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se-wes [se-watr] CONSOLIDATED REPLY: Groundwater Emergency in Mewat. Experiences, Examples
Nitya Jacob
You can download the PDF version of this consolidated reply from ftp://ftp.solutionexchange.net.in/public
/wes/cr/cr-se-wes-28 091001.pdf (528 Kb)
Environment
Water Community
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Consolidated Reply
Query:
Compiled by Nitya Jacob, Resource Person and Sunetra Lala, Research Associate
Issue Date: 1 December 2010
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To deal with this problem we built structures to collect the runoff from large catchment areas located
uphill in Aravalis to recharge the fresh groundwater pockets. We also have managed to increase the
amount of recharging in low lying saline zones to check further advancement. Many wells where the
water had turned saline have started yielding sweet water.
We are seeking ways to increase the reach of our recharging interventions and analyse the efficacy of
our existing interventions. Can you please provide us the following information:
1.
How can we determine the salinity levels at different depths in aquifers if there are no test wells?
2.
What technology can we use to determine this and how reliable is it?
3.
Please let us know which institutions or individuals work in this area.
This will help us to fine-tune our interventions.
Summary of Responses
Comparative Experiences
Related Resources
Responses in Full
Summary of Responses
Groundwater salinity is a major problem in many parts of India. In Mewat, a semi-arid part of Haryana,
groundwater is the main source of drinking water but only 12 per cent of the villages have sweet
water; the groundwater in the rest of the villages is saline to some extent. The problem is compounded
by unsustainable use of this resource, shortage of recharge options and the geology of the area that
further reduces recharge options.
Vertical electrical sounding (VES) is a way to determine the salinity of water as well as its availability
in different soil and rock formation. If taken down to a depth of 100 m in reasonable steps, it can give
a good idea of the quality of underground water. This can be put into a GIS map and it will be as
accurate as the distance between sounding locations. This is usually more reliable than analysis, step
by step, to the bottom of wells since most are not built to technical norms.
Such a map can help determine the best locations for groundwater recharge as VES also indicates
where water is available. This will help optimize recharge locations and structures, important since
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there is a shortage of space for putting in these structures in Mewat. In nearby Bharatpur, Rajasthan,
the Rajputana Society has tried an alternative method of testing water in wells to determine
groundwater flows. In Gujarat, Arid Communities and Technologies have also tried similar approaches
to map groundwater availability and its quality.
However, measure to increase recharge need to go hand in hand with a reduction of demand. Farmers
need to change their water use in keeping with what is available by changing their crops and switching
to more efficient irrigation systems. Groundwater management can be best done at the basin level with
aquifers being used for multi-year storage systems and surface storage structures for short term
storage. Other corrective mechanisms include moving from a resource development to a resource
management mode.
Comparative Experiences
Rajasthan
Participation in Community-based Groundwater Quality Assessment, Bharatpur District,
Bharatpur (from Satya Prakash Mehra, Rajputana Society of Natural History (RSNH), Bharatpur)
The organization picked a village, Chak Ramnagar, in the Gambhiri river catchment. It assessed the
borewells of the village and found sweet water is available up to 45 feet below ground level. It dug
wells to a depth of 42 feet drawing on scientific observations and traditional approach/ experiences of
the local community. These wells now yield sweet water but a borewell dug next to it to a depth of 45
feet has saline water even after good rains.
Gujarat
Creating Groundwater Quality Map, Kachch (from Yogesh Jadeja, Arid Communities and Technologies,
Bhuj)
The arid region faces inherent groundwater salinity. The organisation has generated groundwater data
on a half square Km grid and drawn up maps of the local geology, geomorphology, land use, drainage,
lineament and slopes. This has helped it prepare long-term groundwater management strategies and
explain these to the local community, that has improved groundwater management in this very arid
zone.
