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IGRAC’s Tragedy of the Groundwater Commons Game
May 21, 2008: IGRAC has facilitated two workshops on the 'Tragedy of the Groundwater Commons' dilemma. In these workshops, participants simulated a rural development situation where they were either farmers depending on groundwater for irrigation use or fishermen in a nearby lake. Individual choices on groundwater abstraction rates affected the ability of others to pump groundwater or to harvest fish (since the lake might run dry) and hence the success of their livelihood.
In this classical dilemma there is temptation to freeride since benefits of abstracting an additional unit of groundwater accrue to the individual farmer (extra yield) while costs are distributed among all. Free access and unrestricted demand for the groundwater resources ultimately structurally deplete the resource base through over-exploitation.
In a series of simulations, participants learn how to deal with these externalities and the dilemma. Do they cooperate or compete? Which rules are used to stop the tragedy of the groundwater commons in their community?
The 1st workshop (April 27th) was part of the symposium on ‘Water as source of Conflict' organized by the International Relations and International Organization Faculty of the University of Groningen. The 2nd workshop (May 5th) was part of the hydrology course at the Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg in the Netherlands.