Since time immemorial, rivers have held a coveted place in the mindscape of

Indians. Rigveda has dedicated suktas on mighty rivers like Sindhu describing
not only the river, but its tributaries, its flow, its myriad paths, the glaciers and
lakes which feed it. Across India, local cultures are replete with evocative river
stories, river festivals and several rituals which bring rivers in the homes and
hearts of people. And yet, Indian rivers remain some of the most abused in the
world.

In the recent days, rivers have grabbed headlines, be it Cauvery or the Indus or
the mindless plan of River Interlinking. But while that happens, are we
discussing rivers at all? We are discussing conflicts and interstate issues, even
geopolitics, but we have very successfully cut our rivers and the hydrological
systems including the catchment, headwaters, groundwater, wetlands, lakes
and estuaries into convenient pieces: water supply, water sharing, irrigation,
hydro-power, drinking water supply, sanitation, pollution, flood control.

Amidst all this, Indian rivers are not only some of the last frontiers of
astounding biodiversity, they still are the major source of livelihoods for
millions. Our rivers hold nearly 1,000 fish species, with more being
discovered; they hold hundreds of aquatic and riparian plants, several species
of mangroves, and at the same time support more than 20 million fisherfolk,
boatmen, riparian farmers!

Unfortunately, governments since Independence have downplayed this link

and have tried to tackle isolated issues. So water sharing conflicts are growing
and becoming increasingly bitter: be it between Karnataka and Tamilnadu
over Cauvery or Haryana, Punjab and Delhi over Sutlej and Yamuna waters.

In all these, we willfully ignore the ecological system that is the keeper of this
resource: the Cauvery Tribunal does not talk about the headwaters of Cauvery
where deforestation, land-use changes and climate change is affecting the
water yield significantly; or the Mahadayi-Malaprabha where catchment
changes have clearly reduced the water yield in the Malaprabha basin.
Groundwater is and will remain our water lifeline in the foreseeable future.
The dynamic equilibrium of groundwater and surface water is an ecological
reality we cannot ignore.

Same goes for the centralized pollution control, which rests on the shoulders
of that modern dream: the sewage treatment plant. Unfortunately, more than
42 years after the establishment of pollution control boards and thousands of
crores later, there is no success story from these bodies about a cleaned-up
river.

But the picture is not all that bleak. In a tiny state like Goa, Mahadayi Tribunal
is rooting for river water, not for consumptive use, but for the ecology of the
river itself.

