The document discusses the need for a new paradigm in groundwater management in rainfed areas. It argues that past programs that brought investments, decisions, and knowledge to local communities have been successful. For groundwater management, it suggests taking a similar participatory approach focused on secure access to groundwater for all households to ensure crop security and livelihood stability. Case studies show how communities have collectively managed groundwater resources through pooling borewells and sharing water. The document calls for public investments to trigger such community-driven solutions and the development of a new localized knowledge system to support groundwater management goals.

1. Groundwater Management
In Rainfed Areas:
Requires A New Paradigm
Ravindra A,
www.wassan.org
raviwn@gmail.co
m

2. Drawing a parallel….
Forestry:
– JFM / CFM : a new paradigm of managing
forests, knowledge systems evolved
Soil and Water Conservation:
– Participatory watershed development
These programs have brought..
• Investments
• decisions (relatively) into people’s domain
• New actors closer to the field
• new knowledge and new ways of knowledge
transfer
• Had all these A NEW PARADIGM HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE
In to accommodate people’s knowledge

3. What should be the direction of
Groundwater Management
Agenda..?
• Augmentation of sources?
• Building more awareness on the crisis
• More knowledge transfer to farmers /
communities/ community based monitoring?
• Efficient use of ground water (micro-irrigation
etc.)
• Regulation of use? (Acts, No-to-Paddy, ..)
• More equitable distribution of access..??
Does these solve the problem..? In fact, WHAT IS THE
PROBLEM..?

4. • Groundwater is NOT the problem of/for
only those who have access to it.
• It is THE PROBLEM for those who do not
have access to it.

5. Secure access to
groundwater…
• Secures crops
• Securing crops is securing investments
• Higher investments leads to better crop
productivity stable incomes (if practices
sustainable agriculture)
• Helps to diversify..
• Reduces the climate change risks

6. In an year where crops have nearly
Pegionpea (redgram) : failed due to a long dry spell:
Sl Farmer Area in Total produce Yield in
Rate/Bag Total (Rs)
no Name (acres) (quintals) Qt/acre
1 Balraj ** 2.00 6.50 3.25 2800.00 18200.00
Chinna
2 4.00 2.00 0.50 2800.00 5600.00
Basappa
Pedda
3 1.00 3.50 3.50 2800.00 9800.00
Kistappa **
Chinna
4 2.00 1.00 0.50 2800.00 2800.00
Kistappa
Bala
5 2.00 2.00 1.00 2800.00 5600.00
Kistappa
Total 11.00 15.00 1.36 2800.00 42000.00
** highlighted : with critical irrigation

7. India will still have 60%
of its cultivated area as
rainfed after
exhausting all irrigation
potential.
Substantial number of
farmers depend on
rainfed farming.

8. Subsidies flow with water:
•Power subsidies
•Fertiliser subsidies
•Price support
•Micro irrigation
•Horticulture promotion.. So
on..
For Rainfed farmers…
??

9. Are public investments
driving a sustainable
Groundwater
Management agenda?

10. Investment on Wells and Borewells
2500000
2000000
1500000
Rs.
1000000
500000
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Cumulative investment on w ells Cumulative investment on borew ells
Investment on w ells Investment on borew ells
More water conservation More
Borewells

11. Micro-Irrigation:
where we are heading..?
•Driving a large expansion
of irrigated horticulture in
drylands
• Reallocating water use –
between field crops and
horticulture
•Resulting in more number
of borewells
Subsidy for Sprinklers and drips in AP (Rs.
Crore)

12. • Changing the crop-patterns
• Changing the food habits
70 PERCENTAGE OF AREA OF RICE IRRIGATED BY DIFFERENT SOURCES IN ANDHRA PRADESH
60
50
Percentage (%)
40
30
20
10
0
T im e ( Ye a r )
Tank % C anal % Total %
GW based
Total ( means tube well, dug well & others)

13. What Must Drive the Public
Investments on Groundwater in rainfed
areas?
• Can groundwater investments trigger
• security to various rural production
systems
• Security of livelihoods
• Increase Productivity of water
• Create Access to Groundwater for all
households

14. CHELLAPUR, Daultabad, Mahabubnagar
5 borewells – pooled
5 farmers, 48 acres
total land
-No new borewells for
at least 10 years
-MOU signed by MRO
-Rest-one BW every
day (reduce usage by
about 20%)
Coverage of all rainfed
lands
Common operation
Commissioned in 2007
2 seasons data
available

15. Ground water sharing in Chellapur
Area under different Irrigation/crop types * Area in acres
2006-
Irrigation type 07 2007 2007 2007-08 2008 2008 2008-09
season Rabi Summer Kharif Rabi Summer Kharif Rabi
Irrigated 1.25 7.00 3 9.60
irrigated dry 7.00 1.25 19.5 1.25 14.5
Rainfed-critical
irrigation 12.00
Rainfed-not
irrigated 35.00 16.75
Total area in
acre 7 1.25 43.25 19.5 3 39.6 14.5
Planning phase for 1)Good rains Initial rains Area
Ground Water received in this are late restricted
collectivization season and and below through
2) Pipe line average farmers’
installation rain fall consultation
phase
Increased area - both irrigated and irrigated dry crops (earlier 5 borewells were
continuously pumping– now 1 borewell rested every day as per norms). No new
borewells are dug.

16. Gorantlavandlapalli:
Nallacheruvu mandal, Anantapur
72 farmers in 370 acres
33 borewells
Entire village has agreed to
collectivize
- No new borewells
- All rainfed land must be
covered
- non-borewell owners must
also be covered
- Cost sharing
- No new borewells
Plans ready for 3 clusters &
quotations are invited.

17. • Where
from the
Investment
s come?

18. Evolve a Proactive GW Investment
Package for Rainfed Areas
• Extensive pipeline network to reach out to
much of the rainfed farms
• Triggering pooling of borewells
• Trigger sharing of water to rainfed farmers
for critical irrigation
• Priority to security of Kharif crops
• Evolve robust governance systems to
enforce norms that the community has
evolved for themselves.
• Move towards integrated farming

19. Knowledge Implications

20. A Practical View of Knowledge
Back Up for GW Management
Agenda:
• Avoid excessive quantification
• Heuristics based understanding of the complex
systems
• Integrate local benchmarks / indicators / proxies
• How to establish database support for community
level negotiations. . . is a major challenge
• A language amenable for communities to discuss
and discover.
• Thumb rule calculations/ projections that can be
easily passed on to local level facilitators.
• Take mapping tools to people (a hybrid of GPS
base + Google Maps)

21. To sum up…
• Evolve a new paradigm for groundwater
management
• Substantive public investments as a driver
for change
• Let the state backup with comprehensive
resource support
• Evolve a new knowledge system