Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas

The boom that India has experienced in groundwater irrigation is only weakly related to the availability of groundwater resources, long-term recharge rates and even availability of surface canal infrastructure. Dependence on groundwater has increased in rich alluvial aquifers with ample storage as w...

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Main Author: Shah, Tushaar
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40390
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author Shah, Tushaar
author_browse Shah, Tushaar
author_facet Shah, Tushaar
author_sort Shah, Tushaar
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The boom that India has experienced in groundwater irrigation is only weakly related to the availability of groundwater resources, long-term recharge rates and even availability of surface canal infrastructure. Dependence on groundwater has increased in rich alluvial aquifers with ample storage as well as in poor hard rock aquifers with limited storage. The socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the over-exploitation of groundwater are also equally pervasive. This paper shows that some, though not all, responses to groundwater over-development from farming communities are different in 'thick' alluvial aquifer areas from 'thin' hard rock aquifer areas. In the former, users fail to comprehend their interdependence, and consequently, to behave like an 'aquifer community' sharing a limited resource. As individual users, they engage in competitive deepening of boreholes to chase declining water levels. In arid alluvial areas, there is no sign of groundwater users trying either supply- or demand-side initiatives to make groundwater use sustainable. In contrast, many hard rock aquifer areas in India are seeing spontaneous initiatives from farmers, communities, NGOs and other players to cope with or counter aquifer depletion, mostly by individual or group efforts to increase groundwater recharge, but less so by making and enforcing rules to limit withdrawals.
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spelling CGSpace403902025-06-17T08:24:02Z Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas Shah, Tushaar community involvement aquifers groundwater irrigation groundwater recharge pumping canals river basins social aspects The boom that India has experienced in groundwater irrigation is only weakly related to the availability of groundwater resources, long-term recharge rates and even availability of surface canal infrastructure. Dependence on groundwater has increased in rich alluvial aquifers with ample storage as well as in poor hard rock aquifers with limited storage. The socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the over-exploitation of groundwater are also equally pervasive. This paper shows that some, though not all, responses to groundwater over-development from farming communities are different in 'thick' alluvial aquifer areas from 'thin' hard rock aquifer areas. In the former, users fail to comprehend their interdependence, and consequently, to behave like an 'aquifer community' sharing a limited resource. As individual users, they engage in competitive deepening of boreholes to chase declining water levels. In arid alluvial areas, there is no sign of groundwater users trying either supply- or demand-side initiatives to make groundwater use sustainable. In contrast, many hard rock aquifer areas in India are seeing spontaneous initiatives from farmers, communities, NGOs and other players to cope with or counter aquifer depletion, mostly by individual or group efforts to increase groundwater recharge, but less so by making and enforcing rules to limit withdrawals. 2012-04 2014-06-13T14:47:33Z 2014-06-13T14:47:33Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40390 en Limited Access Wiley Shah, Tushaar. 2012. Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas. Irrigation and Drainage, 61(Supplement S1):126-134. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.1656
spellingShingle community involvement
aquifers
groundwater irrigation
groundwater recharge
pumping
canals
river basins
social aspects
Shah, Tushaar
Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title_full Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title_fullStr Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title_full_unstemmed Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title_short Community response to aquifer development: distinct patterns in India's alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
title_sort community response to aquifer development distinct patterns in india s alluvial and hard rock aquifer areas
topic community involvement
aquifers
groundwater irrigation
groundwater recharge
pumping
canals
river basins
social aspects
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40390
work_keys_str_mv AT shahtushaar communityresponsetoaquiferdevelopmentdistinctpatternsinindiasalluvialandhardrockaquiferareas