Groundwater

Term Path Alias

/topics/groundwater

Featured Articles
July 15, 2024 Kritsnam where engineering meets hydrology, founded by K. Sri Harsha focuses on developing accurate, easy to install, tamper-proof, and weather-proof smart water metering solutions to deal with the growing water crisis in India.
An AI generated image, highlighting water shortage and use of tankers to provide water but water being wasted when available (Image Source: Praharsh Patel)
July 2, 2024 Community governance for groundwater management
Jasmine on the fields as part of the groundwater collectivisation agreement at Kummara Vandla Palli village, Sri Satya Sai District. (Images: WASSAN/Swaran)
June 13, 2024 The rising trend of abandoning open wells for borewells in Chikkaballapur and Annamayya districts, and the potential negative consequences of this shift.
Borewell proliferation may dry up open wells (Image: FES)
May 19, 2024 The surprising connection between Wikipedia, beaches, and your water bottle.
A top down image of a lush green forest in a sacred grove in Meghalaya (Image created by: Sreechand Tavva)
May 15, 2024 बेहिसाब भूजल दोहन भूकंप के खतरे को विनाशकारी बना देगा। हाल फिलहाल के दो अध्ययन हमारे लिए खतरे का संकेत दे रहे हैं। एक अध्ययन पूर्वी हिमालयी क्षेत्र में भूकंप के आवृत्ति और तीब्रता बढ़ने की बात कर रहा है। तो दूसरा भूजल का अत्यधिक दोहन से दिल्ली-NCR क्षेत्र के कुछ भाग भविष्य में धंसने की संभावना की बात कर रहा है। दोनों अध्ययनों को जोड़ कर अगर पढ़ा जाए तस्वीर का एक नया पहलू सामने आता है।
भूजल का अत्यधिक दोहन
May 12, 2024 Rethinking community engagement in the Atal Bhujal Yojana
Towards sustainable groundwater management (Image: IWMI)
Saving some last remaining free flowing rivers
Parineeta Dandekar writes about the novel conservation reserves on Kali, Bedthi and Aghanashini in the Western Ghats. Posted on 24 Jan, 2012 06:38 AM

Guest post by: Parineeta Dandekar

Tank irrigation in Karnataka: A historical survey
Tank irrigation in Karnataka, authored by GS Dikshit, GR Kuppuswamy, SK Mohan, and first published in 1993, provides a historical overview of this ancient method of water management. Posted on 24 Jan, 2012 06:12 AM

The book covers entire eras from the ancient to the current period. It also gives information about the structural, financial and institutional aspects of tank construction and management.

The full book is available for download on the India Water Portal. Please right-click on the cover page image of the book, and select 'Save link as', to download the full book.

Right-click this image, and select 'Save link as', to download the full book - Tank irrigation in Karnataka - A historical survey

Liquid Dynamics: Rethinking sustainability in water and sanitation
This paper by Lyla Mehta highlights the various interactions around water. Posted on 20 Jan, 2012 06:55 PM

This paper begins with the slow rate of progress in achieving the millennium development goals of environmental sustainability, especially in the areas of water and sanitation. This is due to the disconnect between the global rhetoric (which often focuses on water as an economic good) and social realities (such as the cultural attitudes towards water)

cover illustration of Liquid Dynamics showing two girls in a paddy field

Evaluation of physico-chemical characteristics in groundwater using GIS – A case study of Chinnar sub-basin, Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu, India
This study uses GIS to assess the potability of groundwater and the spatial variation of groundwater parameters in Chinnar sub-basin, Tamil Nadu. Posted on 20 Jan, 2012 04:26 PM

The study found that the groundwater of the basin is extremely hard with total hardness, magnesium and potassium contents being above the permissible limits. Thirty nine out of 57 samples exceed the allowable limits for fluoride.

location map of Chinnar sub-basin and spatial distribution of ground water

Groundwater hydrology and groundwater quality in and around Bangalore city - Department of Mines and Geology (2011)
This report by the Department of Mines and Geology describes the findings of a study on urban groundwater hydrology and groundwater quality in and around Bangalore city. Posted on 19 Jan, 2012 11:04 AM

Earlier studies carried out by the Department of Mines and Geology during 1994, 1995 and 2003 on the groundwater quality of Bangalore Metropolis had found that the groundwater pollution in the city has mainly been due to sewage disposal and recommendations have been made to prevent pollution from sewage and industrial wastes.

Dynamic groundwater resources of Karnataka (2009)
This report by the Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Karnataka and the CGWB provides information on groundwater resource available. Posted on 16 Jan, 2012 11:05 PM

It also presents the status of utilisation of groundwater in Karnataka as on March 2009, both on watershed (sub catchment) and taluk wise areas having 2008-2009 as the base year. The methodology is improved as the estimations are carried out on watershed basis for both command and non command separately than apportioned to taluks.

River Yamuna - Dying by default or by design: A public lecture on river Yamuna
This presentation by Peace Institute Charitable Trust is part of a lecture organised by Toxics Link as part of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan and held at the India International centre in September 2007. Posted on 14 Jan, 2012 05:24 PM

It aims to inform, enlighten and suggest solutions to bring back the river Yamuna to a healthy and resilient state. 

slide showing factories on the banks of the Yamuna

Democratisation of water management - The experience of Tamil Nadu with governance reforms
The authors argue that the solutions to the global water crisis do not lie in investing more and more money into the water sector or in the introduction of better technology. Posted on 09 Jan, 2012 12:18 PM

Nor is the introduction of the private sector and the reduction in the role of the government going to help. Rather, the time has come to introduce changes at the basic or the fundamental level in the way in which the water sector functions.

There is an urgent need to bring about reforms in governance by moving towards decentralisation and democratisation, leading to  involvement of people from all the sections of the society, who know and understand that they are responsible for the system and its functioning, as well as by introducing principles of equity and social justice. The papers demonstrate the successful implementation of this approach by describing the experience of Tamil Nadu at democratising water management through introduction of reforms at the level of governance, through involvement of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD).

Environment Statistics – A compendium by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (2011)
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has come up with a Compendium of Environment Statistics 2011, the twelfth edition of the series, which started in 1997. Posted on 07 Jan, 2012 04:25 PM

It broadly covers five core parameters, viz., biodiversity, atmosphere, land/soil, water and human settlements suggested by the Framework for Development of Environment Statistics (FDES) published by United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in 1984.

Norms and standards of municipal basic services in India: Report by the National Institute of Urban Affairs
This paper reviews the norms and standards for some of the basic services. Posted on 07 Jan, 2012 10:04 AM

Studies indicate that the levels of infrastructure services available in urban regions in India are improving, however their quality is still debatable. This paper uses secondary data available from various government report to review the norms and standards for the following basic services

  • Water supply
  • Sewereage
  • Solid waste management
  • Primary education
  • Preventive health care

In addition resource gaps and measures to bridge these gaps are also examined.