Presentation is review of groundwater status in India.

1. Groundwater Status in India:
Review
Tapesh Ajmera
Hydrogeologist and Groundwater Modeler

2. Water and Contamination Status
• 54% of Indian’s GW wells are declining
• 21 major city expected run out of groundwater (GW) by 2020
• 600 million people face high to extreme water stress
• Approximately two lakh people die every year due to
inadequate access to safe water
• Approximately 3/4 of the households in the country do not
have drinking water at their premise.
• With nearly 70% of water being contaminated.
• Water quality index: 120th amongst 122 countries

3. cont.,
• Total population: 121 crore (2011 census)
• Distribution: rural 69% and urban 31%
• No of districts: 712 (as of 2018)
• 29 State and 7 Union territories
• 85 % of rural population of the country uses ground water for
drinking and domestic purposes.
• Fluoride (>1.5 mg/l): 276 districts in 20 states or UT
• Nitrate (>45 mg/l): 387 districts in 21 states or UT
• Arsenic (>0.05 mg/l): 86 districts in 10 states or UT
• Iron (>1.0 mg/l): 297 districts in 24 states or UT
• Heavy metal [Lead (>0.01 mg/l), Cadmium (>0.003
mg/l), Chromium (>0.05 mg/l)]: 113 districts in 15 states or UT

4. Per Capita Water Availability
5177
3000
4000
5000
6000
PerCapitaWaterAvailability(m3/y)
There is wide disparity in basin-wise water availability due
to uneven rainfall and varying population density in the
country.
The availability is as high as14057 m3/year per capita in
Brahmaputra/ Barak Basin and as low as 307
m3/year/person in Sabarmati basin.
2200
1869
1341
1140
0
1000
2000
3000
1951 1991 2001 2025 2050
PerCapitaWaterAvailability
Year

5. Source augmentation and restoration of water bodies
Source augmentation (Groundwater)
Major and medium irrigation—Supply side management
Watershed development—Supply side management
Participatory irrigation practices—Demand side management
Factors that Improve Water Availability
Participatory irrigation practices—Demand side management
Sustainable on-farm water use practices—Demand side
management
Rural drinking water
Urban water supply and sanitation
Policy and governance

6. Groundwater Availability-Estimated
Facts
As on 31th
March 2011
As on 31th
March 2013
Change
1. Total Annual Replenishable
Ground Water Resources
433 bcm 447 bcm
14
2. Net Annual Ground Water
Availability
398 bcm 411 bcm
13
3. Annual Ground Water Draft 245 bcm 253 bcm 8
4. Stage of Ground Water4. Stage of Ground Water
Development
62% 62%
5. Total No. of Assessed Units 6607 6584 -23
1. Safe 4503 4520 17
2. Semi Critical 697 681 -16
3. Critical 217 253 36
4. Over-Exploited 1071 1034 -37
5. Saline 92 96 4

7. Ground Water Development Scenario
6.5
44.98
0
10
20
30
40
50
1951 2001
Number(Mha)
Area Irrigated from GW
3.86
9.62
0.003
8.35
0
0.53
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1951 2001
Number(Million)
Year
Dug Well Shallow Tube Well Deep Tube Well
1951 2001
Year

8. YDROGEOLOGY OF INDIA
Hydrogeology of India
>40 25-40 10-25 <10
1-25 1-10 1-5
<1
Groundwater Potential (Yield, Liters/sec)
Unconsolidated Formations
Unconsolidated /Semi-Consolidated
Formations
Hilly Area
Legend

9. Depth to Water Level Map
(Post Monsoon-2010)
Index
Depth to Water Level (m bgl)
<3
3 to 6
6 to 9
>9
Hilly Area

10. Artificial Recharge
 Natural replenishment of ground water reservoir is slow.
 Artificial recharge to ground water has become an important
and frontal management strategy .
 Generally, natural recharge is restricted to monsoon period. Generally, natural recharge is restricted to monsoon period.
 Need to prepare a systematic implementation plan for
augmenting ground water resources under various
hydrogeological situations.

11. Basic Requirement of Artificial Recharge
Availability of non-committed water
Surplus monsoon run off.
Treated municipal and industrial wastewaters.
Identification of suitable hydrogeological environment.
The aquifers best suited for artificial recharge are those aquifers
which absorb large quantities of water and do not release them toowhich absorb large quantities of water and do not release them too
quickly (vertical hydraulic conductivity- high, while the horizontal
hydraulic conductivity -moderate).
The upper 3 m of the unsaturated zone is not considered for
recharging, since it may cause adverse environmental impact e.g.
water logging, soil salinity, etc.
Cost effective artificial recharge techniques.