There are bright stories from across the country where communities are
coming together to protect their rivers: from a remote corner in Arunachal
Pradesh to floodplains of Delhi, from Yettinahole struggle in Western Ghats to
the restoration of rivers in Mumbai. In November, groups across the country
will come together to host The India Rivers Week 2016 in Delhi, trying to
bring rivers back in focus of governance.
Summer of 2016 saw thirteen Indian states grappling with severest drought greatly fueling
the ongoing depletion of aquifers. Then the supposedly surplus southwest monsoon also fell
short by 3 per cent further stressing the falling groundwater table. At the same time the
pollution of surface water sources, which function as recharge point for ground water, went
uninterrupted.
All through the year, Central and many State Governments unveiled several new plans and
projects targeting the sustainable consumption of groundwater. The judiciary made various
orders to reign in illegal extraction of the finite resource. However, the situation continued to
deteriorate.
Consumption Up; Depletion On
Groundwater is central[1] to the water sector in India. At present 65 per cent of the total
agriculture area is irrigated by the groundwater. It caters to about 85 per cent l drinking
water supply in rural areas and meets almost 60-65 per cent of the urban water needs and
supplies about 55 per cent of the industrial demand. With surface water sources dwindling,
people have shifted to unregulated tapping of ground water for agriculture and drinking
leading to levels dipping by 3 times over the last 60 years. Groundwater
based irrigation[2] underpins Indias agriculture. India is rapidly moving towards becoming
water crisis[3].
Revealing the grim situation, a Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) 2011 report[4] found
that about 50 per cent of groundwater in country is contaminated. The CGWB has
categorized 62.2% of the total assessment units of 6,600 blocks, mandals and taluks as over
exploited. The report also said that 276 districts have high levels of fluoride, 387 report
nitrates above safe levels and 86 districts have high levels of arsenic.
The groundwater board also said that contaminated water caused 10 million cases of
diarrhea, 740,000 cases of typhoid and 150,000 viral-hepatitis cases between 2007 and 2011
and as many as 650 cities and towns lie along polluted rivers, which contaminate
groundwater.
The latest CGWB 2016 report[5], finds that only 35 per cent of monitoring wells have
registered some rise in water level whereas it declined in 64 per cent of the wells. Average
water levels in January 2016 were found lower than the average water level between 2006
and 2015. The CGWB has hinted[6] at further increase in number of over exploited zones.
According to a United Nation report, behind the trend of falling water levels is Indias 251
cubic kilometer (cu km) annual groundwater extraction rateequivalent to 26 times the
water stored[7] in the Bhakra Dammaking India the worlds biggest consumer of
groundwater.
According to Government excessive withdrawal[8] of ground water were responsible for
decline in ground water levels and in many areas groundwater recharge was reduced due to
varied and erratic rainfall pattern as well as change in land use.
Central Government Efforts
Aquifer Mapping CGWB has been implementing a plan in which aquifer mapping[9] is a
component. In Feb 2016 the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation (MoWR for short) reviewed[10] the national aquifer management project.
Under the project the MoWR has targeted to map about 23 lakh sq. km of aquifers across.
Under the 12th Plan period[11] an area of 8.89 lakh sq.km was targeted for mapping but that
mapping could be completed for only 1.04 lakh sq. km area till December 2015. Similarly, the
target for 2016 was set as 2.38 lakh sq.km area, out of that 2.28 lakh sq. km area was
mapped till March, 2016. Mapping in Haryana is reported to be completed by May, 2016.
For next 5 year period (2017-2022) the govt. has proposed to undertake mapping an area of
14 lakh sq.km. The States selected in the first phase included Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telengana where the ground water
situation has reached a critical level. The final objective of the programme is to prepare
Management Plans to identify the recharge and other measures to replenish the declining
trend of groundwater.
In Feb 2016 the Union Water Ministry organized Jal Manthan-2[12] to discuss the ground
water conservation and need for a National Legislation on water, however, critical voices
were kept out of the meeting. The first Jal Manthan was organized in July 2014.
Restructuring of CWC & CGWB In a significant move, restructuring of Central Water
Commission[13] (CWC) and CGWB to pave way for a National Water Commission (NWC)
was proposed in this meeting with an idea to manage water resources in holistic manner.
Officials in favor of the decision said that adequate attention had not been given to
management of ground water till now, leading to indiscriminate pumping. It was also
revealed that despite elaborate emphasis on large irrigation projects the result was sub-
optimal.
A team under Mihir Shah, a former member of the then Planning Commission of India, was
already preparing a blueprint for better management of water resources. The idea of
institutional restructuring is said to have the backing of this panel. The panel was likely to
submit its report in the next two months while the restructuring was expected to be
completed within 2016 itself. The Prime Ministers Office was also learnt to be in favor
offormation of NWC merging the CWC and CGWB. But the civil engineers and hydrologists
from CWC were reported as opposing[14] to the restructuring.
See a detailed submission[15] on the issue that was presented before the Mihir Shah
Committee, on invitation, by SANDRP Coordinator in January 2016 and this was submitted
in this form to the committee on February 2, 2016. Shripad Dharmadhikary has drawn
attention[16] to some of the major shortcomings[17] of recommendations of the Mihir Shah
Committee on restructuring of CWC & CGWB. Nirmal Sengupta too has observed some blind
