Resilience in a Changing Climate: Advancing Research on Groundwater for Equity (RECHARGE)

The University of Technology Sydney - Institute for Sustainable Futures

Climate Resilience Research (WRA-CR12)

Research theme: Groundwater and climate-resilient WASH 

Research focus: Investigation of how groundwater can be harnessed and protected to facilitate improved climate resilience of safely managed inclusive WASH services.

Location: Indonesia, Vanuatu, Vietnam

Partners: University of Technology Sydney – Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF), University of Indonesia, Can Tho University, The University of the South Pacific, The Pacific Community

There are significant evidence gaps in relation to groundwater use and management in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the potential of groundwater and how it can be sustainably managed to help combat the climate crisis. This project aimed to inform, build knowledge and influence the opportunities and barriers to climate-resilient and inclusive groundwater development in Pacific Island contexts. Ultimately, this research aimed to support evidence-based investments in groundwater-based services that are more likely to be safely managed.

With a focus on Vanuatu and the Pacific, Indonesia and Vietnam, this included determining How can groundwater be harnessed and protected to facilitate improved climate resilience of safely managed inclusive WASH services?

Knowledge products

• Policy Brief: Groundwater Quality Risks in Indonesian Cities
• Behaviour change package: supporting the transition from self-supply to piped water supply systems in urban Indonesia
• Workshop Report: Pacific Learning Event

What we did

In Indonesia, the research focused on reducing groundwater quality risks in densely populated urban areas, particularly linked to climate and sanitation. 

In Vanuatu, the research examined how groundwater can underpin equitable, resilient water services in rural island communities, and support learning exchange with the wider Pacific region.  

In Vietnam, the research took a systems-wide perspective on groundwater-based water services in the Mekong Delta. Characterising complex system interactions enables the identification of connections, feedback loops and strategic points of intervention towards climate-resilient, inclusive, safely managed water services.  

The research is building critical new knowledge to help policymakers, practitioners and communities maximise opportunities and overcome barriers to climate-resilient and inclusive groundwater development.

What we found

The research built critical new knowledge to help policymakers, practitioners and communities maximise opportunities and overcome barriers to climate-resilient and inclusive groundwater development.

In Indonesia, we found cities with a greater proportion of households using wells compared to bores, and where population density is highest, have higher risk of faecal contamination of their water supply. Three practical barriers were mentioned by households when they consider connecting to piped water: they needed to connect as a group, some locations were not feasible to connect, and complicated paperwork process. Since people value and are motivated by ease and convenience, addressing these barriers is important

In Vanuatu and the Pacific, we found strengthening technical skills and community awareness is vital for sustainable groundwater management. Clear guidelines, land-use agreements and compliance mechanisms are also essential for equitable and efficient groundwater use. GEDSI must be central to decision-making processes to ensure water access benefits all, especially women and marginalised groups. Addressing high operational costs and integrating renewable energy solutions will improve longevity and resilience.

In Vietnam, before the project began, information about people’s dependence on groundwater was limited to general knowledge, without detailed research on the impacts of climate change and socio-economic factors on this vital resource. The findings highlighted urgent issues such as groundwater depletion, illegal water extraction, and challenges rural communities face in accessing clean water. the creation of a solid database on groundwater usage and water security in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces was a significant achievement.

Participants of the Pacific learning event on resilience in a changing climate: advancing research on groundwater for equity (USP)

Research Uptake

Overall, the RECHARGE project has bridged the gap between research, policy, and practical action, ensuring that scientific evidence is translated into practical, climate-adaptive solutions in WASH and related sectors. Local governments have demonstrated stronger commitments to integrating sustainable water management solutions into their groundwater planning strategies.

In the Pacific, the research led to connection between Government actors across Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands and an increased appreciation that rural water services need to be more inclusive and climate resilient.

In Indonesia, the risk ranking model for urban groundwater we developed was taken up by BRIN partner institution and included in their presentation materials. Despite facing challenges related to data availability, our model proved to be useful and impactful. Our relationship with national government of Indonesia and other stakeholders (e.g, including the national water utility association, local government) was enhanced through collaboration on workshops and dialogue on how to make important changes in the sector.

In Vietnam, engagement with local authorities and policymakers we saw an increased awareness about groundwater degradation, leading to discussions on sustainable water management solutions.

Universities and research institutes have expressed interest in further studies on sustainable groundwater management, highlighting the long-term academic impact of the project. This project created significant opportunity for learning, inter-disciplinary collaboration and strengthened capacities to undertake high-quality, interdisciplinary research on WASH issues, including integration of GEDSI and climate within WASH, for team members from all the institutions involved.

“[The RECHARGE project] has been more than just a scientific research process. It has been a transformative experience, bringing practical value and positive impacts to the community, stakeholders, and even the research team itself.”

– Can Thuy University Researcher

Broader WASH Sector Contributions

Strengthened partnerships between in-country research institutions and policymakers will support the continued development of evidence-based WASH policy into the future. Also, strengthened connections between the WASH community and the water resource management community (particularly groundwater/hydrogeology) will support more holistic responses to water security challenges going forward.

Where to from here?

In Indonesia, we want to progress our research to the "deliver" and "evaluate" stages to further understand behavior change, allowing us to determine how effectively the communication package we developed influences the transition to piped water usage. We would like to see clear regulations and policy for inclusion of climate-resilient inclusive WASH in planning documents, line budgeting items and best practices that can be documented and disseminated, with local wisdom as part of the picture. In providing climate-resilient water, we can also consider different water sources like rainwater. There are opportunities to engage with various stakeholders and collaborate with media and NGOs for science communication.

