1. Background and Necessity of Research
1.1 Background of the Research
This research originates from the need to develop indicators for sustainable groundwater management and assessment. Groundwater is a major water resource in regions lacking surface water, with rapid increases in groundwater abstraction over recent decades in countries such as India, the United States, China, and Iran. Consequently, various issues such as groundwater depletion, water quality degradation, and land subsidence have arisen, leading to socioeconomic challenges. Particularly in India, water shortages and reduced agricultural productivity have become serious social problems. Once groundwater is depleted or contaminated, its recovery takes a significant amount of time, highlighting the importance of policy and institutional efforts to prevent such situations. In response to this, many countries have implemented diverse policies to ensure the sustainability of groundwater. For instance, California in the United States introduced the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) system in 2009 to monitor increased groundwater extraction due to drought and established the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014, mandating the creation and management of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). In Europe, policies have been strengthened by designating nitrate-vulnerable zones to address groundwater contamination due to agriculture. China also adopted groundwater management ...