Related Resources
Recommended Documentation
Delination of Suitable Sites for Artificial Recharging System - Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Mapping Techniques (from Murali Kochukrishnan, Environmental Geologist, Danish Hydrological Institute)
Paper; by Mr. K Murali; Danish Hydrological Institute; Hyderabad; Publication date; Permission
Required: No
Available at ftp://ftp.solutionexchange.net.in/public/wes/cr/res-28091001 .pdf (PDF 950 Kb)
The paper deals with GIS techniques to generate data for the development of water resources and finding
out areas for large scale groundwater recharge
A Vertical Electrical Sounding Method for Soil Survey (from Nitya Jacob, UNICEF, New Delhi)
Landviser; USA; 2010; Permission Required: No
Available at http://larisa_pozd.tripod.com/ves/ves.htm
Describes the process of using vertical electrical sounding as a non-invasive method to determine
groundwater availability and quality
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History, Bharatpur)
Dombivali, Mumbai; Tel: +91 9870423023; ajit.naturalsolutions@gmail.com
Is an expert in water management, from rainwater harvesting to wastewater treatment and also
groundwater management
Watershed Association for Training, Employment and Resource Utilisation, New Delhi (from D
K Paul, Watershed Association for Training, Employment and Resource Utilisation, Delhi)
1234, Sector 12, Ramakrishna Puram, New Delhi 110 022; Tel: +91 11 26166524, +91 11 65465126
; Contact Mr. D K Paul; WATER; dkpaul47@yahoo.co.in
WATER is a forum for networking of interested government organisations, NGOs and CBOs to come
together on watershed management and rural development
Rajputana Society of Natural History, Bharatpur, Location(from Satya Prakash Mehra, Rajputana
Society of Natural History, Bharatpur)
Kesar Bhawan, 16/747, P. No. 90, B/d Saraswati Hosp., Ganeshnagar, Pahada, Udaipur, Rajasthan;
Tel: +91 294 2470690; http://www.indiawaterportal.org/node/3970;
The society works in north-eastern Rajasthan on issues of natural resource management with an emphasis
on water
Responses in Full
D. Chandrasekharam, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
Resistivity surveys are reliable to determine the salinity levels at different depths in aquifers if there
are no test wells. The problem here seems to be very similar to that existing in Barmer in Rajasthan.
There are many professional groundwater consultants in Rajasthan who can do this job and I can
provide the contact of people working in Barmer.
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In this situation, geophysical scanning tools like: Electrical Resistivity Survey both Profiling and
Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) and magnetic survey (if the groundwater is controlled by structures
like dykes etc.). These tools are cost effective and a large area can be covered with the matching
logistics available with in India.
What technology can we use to determine this and how reliable is it?
The technology indicated above can be used effectively with better accuracy. It all needs the suitable
equipment for data acquisition and data processing software. The results will be reliable and cost
effective.
Please let us know which institutions or individuals work in this area.
All the government both state and central departments dealing with groundwater should be help to
solve this problem. In addition, there exist several consultants whose services can be taken for solving
the given problem.
As a professional, I have done such mappings and suggested measures have resulted for betterment in
the groundwater environment. I will be happy to guide the agency for planning and implementing the
problem solving strategies.
Hope this gives you the right direction to move with problem solving strategies for solving the
groundwater problem in the given saline environment.
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streams, they can be restored. They can be cleaned up, desilted, deepened by an additional 10-20 feet
and used for recharge of groundwater. Constant monitoring of these wells, would give satisfactory
information on groundwater, as well as a source of good drinking water.
Waste-water streams, Nallahs:
Also there are waste-water effluents flowing side by side with rain water in areas where wastewater
disposal also is a nuisance. Often, villages discharge their entire effluents into ponds. This water can be
cleaned through natural processes and then released into the pond; this would enhance local water
security. As water has played a vital part in self sustaining the village, all efforts ought to be made to
conserve and regenerate new water using cost-effective means.
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D K Paul, Watershed Association for Training, Employment and Resource Utilisation, Delhi
I would like to add something more to what has been mentioned by Tushaar Shah:
In the business-as-usual scenario in a low per capita income region like MEWAT using low level of
technology for water management, the problems of groundwater over exploitation will only become
more acute, widespread, serious and visible in the years to come under present rules and regulation of
water use system. The frontline challenge is not just supply side innovations (more exploitation of
available groundwater) but putting into operation a range of corrective mechanisms involving a
transition from the resource development to the resource management mode. A major barrier that
prevents this transition is the lack of information of how much groundwater is there, who withdraws
how much groundwater and the consequent regulation mechanism (totally absent).
Policy reform and regulation of groundwater entails major institutional restructuring as local needs;
this is a challenging task for water managers (district/state/CADA Haryana) and need much emphasis
on self governance (is it possible under existing market oriented policy). For this at least four
important steps are needed:
Information Systems and Resource Planning: Ground water monitoring on regular basis in the Mewat
groundwater basin, planning the use of the resource(water) and undertaking systematic and scientific research
on occurrence, use and ways of augmenting and managing the resource.
2.
Demand Side Management: Effective system for bringing down withdrawals to sustainable levels through
effective regulations like enforcing compulsory registration of the users, appropriate laws and regulatory
mechanisms, pricing for energy and groundwater use, promoting conjunctive use and precision irrigation.
3.