spots[18] including non-inclusion of water bodies and absence of floodplain zoning in the
proposal and recommended word of cautions. Rajeswari S Raina argued that the Mihir Shah
committee governance reforms, though essential, were not enough[19] to enable the
paradigm shift necessary for sustainability and ecological justice.
Groundwater Budget Union Government in March 2016 while increasing the budget
allocation for Groundwater Scheme by 85 per cent, has separately proposed a Rs 6000
crores major program for sustainable management of ground water resources through
multilateral funding.
New Water Bills The Ministry of Water Resources in May 2016 inviting comments from
States and stakeholders released a model bill[20] for the Conservation, Protection,
Regulation and Management of groundwater and a draft bill[21] National Water Framework
(NWF) Bill 2016.
The model bill aimed[22] to ensure groundwater security and proposes a penalty for its
misuse. It also had provisions to charge a fee for industrial and bulk use of groundwater. The
bill said that industrial or bulk groundwater use shall be priced and a water rate set by the
appropriate government and funds collected under this section would be used for
groundwater conservation and augmentation activities. As per the bill industries could only
use recycled water, and activities such as gardening would require the use of treated sewage
water.
Experts doubted[23] over the utility of the bills as water was a State subject and States were
free to adapt, enact and implement them. Even if the adopt them, they would remain like a
guideline for states to follow and could not be strictly enforceable law. They claimed[24] that
water management could not be seen in isolation of policies that promote balanced,
sustainable practices in both rural and urban spaces. The draft NWF Bill 2016 also
faced criticism[25] for showing globally challenged reductionist arithmetic hydrological
approaches towards determining environmental flows in the rivers.
In same month, the ministry also unveiled a draft bill[26] titled National Groundwater
Management Improvement Program (NGMIP) to build on current national and state efforts
targeted at the long term goal of reducing groundwater level decline. Five states were
selected to participate in the programGujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, and
Rajasthan. New states could be added through the implementation period. The current states
were selected as they had some of the most heavily exploited groundwater areas in the
country.
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) also mulled over[27] a national Water
Mapping Program aimed at finding groundwater hot spots, mapping the structures, and
measuring salinity and other characteristics. With a funding of Rs 25 crore from Water
Ministry the CSIR had already carried out pilot surveys for aquifer mapping in Rajasthan
desert, Indo-Gangetic Plains in Bihar, the Deccan trap region in Maharashtra, South Indian
granites in Tamil Nadu, and the east coast sedimentary zone in Karnataka.
To promote discussions on groundwater recharge potentials through palaeo channels,
CGWB in June 2016 organized one day workshop[28] on the issue. According to report
CGWB had already organized three such workshops at Ahmadabad (July 2015), Allahabad
(October 2015) and Jodhpur (March 2016). Similarly, during Bhujal Manthan-2 workshop
in November 2016, the Water Ministry decided to come out with a draft model law[29] to
conserve ground, surface and rain water and increase use of treated water for non-potable
purposes. A committee would be formed to suggest ways to conserve fast depleting
groundwater levels through aquifer recharge, particularly in drought-hit areas such as
Marathwada and Bundelkhand. The committee was expected to submit its report in a month.
Notably, the decline in groundwater level had prompted the Centre in 2013 to come out with
a master plan[30] for artificial recharge of ground water, specifying how different states
would go about it on priority. But majority of the States have not implemented[31]the master
plan. Only six states Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Karnataka have taken follow-up actions despite the fact that the number of dark units
increased from 802 in March 2009 to 1,071 in March 2011.
Other Relevant Decisions by Central Government
In January 2016, the Environment Ministry notified[32] stricter environment standards for
sugar industries operating in various states in the country to minimize water pollution. The
new standards made it compulsory[33] for industries to discharge water through one
dedicated point to facilitate online monitoring protocol through the sensor-based centralized
system. The protocol has also made it obligatory for the industry to install flow-meters at all
water abstraction points to minimize the fresh water usage.
In January 2016, the Central Government decided[34] to create one millions farm ponds and
wells in next two years across the country. In March 2016, admitting fall in ground water
table in many parts of country PM Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat talk
show promised[35] to construct five lakh farm ponds to augment water for irrigation. Again
in April 2016, the PM talked on drought and water crisis[36] in the country but provided no
clarity why we are here, there is not even an acknowledgement of seriousness of the crisis,
nor any clearly defined road map that the Government would follow to tackle this.
As per 4th Minor Irrigation Census the total number of water bodies for minor irrigation in
the country was 523816 in 2006-07, of which 443688 were in use and 80128 were not in use.
See the detail fund released to different States for restoration of the water bodies here.
In March 2016, the Union Cabinet approved[37] US $ 1,500 million project of World Bank
Support to Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G). The Central Government was
also learnt diverting[38] National Rural Drinking Water Program (NRDWP) funds to the
SBM. There were reports revealing[39] that non-availability[40] of water had hit the mission
adversely.

