India … 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

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Country background: India – rainfall and geographyIssues: Agriculture, Industrial/domesticSolutions: 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”

Western Ghats hill range, India. Seasonal rainfall influences vegetation

Waterlogging in cities – high rainfall + choked drainage + low infiltration

Now, droughts in the world’s wettest place, Cherrapunjee, Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India

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Everglades

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Causes:

Deforestation-- rainwater runs off-- soil washed off-- less soil to hold water-- soil compaction and hardening due to exposure to sun and wind

Climate change

Population increase-- cement industry using limestone

Dry season – by Jan and Feb – springs are drying up. People carry water up and down hills for long distances.

"There will be constant competition over water, between farming families and urban dwellers,

between environmental conservationists and industrialists,

between minorities living off 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 India’s agriculture is rainfed.

Western Ghats, Maharashtra, Western India

Pics from india train

Rice in Assam, northeastern India

Rainfed areas suffer from Droughts if rains are lateOr little

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

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

Groundwater table from 1976 to 2008

Share of surface water and groundwater for agriculture

Politics and vote banks…resisting removal of free electricity, irrigation scams…

Transporting water in open canals for hundreds of kilometers – HIGH EVAPORATIVE LOSS – Salt content increases in irrigation water

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

Proposed Linkage of Rivers: contemplating a disaster for 3 decades

Purported Benefits:Irrigation in arid zonesWater supply for arid towns

CostsEcosystem disruption, flowAlterations, introductions ofExoticsSaline water, evaporative lossHuge capital costSedimentationHuman displacementSalinization of estuariesLoss of fish nurseriesSeawater intrusion

Now the good news !

Many NGOs working with village communities, with funds from the governmentPrograms, donor agencies and the communities themselves.

Approach:

1. Community organization – awareness of problems, potential solutions and pathways, Government programs for village employment and income generation,Empowerment of women, education (school as well as hygiene/sanitation)

2. Watershed restoration – ridges and valleyRidge area treatmentDrainage area treatmentEarthen/masonry damsOn-Farm interventions

3. Improved water sources for community

Watershed Restoration (contd.)Ridge Area Planting:

If slope > 25%Land use: Natural vegetation onlyAnd native species

Dig pits in dry season

Plant in wet seasonTake care for the next 2-3 dry seasons

Watershed Restoration (contd.)Ridge Area Treatment: pits, trenches, bunds

Watershed Restoration (contd.)Drainage Line Treatment

Watershed Restoration (contd.)Topographic 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…

Urban zones have their own challenges

Water supply – fixing leaks and pricing to inhibit pilferageSanitation and wastewater treatment – curbs pollutionKeeping drainage systems clean – reduces flooding and diseaseWater infrastructure management – prevents flash flooding