Groundwater

Jalyatra - Exploring India's traditional water management systems, by Nitya Jacob is an ecological travelogue that looks at links between water, society and places It describes in detail what existed, how it fitted into the socio-cultural milieu and was appropriate for the local climate and geography. It then examines reasons for their decline, as indeed most have, in recent decades.

While recording the dismal state of traditional systems, the author stumbles upon small initiatives that have brought about significant transformation across regions. It refers to noisy hidrums and gharaats, the river-run flour mills of Uttaranchal, the technologies whose potential has yet to be fully realised. It looks at water harvesting structures of southern India—the eris and ooranis. However, it admits that the average person is singularly uninterested in protecting the environment.

Jalyatra captures the efforts of NGOs and enlightened individuals striving to revive these systems. It makes the case for a mass movement to revive traditional water management systems, especially village ponds, across the country as the way to ensure water security in India. In Chambal, the author meets Brij Mohan Gujjar, dacoit turned water conservationist, who is doing valuable work on the check dams designed to control the flow of water in the ravines; and in Shillong, Lan Potham shows him the uses of the easily available bamboo to construct the shyngiar which irrigates his areca nut plantation.

The sustainable development and management of the resource requires precise quantitative assessment based on valid scientific principles. The updated Groundwater Estimation Committee methodology – 1997 has been used and detailed guidelines were formulated through discussions and deliberations in the State Level Groundwater Estimation Committee.

 In these, private tanker truck operators transport water extracted from peri-urban wells to urban consumers.  This study adopted a systems modeling approach to analyzing the informal tanker market in India.  The results indicate that the demand for tanker supply was caused by lack of groundwater availability in private wells as well as unreliable piped supply.

Introduction

Applications are invited from eligible candidates on plain paper for below mentioned posts to carry out work on Research Project entitled “Modelling of Jakkur & sampigehalli lake water balance and groundwater-surface water interaction using isotope Techniques” sponsored by DST, New Delhi and CWRDM, Kozhikode-673571 for a period of 3 years at Department of Civil Engineering, Bangalore University, Bangalore-560 056.

Junior Research Fellow: One (1)

Fellowship: Rs.16000/-+ 20% HRA (18000/- pm consolidated I & II Year, 20000/-pm in III year)

 A welcome and important document, it brings up-to-date our understanding of the rapidly changing groundwater situation in Bangalore.

Growth of bore wells during February 2009 to January 2010 in Bangalore city