Policy Instruments for Groundwater Management and Criteria for their Assessment

Policy instruments for water management are the essential link between policy objectives and action by water users. They provide water users with the incentives to use water more efficiently and sustainably. Policy instruments for groundwater management, as shown in Table 7, can be broadly grouped in two main categories: those which require metering and those which do not. Table 7 Overview of groundwater management instruments

Instruments which require metering	Instruments which require no metering
Municipal water tariffs	Removal of price distortions which favor water-intensive sectors which lower pumping costs
Property rights Non-tradable Tradable	Direct regulation Cropping pattern Technological standards
Groundwater abstraction charges	Subsidies for water-saving equipment