On the issues of groundwater management in India against a global perspective

1. Water
Large Dam in India (at least 1 Million Cu.m water capability).
1960s: 1114
1970s :1294
1980s 1255
1990ss: 625
2000s, 334
(Source: National register of large dams)
Observation: Rapidly decreasing number of large dams. Decrease rate alarmingly
steep since mid 90s with Sardar Sarovar project being abandoned by World Bank.

2. Why large dams were abandoned:
• Huge social and environmental impact in an adverse manner.
• Solution for catering to increasing agricultural water requirement. :
– Multitudes of micro irrigation projects(project catering to upto 2000
hectares)
– 1993‐94 MIP = 8.24 Million
– 2000‐01 MIP = 19.75 Million
– 2006‐07 MIP = 21 Million

3. Two types of Micro irrigation projects
– 1. Multitude of smaller check dams and smaller
reservoirs
– 2. Supplementing water demand by exploitation
of underground water.
• India took the second course.
• 2000‐2001 study: out of 19.75 Million MIP
18.5 Million took ground water extraction
route

4. Result

5. Underground water cycle
• Keeps circulating.
• Water enters from outside mainly through
rains and allied riverine discharges
• Water goes out through rivers and
swamplands maintaining balance.

6. • Excessive extraction of ground water
imbalance and fatal reduction in water level
• Drying up of smaller water‐bodies including
tanks swamps, wells due to short supply from
underground aquifers.
• Example: West Bengal annually pumps up 42%
of the recharged @ of underground water.

7. Global scenario
Same scenario prevails in 18 major countries including three major global foodgrain
producers viz. India, China, and the US

8. Effects
• Increasing population increasing demand of
water increasing pressure on ground
water uncontrolled depletion impending
agriculture failure
• As per 2012 report of the Earth Institute these
18 countries are facing this impending doom.

9. Effects
• Lower water level increasing arsenic
concentration increasing arsenic poisoning.
• As per 2015 stats, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar,
West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Manipur, Assam has got 86 districts affected
by Arsenic from ground water.

10. Solution mechanism
• 1993: Central Water Commission had
identified 1869 cubic kilometer water of our
riverine network as viable irrigation resource.
• This huge resource need to e utilised through
proper planning, especially through river
based micro irrigation projects.
• Mapping of aquifers, measuring their intake
and outflow quantum and limit usage on basis
of that.