Gujarat

The discussion paper by Carewater INREM Foundation on possibility of revival of dug wells in hard rock India through recharge is based on a field study across ten districts of the country. The study seeks to understand how localized governance of groundwater in hard rock areas is to be pursued through pricing (water, energy), legal regulation and community institutions. Water supply augmentation and demand management are both to be taken care of, directly through regulation or through indirect instruments such as pricing.

The report by Carewater INREM Foundation deals with the duel between popular science used in decision making by farmers and the formal science of hydrogeology that is based on scientific data collection. These two parallel streams of knowledge exist together, sometimes complement, and at other times are at conflict. People’s knowledge on hydrology is not ‘dying’, but thriving and growing well, refreshed continually by interfaces with science. In hard rock areas, the high hydrogeologic variability makes observation as important as theory since it is localized, pervasive and relevant to the needs of people.

The report presents a seasonal rainfall-runoff model developed for the Saurashtra region as well as parts of Narmada river basin. The successful planning and implementation of water resources projects require reliable data on volumetric runoff. It is not feasible to have discharge stations in all the river basins of interest given resource constraints. Therefore, regional rainfall-runoff models are preferred. The utility of such models can be improved if rainfall-runoff models for different regions are developed using data specific to the regions.

In the present study, watershed prioritization of the catchment immediately upstream of the Ukai reservoir has been carried out using remote sensing technique. The Watershed Response Model (WRM) has been used for this purpose. This model utilizes the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Soil Brightness Index (SBI), the two important parameters responsible for soil erosion.

In the present study, two different Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were developed for Dharoi reservoir, Gujarat, one for flood control operation and another for conservation operation. In recent years, ANNs are increasingly being used to predict water resources variables particularly in the operation of reservoirs, the most important elements of complex water resources systems, constructed for spatial and temporal distribution of water.

The report presents a sedimentation study in which sedimentation rate and volume have been determined using remote sensing data in the Ukai reservoir constructed across the Tapti River in Gujarat.

The report uses the Soil Conservation Services (SCS, 1956), Curve Number (SCS-CN) method, a widely used event based rainfall-runoff method for simulating daily rainfall-runoff data of three catchments, viz., Ramganga and Hemavathi catchments of the sub-humid regions and Sabarmati catchment of the arid region of India.

In the model formulation, the daily variation of parameter, potential maximum retention is governed by the known antecedent moisture condition. Hydrologic simulation studies provide a useful and important input to water resources planning and watershed management practices.

Article Courtesy: Association for India's Development

Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh,

We, the undersigned, are writing this letter to ensure that the farmers and tribals displaced by the Sardar Sarovar and Maheswar dams are satisfactorly resettled and rehabilitated and that there is full compliance with environmental safeguards, before any permission is given for further construction work on these dams.

We deeply appreciate the fact that the Central Government has recently ordered suspension of work on the Maheshwar dam since the oustees are not resettled and rehabilitated, as per the requirements of the environmental clearance dated 01.05.2001. While over 80% of the construction work of the Maheshwar dam has been completed a mere 5% of the 70,000 oustees have been rehabilitated.

Gujarat Water Summit 2010
Theme:"Water Sector in Gujarat – Challenges and Opportunities”

Organizers: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & Government of Gujarat

Venue: Courtyard by Marriott, Alishan I, II and III, Ramdev Nagar Cross Road, Satellite Road, Ahmedabad Gujarat India

Description:

India is moving towards a severe water scarcity scenario where its fragile and finite water resources are depleting, while the demand for water from various sectors of the economy is rapidly rising.  In recent years, the rapid industrialization (industry is the second major consumer of water with over 50 billion cubic metres) and growing population have increased the disparity between the supply and demand of water.

The paper reviews contentious issues related to water governance in the Narmada river basin like the riparian rights of States over apportionment of the use of the waters for large dam-centered canal irrigation and hydro-electric power development and the later disputes around the appropriateness of this model of development given the tremendous environmental and social costs associated with it.