Wells and Step-wells

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.

The existing methodology of groundwater resources assessment is appropriate and suitable for country-wide groundwater resources estimation, considering the present status of database available with the Central and State agencies.

The report recognises that most groundwater quality problems are anthropogenic in origin, caused by a combination of over-exploitation and infiltration of wastes. Inadequate infrastructure and resources mean that waste generated by cities and industrial areas is not properly collected, treated and disposed, thus leading to grondwater contamination.

Image courtesy: http://sikkimsprings.org/

This brief report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) presents an analysis of the monitoring of the water quality in India under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme. The water quality data for the years 2002-2008 has been analysed and monitoring locations exceeding the water quality criteria have been identified as polluted locations with respect to risk.

The programme focused on community involvement in assessing and evaluating water quality.

Content courtesy: Odisha Water Forum 

The Odisha Groundwater (Regulation, Development and Management) Bill, 2011 has been placed before the Odisha Legislative Assembly in this session. Odisha Water Forum has gone through the contents of this bill. While Odisha Water Forum appreciates the initiative of the Government of Odisha to regulate development and management of groundwater, it is concerned about the fact that this bill does not address the fundamental concerns regarding groundwater management.

A comprehensive FAQ Manual on Groundwater authored by Dr Mihir Kumar Maitra narrows down the existing knowledge gaps amongst the common groundwater users.

The most popular FAQs are listed below. Please click on a topic to view more detailed information:

 Basic information on groundwater

It investigates the difficulties they face and emphasizes the need for better integration of groundwater in the planning and management of urban water resources.

The article informs that access to safe drinking water remains an urgent necessity, as 30% of urban and 90% of rural households still depend completely on untreated surface or groundwater.

While access to drinking water in India has increased over the past decade, the tremendous adverse impact of unsafe water on health continues. It is estimated that about 21% of communicable diseases in India are water related.

Although some degree of intervention in terms of chlorination and monitoring of water quality exists in major cities and towns, rural India, which constitutes the bulk (70%) of the population, is usually deprived of such interventions. The population in rural India is mainly dependent on the groundwater as a source of drinking water. As a quality concern the groundwater is often found to be contaminated with fluoride, arsenic, iron and salts. In recent years, fluorosis has emerged as major public health issue in rural India.