12. Criteria and Inputs for Planning
 Identification of Area
 Hydro-meterological Studies
 Hydrological Studies
 Hydrogeological Studies
 Soil Infiltration Studies
 Aquifer Geometry
 Chemical Quality of Source Water

13. ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE TECHNIQUES
Direct Surface
Techniques
Direct Sub-surface
Techniques
Combination
Surface – sub-
surface Techniques
Indirect
Techniques
• Injection wells or • Basin or • Induced
• Flooding
• Basins or
percolation tanks
• Stream
augmentation
• Ditch and furrow
system
• Over irrigation
• Injection wells or
recharge wells
• Recharge pits
and shafts
• Dug well
recharge
• Natural
openings, cavity
fillings.
• Basin or
percolation tanks
with pit shaft or
wells.
• Induced
recharge from
surface water
source.
• Aquifer
modification.

14. Artificial Recharge Structures
Basins or
percolation tanks
1Stream augmentation
1Satpura Mountain front
area in Maharashtra
Source: 1Google Images

15. Ditch and Furrow System1
Research Pit and Shaft2
Source: 2http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105103026/module4/lec29/3.html, 1Google Images
Check Dam1

16. Dug Well Recharge1
Source: 1Google Images

17. Master Plan For Artificial Recharge to GW(2013)
Area identified for Artificial Recharge 941,541 km2
Volume of water to be recharge 85,565 MCM
Total number of structures proposed in
Rural area (Lakhs) 22.83
Urban area (Lakhs) 87.99Urban area (Lakhs) 87.99
Total (Lakhs) 110.82
Estimated Cost
Rural area (Crores) 61,192
Urban area (Crores) 17,986
Total (Crores) 79,178

18.  Groundwater irrigation about 60 % of the total area irrigated
in the country (2006-07 as per Indian Agricultural Statistic,
2008).
 There has been a paradigm shift from groundwater
development to groundwater management over the last
decade.
Aquifer Mapping and Management
decade.
 CGWB has taken up National Project on Aquifer Management
in XII & XIII Plan period to formulate sustainable aquifer
management plan.

19. Aquifer Mapping and Management Plan
Identification of Agency Activities Capacity Building & Training
XXXXXXX
X
Budget National International
Aquifer
Data
Compilation
Additional Data
Generation
Preparation of
Aquifer Map
Aquifer
Management
Plan (AMP)
Implementatio
n of AMP
Collection Data Gap
Analysis
CGWB
Hydrogeoology
Hydrology
Geophysical
Water quality
GIS Layer
Surface/Sub-
Surface
Point Layer
XXXXX
Analysis
XXXXXX
State
Others

20. Preparation of Aquifer
Map
Aquifer
Management
Plan (AMP)
Implementation
of AMP
1:250,000
Demand
Analysis Strategy Participatory
Approach
cont.,
1:50,000
1:10,000
Drinking
Irrigation
Industry
Environment
others
Long
Medium
& Short
term
Approach
State
Govt./WUA/V
Os/PRIs/NGO

21. Conclusion
 Do not have/do not want to adopt latest groundwater
management technology (especially, for GW recharge)at local to
national level.
 Most policies have not enforce properly at local and state level.
 Leak of coordination betweens state and central agencies.
 Illegal GW extraction at a single house through tube Illegal GW extraction at a single house through tube
well/pumping well (even lots of real estate housing also).
 A small park at colony/mohal level have a GW extraction well
(might be government registered but operated by colony
person-misuse).
 Provide free/fix rate electricity for farmer-misuse

22.  Every single wells should be registered at local water department.
 GW monitoring (quality also) should have at least one every 3
months and even more frequency at Over-Exploited blocks.
 All well information (well type, coordinate, geological-
cont.,
 All well information (well type, coordinate, geological-
log, casing, screen, elevation, GWL in mbgl and masl) should be
registered at online and centralizes.
 More focus on treated STP and industrial wastewaters
(e.g., Doha, Qatar)
 Groundwater awareness program should be introduce at school
level (e.g., Australia).

23.  Each every policy evaluate by technical committee and also
responsible for implementation with no/minimal interfere of
politicians. May be introduce some reward schemes for
engineer/professional and states.
 Groundwater-Surface interaction model for regional level and
local model for Over-Exploited blocks should be used for
cont.,
local model for Over-Exploited blocks should be used for
strategic decision and planning.
 Should have better characterization of GW aquifer.
 Develop and implement real-time water quality alarms tools/
software at water supply units.
 Our focus should be GW qualitative and quantitative both.

24. Thanks