Supply-Side Management: Popularise rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge programs and activities,
optimise surface water use for recharge, improving incentives for water conservation and artificial recharge and
suitable policy and regulation for protection against pollution/contamination of groundwater resources.
4.
Groundwater Management in the River Basin Context: Planning and managing groundwater resources for
maximum basin-level efficiency, using aquifers as multi-year water storage systems, trans-basin movement or
surface water systems exclusively for recharge.
1.
This is the view based on my exposure with in Mewat (the districts of Nuh and Gurgaon) over the last
10-12 years. Presently WATER is involved in a World Bank-funded project 'Strategies to enhance
adaptive capacity to climate change in vulnerable regions (Haryana, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra).
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Problems due to over-exploitation are far more difficult to deal with as compared to trying to locate
fresh water pockets.
There should be a number of consultants who do that kind of work in that area; if not we at Well &
Water Works would be glad to help out, only problem is the proximity of the site which makes our
intervention in such work a slightly costly affair.
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Helicopter-based geolectrical resistivity measurements may prove more economic if huge areas are
concerned and have been successfully done after the tsunami in Northern Sumatra; the inconvenience
is, that there are but a few specialized organizations that are able to do it and that the administrative
challenge preparing these campaigns is immense.
We (Rajputana Society of Natural History) are working on the same issue in the downstream region of
Mewat, i.e., Braj. As per our work experiences in the region on same issue, we would like to share
following points on the query circulated:
1.
How can we determine the salinity levels at different depths in aquifers if there are no test wells?
Response: one could assess the salinity levels of the borewells of the agricultural fields. Lot of fields
have borewells. Along with this assessment of the levels of qualitative water of bores (sweet/saline),
we have to analyze water flow pattern (both surface and ground) through toposheets and/or watershed
studies. Thus, from these two observations at least one could conclude that the region has certain
level where the sweet water turns out to be saline.
Example: We worked similarly for Chak Ramnagar village which is in downstream of River Gambhiri.
After assessing all the borewells of the region, we found that the region has the sweet water available
up to 45feet down the ground. We dug wells up to 42 feet. Here both the scientific observations and
traditional approach/ experiences of the local community were included. Now, the well is full of sweet
water and the bore dug up to 45 feet just near it (at approx. 30feet distance) has saline water even
after good rain.
2.
What technology can we use to determine this and how reliable is it?
Response: Our team of experts studied water flow pattern, ground water level and experiences of the
local community of digging deep bores. All the weather reports and meteorological data were also
considered before planning the remedial measure to provide qualitative water for the village.
Reliability depends on the depth of observations and the information provided by the team of expert.
Even differences in one to five feet matter when there is saline water at greater depths.
3.
Please let us know which institutions or individuals work in this area.
Response: There are lot of institutions and individuals working in this area. For our work we had Key
Expert from "Natural Solutions", Mumbai (Dr Ajith S. Gokhale) along with team of local individuals
working on similar aspects.
One most important point which I want to share from our experience in the region is that the
availability of surface water is by and large responsible to ground water (up to certain level) to be
qualitative. The more the surface water, less the salinity in the region. Further, building filter
chambers and conservation of surface water as per conditions of the region play important role in
providing qualitative water to the community.
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back National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad (NRSA) prepared comprehensive recharge maps
(topo sheet wise) for several states. Check whether this is available for your state and if available get
the same also.
e.
Survey of India, Topo sheets pertaining to the study area
2.
Integrate the above and analyse on the hydrogeological status of the study area.
3.
Data integration can be done using GIS.
4.
Superimpose your field data such as fresh water zones, saline zones, locations wherein you have
implemented RWH structures, locations wherein you have noticed remarkable improvement in
groundwater quality etc., with the above data and prepare an integrated hydrogeological map.
5.
This would help us to understand better on the ground conditions first. This would also help us to
establish the linkages of geo-hydro-morphic features with groundwater quality.
6.
Once the above is established, the next step is to explore for fresh water pockets with the
application of Geophysical Survey. Electrical Resistivity Survey is the most common method employed
in groundwater exploration. Take reference points for the fresh and saline zones.
7.
Once we establish the apparent and true resistivity references through geophysical survey for
saline/fresh water zones then the same can be employed in search of fresh water zones in your project
area.
The above is an integrated study which involves a Groundwater Consultant, Geophysicist and a GIS
expert. You may get in touch with consultancy firms near your project area for the study.
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[se-watr] CONSOLIDATED REPLY: Groundwater Emergency in Mewat. Experiences, Examples
By: Nitya Jacob on Wed, 01 December 2010 17:13
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