ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF GROUND WATER DEPLETION

INNOVATIONS CONFERENCE| AGRICULTURE

JUNE 10, 2014

BYDIVYA MITTALMAYUR DIXITPRIYANK MISHRAIAS (OTS) | 2013 BATCH

AGENDA

Problem Statement, Assumptions & Analysis

Technical Analysis

Solution Proposed

Associated Positive Benefits

Evaluation of Strategy

Farmers have preferred growing wheat and rice over other crops due to high productivity and returns Most important irrigation source for agriculture has been Ground Water (GW) via tube wells Decreasing GW level can be attributed to increased demand of GW for agriculture Erratic monsoons has further decreased the discharge to water table and increased dependence on GW Lowered water table has increased power consumption (diesel & electric sets) to extract water Small and marginal farmers are affected the most due to decreasing GW level

Krishi Pradesh is facing severe ground water depletion problem due to increased agricultural activitiesD

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Area under food grains has increased from 3.0 to 3.5 million hectares over last few decades The state’s share in food grain production in the country: 30% wheat and 12% rice Cultivated area under irrigation has grown from 70% to 78% in the same time period Agricultural productivity has also seen a healthy growth along with a change in cropping pattern Water table in the district declining at the alarming rate of 55 cm per year

Time period for comparison (‘Few decades’): 1990 to 2014 (24 years) Increase in area under agriculture is less than increase in area under food grain cultivation Food grain productivity increase has been more than average productivity increase of other crops Break up of irrigation: 1990 (50% tube well, 25% canals, 25% others); 2014 (80% tube well, 20% canals)

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Problem Statement

Address the issue of GW depletion in the district by:A. Improving GW situationB. Making the farming sustainable

Analysis shows that mostly group centric issues are responsible for GW depletion by negatively affecting the recharge and discharge of water from the water table

Issues related to increased discharge of GW

Group centric issuesIndividual centric issues

Issues related to decreased recharge of GW

Quadrant 3

Quadrant 2 Quadrant 1

Quadrant 4

Identified Issue Quadrant

GW seen as private property and not as common property resource 3

Poor awareness of criticality of GW situation among the farmers 3

Changing cropping patterns due to market pressures 4

Equity dimensions – Rich farmer vs. Poor farmer 4

Improper planning & management of GW 1,4

Unsustainable number of tube wells 3

Erratic and stochastic nature of climate leading to uncertainty 1,4

Decreased soil porosity and recharge due to extensive use of chemicals 1

Lack of artificial recharging options due to motivation and commitment issues 1,2

Subsidy provided to purchase electric and diesel set and use of power 3,4

Impact Assessment

Quadrant Extent of Impact

Quadrant 1

Quadrant 2

Quadrant 3

Quadrant 4

AGENDA

Problem Statement, Assumptions & Analysis

Technical Analysis

Solution Proposed

Associated Positive Benefits

Evaluation of Strategy

Understanding technical aspects is essential to develop a strategy and implementation plan for addressing the issue of GW depletion (1/2)

Discharge (D) = function of (trans-evaporation, horizontal outflow, artificial pumping out)

Recharge (R) = function of (rainfall, seepage from artificial and natural water bodies)

Locate, map and evaluate the capacity and number of operational bore-wells and pump-sets in the district

Map the district on the basis of (D/R) value: (D/R) > 1 implies unsustainable pumping of GW

Simultaneously understand and map the district on the basis of water table sub-basins which might also be shared by neighboring districts (Figure 1)

Choose locations and capacities of pump-sets to minimize (D/R) of overall sub-basin

Enhancing ‘R’: Assess the possibility of installing artificial recharging methods (Figure 2)

Assessment and evaluation of GW depletion in the district

Assumption: Technical competency to assess and evaluate GW is available with the district and state

Figure 1

Figure 2

Understanding technical aspects is essential to develop a strategy and implementation plan for addressing the issue of GW depletion (2/2)

Figure 3 depicts 3-D water table contour mappingTrough points indicate very low water table levels due to extensive GW discharge (‘D’) through pump-setsCrests indicate higher water table levels due to greater natural recharge (‘R’)Black arrows indicate natural flow of GW

Figure 3

From the technical analysis the planning authority should be able to assess and find out the optimum recharging and discharging points of the water table

But the question that now arises is how to implement this strategyThe challenges/constraints are:

GW usage and extraction methods are in the domain of private property Most of the issues identified, as shown earlier, are group-centric

Objective: How to bring a balance between the private incentives and benefits for the community at large?

