ndia water issues and solutions

The holiest of rivers, Ganga

Water conservation
Traditions
Sacred groves protected
primary forest
Watersheds have flowing
streams and
Springs almost all through the
year

Water conservation Traditions

Village ponds and tanks

day >>>

ntry background: India rainfall and geography

es: Agriculture, Industrial/domestic
utions: Watershed (water retention capacity) restoration

In India, more than 70% annual rainfall occurs within three months (July-Sep)
Most of it flows out to the sea FAO Water at a glance

estern Ghats hill range, India. Seasonal rainfall influences vegetation

terlogging in cities high rainfall + choked drainage + low infiltration

Now, droughts in the worlds wettest place,

Cherrapunjee, Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India

350
300
250

Everglades

200
monthly rainfall (cm)

150
100
50
0
J F MAM J J A S ON D

y season by Jan and Feb springs are drying up.

ople carry water up and down hills for long distances.
Causes:

Deforestation
-- rainwater runs of
-- soil washed of
-- less soil to hold wate
-- soil compaction and
hardening due to
exposure to sun and
Climate change

Population increase
-- cement industry usin
limestone

"There will be constant competition over

water,
between farming families and urban dwellers,
between environmental conservationists and
industrialists,
between minorities living of natural resources
and entrepreneurs seeking to commodify the
resources base for commercial gain
- UNICEF report on Indian water.

Water users in India

Agriculture ( ~ 85%)
Industry
Domestic
Ecosystem (?)

Agriculture ~ 90% of water usage

Rainfed agriculture vagaries of climate, climate change

Irrigated agriculture groundwater depletion, salinization, soil
micronutrient loss, large dams and their problems
Solutions
Water harvesting, soil regeneration, conservation, forest
regeneration.
Associated programs conserving crop genetic diversity
Move towards local sufficiency in all resources

60-70% of Indias agriculture is rainfed.

Western Ghats, Maharashtra, Western Ind

Rice in Assam, northeastern India

Pics from india train

Rainfed areas sufer from

Droughts if rains are late
Or little

Manual irrigation the age old way, bringing water from rivers via small
Hand dug canals and water lifting structures

iesel / electric pump based irrigation, huge increase from the late 1970s

Groundwater table from 1976 to 2008

Share of surface water and groundwater for agriculture

olitics and vote banksresisting removal of free electricity, irrigation scams

ansporting water in open canals for hundreds of kilometers

GH EVAPORATIVE LOSS Salt content increases in irrigation water

armada Canal, bringing water from the diverted and damned Narmada river

oposed Linkage of Rivers: contemplating a disaster for 3 decades

Purported Benefits:
Irrigation in arid zones
Water supply for arid towns
Costs
Ecosystem disruption, flow
Alterations, introductions of
Exotics
Saline water, evaporative loss
Huge capital cost
Sedimentation
Human displacement
Salinization of estuaries
Loss of fish nurseries
Seawater intrusion

w the

good news !

ny NGOs working with village communities, with funds from the government
grams, donor agencies and the communities themselves.

proach:

Community organization awareness of problems, potential solutions and pathw

vernment programs for village employment and income generation,
powerment of women, education (school as well as hygiene/sanitation)

Watershed restoration ridges and valley

ge area treatment
ainage area treatment
then/masonry dams
-Farm interventions

mproved water sources for community

Watershed Restoration (contd.)

Ridge Area Planting:

f slope > 25%

and use: Natural vegetation only
And native species

Dig pits in dry season

Plant in wet season

Take care for the next 2-3 dry seasons

Watershed Restoration (contd.)

Ridge Area Treatment: pits, trenches, bunds

Watershed Restoration (contd.)

Drainage Line Treatment

atershed Restoration (contd.)

pographic survey of watershed for small masonry dam and reservoir siting

Watershed Restoration (contd.): Earth/Masonry Dams

Watershed Restoration (contd.): On-farm

interventions

The reservoir at Gavandvadi, Maharashtra, ten years after

rban zones have their own challenges

ater supply fixing leaks and pricing to inhibit pilferage

anitation and wastewater treatment curbs pollution
eeping drainage systems clean reduces flooding and disease
ater infrastructure management prevents flash flooding