In Vanuatu, we hope to continue working with the government to establish good fundamental rural water systems, suitable financing and operations & maintenance models, while also innovating with new approaches to rural water. Also, community led solutions where communities are empowered to implement and manage their WASH systems with focus on inclusivity is key for climate-resilient WASH. Groundwater development is an opportunity throughout Melanesia, there are opportunities for continued South-South learning and we will explore facilitation of more collaboration on this topic.

In Vietnam, building on the achievements of the RECHARGE project, we recognise that promoting climate-resilient WASH solutions is not just a research task but a long-term commitment to the community. Moving forward, we aim to expand and enhance the effectiveness of the solutions studied while ensuring their sustainability beyond the project's completion. We aim to scale up effective water management models, increase community awareness and technical support to empower people to proactively manage and use water resources, integrating gender, disability, and ethnic minority considerations into water management policies, ensuring equitable access to water resources, is a key priority.

To sustain and expand the impact of RECHARGE, we also seek to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, working closely with government to integrate research recommendations into long-term water resource development plans. This will help ensure that sustainable solutions are embedded in practical policies, particularly those related to GEDSI. Moreover, we will actively explore and scale up existing initiatives, fostering applied research that directly benefits communities.

Where we started

"Through the RECHARGE program we have the opportunity to create change, to build climate resilience through improved understanding of groundwater management and therefore better investments in safely managed groundwater-based services.”

Dr Tim Foster, Research Director, University of Technology – Institute for Sustainable Futures

Research Description

There are significant evidence gaps in relation to groundwater use and management in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the potential of groundwater and how it can be sustainably managed to help combat the climate crisis.

Climate change has the potential to impact seasonal rainfall and change the frequency and intensity of rainfall events across the Asia-Pacific region. These changes will likely affect access to safely managed water in terms of availability and quality of drinking water, with subsequent health and welfare impacts falling disproportionately on disadvantaged groups.

Led by UTS-ISF, this research will strengthen evidence and understanding of groundwater and its usage, which will help guide the management and development of groundwater towards solutions that lower climate risks to water access, particularly for disadvantaged groups. The research will have relevance to a wide range of stakeholders involved in developing and managing groundwater, including governments, development partners, households, service providers and the private sector. The research takes a transdisciplinary approach to understanding how groundwater can be developed, safeguarded and managed in a way that leads to more climate-resilient and inclusive outcomes for water services, particularly for disadvantaged households.

Insights and lessons on management and governance of groundwater and associated water services will be contextualised for urban Indonesia, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and rural islands in Vanuatu. This is significant, because climate impacts and responses may vary across these three contexts, owing to differing climatic, hydrogeological and socio-demographic characteristics. An examination of these three separate contexts ensures the lessons learnt are relevant to the Asia-Pacific region more broadly.

Research on groundwater issues in the Asia-Pacific region has been largely siloed in a disciplinary sense, with a particular focus on hydrogeology. This project takes a broader perspective, bringing together academic expertise on environmental and social sciences, practical expertise on WASH implementation and governance, and local knowledge to provide actionable advice on reducing climate risks to urban and rural water services. The research in all three countries involves a mixed-methods research design consisting of household surveys, technical assessment and water quality testing, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion, case studies, secondary data analysis and workshops.

The research aims to inform, build knowledge and influence the opportunities and barriers to climate-resilient and inclusive groundwater development in Pacific Island contexts. Ultimately, this research aims to support evidence-based investments in groundwater-based services that are more likely to be safely managed. The research also seeks to innovate by pushing methodological boundaries. This includes novel methods that will:

1. Map groundwater quality risks in urban areas
2. Integrate environmental and social data sets
3. Characterise relationships between climate variables and safely managed water service criteria
4. Characterise groundwater contamination risk from onsite sanitation, and
5. Apply behaviour change frameworks to the challenge of shifting people to piped water services.

Pathways to impact

1. Providing practical information on groundwater development for climate-resilient, inclusive water services in Vanuatu. This research is being used by the Government of Vanuatu, development partners, and the private sector to make informed decisions and investments in groundwater schemes. The research findings are also benefitting Pacific regional stakeholders by sharing knowledge on the barriers and opportunities of groundwater development.
2. Informing national and local government planning in Indonesia, including the roadmap to climate-resilient water supply and National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2029 planning. This research is supporting the adoption of a risk mapping tool for investment decisions in piped water systems, providing evidence on the impact of rainfall on sanitation system contamination, and developing a behaviour change package for transitioning to more climate-resilient services. The outcomes are contributing to strengthening the evidence base, informing policy responses to climate change, and guiding infrastructure design and construction.
3. Enhancing understanding of groundwater management and supporting water supply planning in Vietnam in the case study districts. This research is addressing climate impacts like saltwater intrusion and prioritising gender equality, disability and social inclusion considerations. The research outcomes, including the priority indicator framework, are useful for national and provincial agencies, private service providers, and community institutions involved in groundwater resource management and water service delivery.

“As the use of groundwater and on-site sanitation in urban Indonesia is exceptionally high, the RECHARGE program will allow us to gather robust evidence to support national and subnational risk-based policy for the transition to safely managed water services.”

Dr Cindy Priadi, Assistant Professor, Environmental Engineering Study Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia

Feature photo: Water tap and storage tank in Tra Vinh province, Mekong Delta region, Vietnam (UTS-ISF / Diana Gonzalez)