AGENDA

Problem Statement, Assumptions & Analysis

Technical Analysis

Solution Proposed

Associated Positive Benefits

Evaluation of Strategy

To address the challenges posed we need to adapt a community based approach and emphasize on the creation of Water User Associations (WUA)

t (time) = 0 t (time) = T

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B

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D

AC: Reduction in demand of GW by reducing ‘D’ in the short termBD: Increase in the supply of GW by raising ‘R’ in the short termAB: Demand – Supply gap at t = 0CD: Demand – Supply gap at t = TCD < AB: Impact in short term due to WUA interventions (Reducing the Demand Supply Gap)

Demand Curve of GW

Supply Curve of GW

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WUA: A registered entity having all farmers at a Panchayat level with the primary purpose of self regulating recharge and discharge with active support from district administration

WUA reducing ‘D’ in short term Metering the tube wells and putting a cap/regulation on all discharge points Dis-incentivizing excess usage and exceeding usage by penalizing individual farmers by WUA As far as possible, close down the discharge points located in the ‘troughs’ Promote water efficient irrigation systems like drip irrigation, sprinklers, bonding

WUA raising ‘R’ in short term Using community level resources and efforts to build dug wells in those plots/fields which lie close to the crests for

effective recharge Percolation tanks and check dams near the perennial streams to augment water recharge Contour bunding on common property lands Artificial ponds on government unused lands

As shown in the analysis, since Quadrant 3 and 4 issues have maximum impact, they need to be addressed with specific strategy

t (time) = 0 t (time) = NT

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B

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D AC: Reduction in demand of GW by reducing ‘D’ in the short termBD: Increase in the supply of GW by raising ‘R’ in the short termAB: Demand – Supply gap at t = 0CD: Demand – Supply gap at t = NTC = D: Creation of surplus in GW usage by long term interventions

Demand Curve of GW

Supply Curve of GW

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Recommendations to reduce discharge of GW(‘D’)

Group centric strategyIndividual centric strategy

Recommendations increase recharge of GW (‘R’)

Quadrant 3 Change the cropping mix from water intensive crops like rice to millets Promote sustainable organic farming

Quadrant 2 Build in-situ dug-wells for artificial recharge

Quadrant 1 Build percolation tanks and artificial ponds on Panchayat lands Incentivize farmers to keep land fallow on rotation basis Grow animal feed for consumption on sharing basis

Quadrant 4 Pump capacity regulation Regulation and relocation of pump sets (away from troughs and close to crests)

AGENDA

Problem Statement, Assumptions & Analysis

Technical Analysis

Solution Proposed

Associated Positive Benefits

Evaluation of Strategy

Possible positive benefits of adapting proposed strategy with additional incentives for stakeholders

Farmers Greater availability of GW leading to reduced agricultural costs Increase in cropping season and scope due to rising GW level in dry season

Enhanced Income

Opportunity of augmenting income by trading GW in the scenario of positive gap between capped extraction limits and actual GW extraction• Farmers growing water incentive crops (F1) can ‘purchase’ GW from farmers

(F2) growing dry and less productive varieties • Extra income generated by F1 is hence shared between F1 and F2

Creating Forward Linkage

Creating forward linkages for making WUA sustainable with district administration support, e.g. providing agri-credit to WUA members at lower rates, agri-insurance at lower premiums It’s a WIN-WIN situation for WUA, farmers and the district administration

AGENDA

Problem Statement, Assumptions & Analysis

Technical Analysis

Solution Proposed

Associated Positive Benefits

Evaluation of Strategy

Evaluation of proposed strategy on the parameters of Sustainability and Stakeholder participation

Proposed Strategy Sustainability Cost-effectiveness Stakeholder Participation

Build in-situ dug-wells for artificial recharge

Change the cropping mix from water intensive crops like rice to millets

Promote sustainable organic farming

Build percolation tanks and artificial ponds on Panchayat lands

Incentivize farmers to keep land fallow on rotation basis

Pump capacity regulation

Regulation and relocation of pump sets (away from troughs and close to crests)

Evaluation table suggests that the proposed strategy scores high in sustainability parameter but there is scope for further improvement in cost-effectiveness and stakeholder participation areas

California Water Foundation. (2014). Recommendations for Sustainable Groundwater Management: Developed Through a Stakeholder Dialogue . California: California Water Foundation.

Umar, R. (2004). Groundwater Flow Modelling and Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment Studies in Yamuna–Krishni Sub-basin, Muzaffarnagar District . New Delhi: Indian National Committee on Ground Water Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) Ministry of Water Resources (Govt. of India) .

Shah, T. (1992). Sustainable Development of Ground Water Resource: Lessons form Junagadh. Economic and Political Weekly , 515-20.

IWMI. (2012). Investing in Agricultural Water Management to Benefit Smallholder Farmers in Madhya Pradesh, India. Colombo: International Water Management Institute.

Narasimhan, T. N. (2008). Groundwater Management and Ownership . Economic and Political Weekly , 21-27.

Shah, T. (2008). India’s Master plan for Groundwater Recharge: An Assessment and Some Suggestions for Revision . Economic and Political Weekly , 41-49.

DFID. (2006). Managed Aquifer Recharge: An Assessment of its Role and Effectiveness in Watershed Management . London: Department for International Development, Government of United Kingdom.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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