Evaluation of Hydrogeoethics approach for sustainable management of groundwater resources in the upper Kabul sub-basin, Afghanistan

The upper Kabul Sub-basin is located in the Kabul River Basin. Groundwater is the main drinking water source in the upper Kabul sub-basin. Additionally, groundwater is widely used for domestic and irrigation purposes in the sub-basin. Overexploitation of groundwater in the sub-basin causes negative effects including depletion of the aquifer storage and groundwater level decline. To assure sustainability of the sub-basin determination of groundwater balance is necessary. In this study, a water balance equation was developed based on available information and physio-geographical characteristics of the study area, and it was applied for determining groundwater balance in the sub-basin. The results showed that there is a significant negative balance (− 14.75 MCM) between recharge and discharge in the sub-basin. In addition, to geoethically evaluate water and environmental issues in the upper Kabul sub-basin, an extensive online questionnaire survey was conducted with hydro-geoscientists of the Kabul residents. The survey results showed that all respondents have a good level of awareness toward groundwater and environmental issues. Moreover, the survey results indicated that the respondents are very worried about water shortage and groundwater pollution in the study area, however, they feel medium to high respect and responsibility towards groundwater issues in the region. This was the first geoethical survey conducted in Afghanistan. This study revealed that geoethical approaches can significantly help towards awareness of Afghan hydro-geoscientists on geoethics-related issues and efficient water resources management in the Kabul Basin.