Groundwater

Featured Articles
October 17, 2022
Invisible informal groundwater markets
While informal groundwater markets cater significantly to the needs of smallholder farmers in India, they continue to be unacknowledged and understudied.
Groundwater, a finite resource (Image Source: TV Manoj via Wikimedia Commons)
July 5, 2022
Poisoned waters, threatened lives
Studies reveal that children are the most vulnerable to the health risks associated with groundwater contamination due to nitrate and fluoride, highlighting the need for urgent remedial measures.
POisoned waters, dangerous outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
April 26, 2022
Making the invisible, visible
The water stewardship initiative by WOTR that developed a tool to visualise aquifers has not only helped farmers understand groundwater as a shared resource, but also led to a behavioural change among water users and helped implement groundwater laws and policies.
Groundwater, a fast disappearing resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
February 13, 2022
Poisonous encounters, fatal outcomes!
A study provides new evidence that drinking water contaminated with arsenic can lead to still births, recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility among women.
A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 29, 2021
Poisoned waters, deadly outcomes!
A study shows that high arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bihar is linked with increase in cancer cases. Districts located near the Himalayan river basins have more people with cancer.
Drinking water in Bihar, linked to cancer (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
August 26, 2021
Poisonous encounters: Nitrate contamination of groundwater in Rajasthan
This study from Rajasthan found that anthropogenic factors led to nitrate contamination of groundwater. High nitrate levels in drinking water posed major health risks to children.
A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
The American ground water trust - resources on groundwater
The American Ground Water Trust aims to provide accurate information about water resources and water wells to home-owners, teachers, water users, managers, planners, community and state leaders
India Water Portal
Posted on 15 May, 2009 12:08 PM

The American Ground Water Trust is a non-profit education organization, based in the United States. The programmes developed by the trust aim at:
Resolving the conflict over rural groundwater use between drinking water & irrigation supply – A case study by World Bank
Aquifer recharge and limited consumptive use of groundwater in agriculture can balance its supply and demand
Héctor Garduño
Stephen Foster
World Bank Global Water Partnership Associate Program
Posted on 15 May, 2009 11:55 AM

This case study deals with resolving the conflict over rural groundwater use between drinking water and irrigation supply in Tamil Nadu. In rural water-supply provision, resource availability has not received the attention it deserves.
Case study of Pondhe watershed area in Maharashtra based on rapid hydrogeological mapping by advanced center for water resources development and management (ACWADAM)
Demand’ management of water resources in a region often holds the key to a complete and sustainable water resources management strategy
Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM)
Posted on 15 May, 2009 11:13 AM

This document deals with a study by ACWADAM of Pondhe watershed area in Maharashtra based on rapid hydrogeological mapping through field studies. Large areas of India are covered by what are called “hard rocks” that are mostly of igneous and metamorphic origin. Many arid and semi-arid regions of India obtain water supplies from groundwater stored in these rocks.
Social regulations in water management in a village in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh- a case study on livelihood transformation
In Mogali Chetla Tanda, Andhra Pradesh, the community took control of managing ground water by introducing social regulations which led to complete transformation of livelihood and stopped migration
German Agro Action
Rural India
Posted on 14 May, 2009 04:24 PM

Groundwater depletion has reached such alarming proportions in the semi-arid and arid regions, despite huge investments in watershed development programmes by the state and central governments and the international donor community. One of the stated aims of these programmes is to mitigate drought and ensure water availability throughout the year.
Swadhyayee movement captures running away rainwater in Saurashtra
Extraction of groundwater coupled with severe drought led to a reactive response in people of Saurashtra to divert rainwater into their wells in a bid to "capture" water which was "running off"
Srinivas Mudrakartha
Viksat
Posted on 14 May, 2009 03:07 PM

Saurashtra is the peripheral region along Coastal Gujarat. It is composed of a Central basaltic plateau that rises 100 to 200m above mean sea level with an average annual rainfall of about 600 mm. The rainfall is concentrated in a few days during which the incident rainfall leads to flashfloods draining into the sea.
Harvesting water harnessing life: A case study of Kotla village in Mewat, Rajasthan
A case study of good watershed interventions by the Sehgal Foundation that has helped improve the water situation in Kotla village in Mewat, Rajasthan
The Sehgal Foundation
Posted on 14 May, 2009 01:31 PM

HARVESTING WATER HARNESSING LIFE
A Case Study of Kotla Village in Mewat

MEWAT: STATISTICS AT A GLANCE

People Meo Tribals
Geographical Location Foothills of Aravalis
Average rainfall 336mm-500mm
Occupation of villagers  
a) Agriculture & Animal Husbandry
b) Others 		58%
42%
Cultivated area 80%
Irrigated area 44%
Source of water for irrigation Ground water- 95%
Water Quality Mostly brackish
Ground water depletion rate Over 25cms a year

The living wisdom: using local well driller knowledge to construct digital groundwater data bases
The study analyses knowledge of well drillers about groundwater aquifers and verify it with scientific data
Sunderrajan Krishnan
Adlul Islam
Deepesh Machiwal
D R Sena
Karen Villholth
Posted on 14 May, 2009 12:39 PM

In the absence of groundwater instrumentation networks in India, the knowledge of local well drillers about the location, quality, etc of groundwater aquifers is invaluable. 

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Groundwater management:traditional knowledge and formal science
The paper compares formal science with traditional wisdom to manage groundwater and infers that lot can be gained from traditional knowledge
Sunderajan Krishnan
Posted on 14 May, 2009 12:35 PM

Author Sunderajan Krishnan argues that the apparent duality between formal science and one based on traditional wisdom and observations is an illusion and decision making on groundwater management has a lot to gain from traditional knowledge sources.
The Andhra Pradesh farmer managed groundwater system project
Several thousand farmers voluntarily takes number of steps to reduce groundwater pumping, to overcome groundwater depletion without sacrificing on returns, while still improving overall efficiency
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Posted on 14 May, 2009 12:23 PM

The Andhra Pradesh Farmer Managed Groundwater System (APFAMGS) project is an enabling intervention for managing groundwater depletion through voluntary self regulation. The project has demonstrated its impact in 7 districts of Andhra Pradesh spread over 650 villages, on a significant scale. Read more

Urban water crisis in Delhi - Stakeholders responses and potential scenarios of evolution
This paper proposes to question private abstraction of groundwater due to mismanagement of public utility in Delhi
Augustin Maria
CERNA École des mines
Paris
Posted on 12 May, 2009 04:39 PM

This paper on urban water crisis in Delhi looks at stakeholders responses and potential scenarios of evolution. An inadequate piped water supply from the public utility, characterized by intermittence and unreliability, and supplemented by private uncontrolled groundwater abstraction, is a common feature of most Indian cities as well as other developing cities in the w
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