Resolve allocation disputes in court |
| International | Adopt shortage triggers and shortage sharing rules | Share storage across international borders | Monitor compliance with allocation rules | Resolve allocation disputes in international courts |
Figure 1:
The Rio Grande/Bravo river. An interstate and international transboundary river basin.
Figure 2:
Reservoir levels in August of each year in Lake Mead, Colorado River. Data Source: US Bureau of Reclamation, http://www.usbr.gov/lc/riverops.html.
Figure 3:
Storage levels (acre feet) in August of each year in Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico (Rio Grande).
Figure 4:
Albuquerque Vegetation Change (Landsat Imagery, Source: ESRI), illustrating the marked reduction in household outdoor water use as one example of the behaviour change and incentive-based programmes to spur independent adaptation in outdoor water use, primarily involving the removal of water-intensive turf landscape in favour of xeriscaping.