Assessment of Water Resources Development and Exploitation: Integrated Surface and Groundwater Management Paradigm

Global water security is increasingly threatened by compounding water scarcity drivers, notably climate change, systemic aquifer overexploitation, and severe industrial and mining impacts. Historically, water management relied on fragmented, sectorial approaches that evaluated surface water and groundwater as separate, isolated entities, leading to ecological degradation and unsustainable exploitation. This review traces the paradigm shift from these isolated structural configurations to the holistic framework of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). By examining the evolution of water management, this paper synthesizes how contemporary frameworks address the dual challenges of physical scarcity and institutional fragmentation. The core thesis of this study posits that long-term environmental sustainability and climate resilience cannot be achieved through unilateral technical interventions. Instead, sustainability fundamentally hinges on the recognition of the hydrological continuum through coupled groundwater-surface water systems, the enforcement of robust and adaptive legislative governance, and the deliberate integration of socio-economic equity. Using South Africa as a primary focal lens, the review highlights how progressive legal architectures face persistent structural barriers during practical implementation. Ultimately, achieving a resilient water future requires a transdisciplinary convergence of advanced hydrological modelling, remote sensing technologies, decentralized alternative water sourcing, and polycentric, inclusive stakeholder engagement. This integrated approach ensures that the strategic development of water resources balances ecological conservation requirements with the urgent socio-economic development priorities of marginalized populations. Keywords: Water resources, groundwater, surface water, sustainability, governance, resilience © International Journal of Ground Sediment & Water, © Sun Jichao, The website is Web1: https://ijgsw.eu.org/ Web2: https://ijgsw.net/