The Groundwater Resources Governance in Transboundary Aquifers (GGRETA) Project addresses issues related to Transboundary Aquifers and responds to the pressing need of increasing the knowledge on their physical and socioeconomics characteristics. It is an integral component of the UNESCO’s International Shared Aquifer Resource Management (ISARM) Initiative and the Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP).

In-depth assessments have been conducted in three selected case studies:

• The Esquipulas-Ocotepeque-Citalá (Trifinio) Aquifer in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
• The Stampriet-Kalahari/Karoo Aquifer in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
• The Pretashkent Aquifer in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Pretashkent Transboundary Aquifer

Pretashkent Transboundary Aquifer

The Pretashkent Transboundary Aquifer is located at considerable depth under a relatively flat area of piedmont and alluvial plains bordered by the Shardara reservoir and Syrdarya river in the South and West, and by spurs of the Tian Shian and Chatkalo-Kuramin mountain systems to the North-East and East. This area includes three administrative districts of southern Kazakhstan and thirteen districts in the adjoining part of Uzbekistan (including the capital Tashkent). The aquifer delineation is based on geological formation boundaries and the location of the aquifer’s main discharge zone. The Pretashkent Transboundary Aquifer is an example of medium-sized deeply buried artesian aquifers with negligible recent recharge.