(Source Live Mint)

The Union Cabinet in April 2016 approved[41] implementation of the National Hydrology
Project (NHP) with an outlay of over Rs 3679 crore to set up a centralized system for water
resource management. The project is also expected to assist in promoting efficient and
equitable use of water, especially groundwater, down to the village level and provide
information on quality of water as well.
In June 2016, the Central Government decided[42] to make public the performance water
conservation works done by various State Governments in 2015-16. The Rural Development
Ministry also demanded for more funds against the Rs 38,500 crore allocated in the 2016-17
Budget for water conservation works like building farm ponds, canals, bunds, revitalising
traditional water resources, and other such projects. Same month, a MoU
was signed[43] between India and Tanzania for bilateral cooperation to enhance cooperation
in water harvesting, surface and groundwater management and development and aquifer
recharge.
In September 2016, Environment Minister Anil Dave linked the rampant extraction of
ground water to the free electricity[44] supplied to farmers and mooted a fresh approach
towards rivers and water bodies to impose discipline on water consumption. The Minister
also said free electricity has made people drill deeper to get water for irrigation and is
turning large parts of States such as Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana barren.
GROUND WATER SITUATION: Punjab The land of five rivers is starting at a dark
future[45] on the water front. Tube wells are being bored at between 300 and 400 feet. Every
year, the level is reported falling down by 10 feet. CGWB has declared 110 blocks out of 145
as dark zones notifying nearly 45 per cent of the blocks. Against the national average of just
over 40 per cent area under agriculture, Punjab has over 83 per cent of cropped area. The
paddy crop in the State guzzles 10 times more water than other crops. Further 73 per cent of
irrigation is being done through ground water resulting in fast depletion.
Groundwater accounts for 1.2 million hectare meters (38 per cent) of the total water
available (3.13 million hectare meters) in the State. The 80 per cent area of the state had
witnessed an average level of 200 feet or deeper. Experts have been warning of a sharp fall in
the agricultural output and a severe shortage of drinking water if efforts are not made to
regulate the use of water for agriculture, industrial and domestic purposes.
Alarmed by the reports the Punjabs Local Bodies Department in April
2016 restricted[46]the use of water; the state proposing penalties for the violators. Official
statistics revealed that the water level had dipped in 80 per cent of the total area in the state.
In May 2016 Local Bodies Minister asked the Industries Department to regulate[47] the use
of groundwater by the plants manufacturing beer and distilled spirit. Official figures for the
2015-16 financial year (up to January 2016) revealed that around 3 lakh kilolitres of distilled
spirit was produced at 16 distilleries across the state at the cost of about 60 lakh kilolitres of
water. The figures did not include the groundwater consumed by the three breweries and 22
bottling plants in the state.
The same month, Government decided[48] to use more canal water for potable use and
contaminated ground water for other purposes. A sum of Rs 310 crore is given for this
purpose for 140 villages in Moga and 36 villages in Barnala districts suffering from higher
iron and fluoride concentration. In Doaba and Majha regions potable water is being
withdrawn from 600 feet deep through 5000 tube wells.
In March 2016 the Government announced to allow 1.25 lakh new tube well
connections[49] for irrigation. Punjab already has 12.76 lakh electricity operated tube well
connections and and 1.50 lakh diesel operated tube wells. The total agricultural land in the
state is around of 42 lakh hectares, of which around 11 Lakh hectares is under canal
irrigation. If new tube wells connections are added, the 11 lakh farmers in state would be
using over 15.5 lakh tube wells.
According to Director Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) the release of 1.25
lakh tube well connections would cost over Rs 500 crore[50]. In 2015-16, the Government
waived off Rs 5,484 crore as power bills of farmers. Even in the Annual Revenue
Requirement for 2016-17, the PSPCL has mentioned that the power subsidy for agriculture
sector (AP consumers) will jump from the existing Rs 6,000 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 6,500
crore in 2016-17.
During the paddy season, power consumption is peaked[51] between 9000 to 11000 MW
which otherwise, it varies between 3500 to 5000 MW. Department helpline number 1921
normally receives over 1 lakh power supply related complains per month but complaints
during the paddy season often rise to 2-3 lakh a month. The decision is feared to deplete the
water table and increase the power demand by 12-15 percent.
Experts fear that this scheme would encourage farmers to go for more paddy cultivation
