Comparative groundwater management: Findings from an exploratory global survey

We present data from a comparative exploratory global survey on groundwater resource management on issues of law and policy, legal ownership, control, and access. A questionnaire pilot-survey was mailed to agencies and departments involved in water management in 185 countries. We obtained feedback from 104 countries representing a 54% response rate. Data results were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study proceeds with a brief introduction to the study followed by a discussion of the methods of data collection, sources of data, major findings, and problems of the survey. It concludes with a discussion on the policy implications of the survey's results on conventional groundwater resource management.