dealing a setback for crop diversification scheme. Already, the area under cotton[52] in the
state has gone down by over 1.5 lakh ha compared with last year. Despite all crop
diversification efforts the area under rice cultivation remained about 28 lakh ha in 2016.
Punjab Agricultural University in June 2016 advised farmers to restrict Basmati[53] sowing
to less than 5 lakh ha; it was cultivated on 8.62 lakh ha in 2014-15. The cultivation of basmati
on 7.60 lakh ha during 2015-16 led to a crash in basmati prices. In 2015, Punjab produced
180 lakh tonnes of paddy. Now, the State Agriculture Department estimates record paddy
harvest[54] of 186 lakh metric tonnes for the 2016-17. At present, only 1 per cent of total
cultivable land in Punjab is under drip irrigation.
Notably Punjab has hardly received above-normal rain for the past one decade. The state
witnessed drought in 2014 as rainfall deficit was 50 per cent. Rainfall was deficient in 2012,
2009 and 2007 as well, but farmers saved their crop by running all 14 lakh tube wells. In
sharp contrast, the average annual rainfall in Punjab is 650 mm-700 mm which has declined
in the last two decades, putting an additional burden on groundwater, as farmers have sunk
deeper tube wells to irrigate their paddy fields.
CGWB fears that if the present trend continues, then 50 blocks in 14 districts of Punjab may
completely run out of groundwater in the next one decade. The mapping of Punjabs aquifers
is underway and is expected to be completed by next year. This will give a clear picture of the
state of its aquifers.
GROUND WATER SITUATION: Haryana In February 2016 Haryana was reported to
be the first State[55] to complete the mapping of underground aquifers. Haryana was among
the eight States selected[56] for scientific mapping in the first phase. The State Agriculture
Department in July 2016 claimed that 18 districts out of 21 had witnessed alarming
decline[57] in the water level in the state since June 1974. There were a total of 71
overexploited blocks across the state where groundwater had been exploited above 100 per
cent while 15 blocks were listed in critical category and 7 blocks were in semi-critical
category.
Interestingly, as per Central Soil Salinity Research Institute around 10 per cent of the States
land had water table less than three meter deep[58] hitting the 9 districts with the twin
problem of soil salinity and water logging. As per Haryana Kisan Aayog report[59](2013),
out of 44.21 lakh hectares of area in state, more than 50,000 hectares was having shallow
water table turning it into a waste land. The problem was being aggravated by the use of
ground water, which was either saline or alkaline in two thirds of the state.
According to Agriculture Minister, the groundwater level was dropping[60] by 21
centimeters every year in paddy-growing areas resulting in the increase of dark zones. In
many areas, the groundwater level has dropped by eight meters in last five years. The water
intensive cropping pattern of wheat and paddy, had severely affected the fertility of farming
land and the use of organic fertilizers was limited to 20 per cent.
The ever-depleting water table was making installation of tubewells and submersible pumps
a failed and costly affair[61] for farmers in Gurugaon.
GROUND WATER SITUATION: Uttar Pradesh In December 2016, replying to a
question in Rajya Sabha, Union Water Minister Uma Bharati revealed that out of 75 districts
of Uttar Pradesh, 34 districts are over-exploited[62] for groundwater on the basis of 2011
assessment report. According to report, Shamli and Pratapgarh districts top the list, with
groundwater exploitation rate exceeding 140%, followed by Saharanpur (132%), Firozabad
(117%) and Agra (113%). State capital Lucknow along with Aligarh, Allahabad, G B Nagar,
Ghaziabad, Kanpur (city), Kasganj, Kaushambi, Mathura, Meerut, and Varanasi among
others.
According to Jal Nigam, Agra is losing 700,000 litres of groundwater reserves daily because
of indiscriminate extraction. The Jal Nigam supplies over 310 million litre water daily (MLD)
to a population of around 18 lakh in the urban areas of the district through 60 tube wells and
estimates that scores of illegal borings in the city extract more than 300 MLD water.
Scientists say dependency on groundwater has increased in the state from 67 per cent to 80
per cent over a decade. As per State Agriculture Department more than 70 per cent of farm
irrigation is being done by using groundwater.
In Agra, the situation is grim[63] as the groundwater level continues to deplete at an
alarming rate due to unregulated and excessive extraction and relentless concretization of
green zones. According to officials, out of the 15 blocks in the districts under Agra division,
10 are in over exploited category while one block has been listed as critical. A recent survey
has also found that industrial units are consuming excessive[64] quantity of groundwater.
On a daily basis, they are taking 18 times more water than the total water requirement of the
entire human population of the district.

(Source:The Times of India)

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: Conservation Efforts According to August 2016 report

farmers of the countrys first solar cooperative at Dhundi village in Gujarat were opting
to sell water[65] to neighbouring farmers. The cooperative is learnt to have found that selling
water to famers is 2.5 times more profitable than selling power to companies. Some of them
even have laid PVC pipes routing water to neighbouring farms. The cooperative was formed
to check the falling groundwater table however it seems the opposite has happened.
Similarly, India Water Portal report shows in absence of proper management and cultivation
of water intensive crops the prolonged water harvesting efforts were failing[66] in Tijara
block of Alwar district of Rajasthan.
Sugarcane As per a study, in the last 10 years, cane cultivation has increased 103%, from
2.21 lakh hectares to 4.5 lakh hectares. The annual increase was roughly 6 per cent. The
sowing area of wheat, one of the two major winter crops, has shrunk by 30 per cent from
normal 2.57 to 1.52 lakh hecatres. Farmers are opting for cane cultivation at a time when the
states groundwater levels are depleting. Fresh groundwater that was available at a depth of
33 ft in the 1990s has now fallen to 132 ft, according to data from the Karnataka Urban
Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
More area under cane cultivation however does not mean higher yield and better income for
farmers. In Bidar district, 22 farmers have ended their lives since the start of the year. A
majority of them are sugarcane farmers. The distress is stark in Maharashtra, where more
than 1,100 farmer suicides were reported in 2015, most of them in its Marathwada region,
which has 80 sugar factories across eight districts.
Cane farmers often fall into huge debt trap as mills that owe them money delay payments.
Citing overproduction by growers and glut in the domestic and foreign market, sugar mills in
Karnataka owe farmers roughly Rs. 4,000 crore as arrears since 2013. In Maharashtra, 35
factories continue to have pending arrears of about Rs. 250 crores for 2014-15. In Uttar
Pradesh, the countrys second largest sugar grower, the sugar mills have an accumulated
arrears of Rs. 3,373 crore.
Rain, Surface Water Better Options to Deal with Groundwater Contamination
In January 2016, NITI Aayog decided to provide Rs 1000 crore for installation of community
water purification plants[67] to save a large population in various states where people are
forced to consume arsenic and fluoride contaminated groundwater. According to official
data, groundwater contamination had affected over 3.61 crore people in 63,831 pockets
across half of Indias districts. Rajasthan (86,83,403 people in 21,927 pockets) and West
Bengal (89,74,986 people in 10,807 pockets) were top two worst affected States. For
Karnataka, the number stands at 7.79 lakh people in 1,044 pockets. States such as Punjab
and Assam were facing both arsenic and fluoride problems.
Central Government in April 2016, decided to provide special financial assistance[68] to 15
fluoride and arsenic affected States. The government had already released Rs 72676 lakh for
the states following an advice from NITI Aayog. In the north, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
and Jammu & Kashmir figure on the list and would receive Rs 3935 lakh, Rs 266 lakh, Rs
43129 lakh and Rs 47 lakh respectively. Water experts however attributed the fast depletion
of groundwater level due to excess use and destruction of recharge systems as root cause of
contamination and suggested rainwater harvesting as most cost effective and appropriate
option.
Contrary to Government claim, 60 people died[69] due to fluorosis while several others
were, slowly dying in the absence of treatment in Gatiyahi & Harijan villages of Ranchi. The
entire area was reported of having a high fluoride concentration in groundwater. Villagers
also complained of Government failure in providing safe water. A ambitious effort to provide
piped drinking water to this village from a nearby river also lied in limbo for the last three
decades.
About 850 people living in Charasada village in Jaipur district, Rajasthan for years were
suffering from salinity in groundwater caused by Sambhar Salt Lake. Due to high fluoride
content in water table, the hand pump near the village was giving toxic water. Hence
villagers were walking kilometers for potable water. But since 2012 the villagers have
started harvesting rainwater[70] at their homes. Gradually, the small intervention helped
cater to their drinking water needs. Village development council also has created many
rainwater harvesting structures around the village. As a result, families are growing
vegetables and fodder using the stored water. A milk cooperative has been formed in the
village helping villager generate significant income as livelihoods.
Similarly, several villages in Khagaria district of Bihar have started reviving[71] their dug
wells to get rid of diseases caused by arsenic and iron contaminated ground water. Decades
back, villagers have shunned consuming dug well water in the wake of water borne diseases.
Health experts were also unknowingly advising them to go for deep groundwater. But over
the time many villages started suffering from cancer like diseases. It was then, that they
realized importance of dug wells. Multiple studies have also shown that dug well water was
free of contamination and far safer and potable than arsenic affected groundwater.
Likewise, the arsenic affected people in Madhusudankati village of West Bengal have also
been benefited greatly[72] by consuming treated rain and surface water in place of
contaminated groundwater. Interesting the villagers initially set up an arsenic removal plant
attached to a deep tube well. But that plant failed to solve the crisis as contamination level
with arsenic of the groundwater was increasing.
In Conclusion While groundwater remains Indias water lifeline, the year saw no real
progress in achieving any change in terms of acknowledging that reality, making sustainable
groundwater use focus of our water resources development and management, ensuring
bottom up, effective steps for groundwater regulation or protecting existing groundwater
recharge systems and enhancing the recharge through natural and artificial ways. The tide is
yet to turn the situation is likely to worsen before it improves.