A report on the status of groundwater in Uttar Pradesh has cautioned that an inadequate understanding of multi- sectoral demand and use, neglect and poor management will lead to an inevitable crisis.
UP, which has one of the world’s best developed aquifer systems, has had a tradition of dependency on groundwater despite high availability of surface water. As of March 2020, some 44 lakh tube wells catered to two thirds of state’s irrigation needs. Industrial demand and drinking water are also groundwater dependent. This high dependency has led to almost 70 per cent of the state’s 822 blocks and 80 per cent urban bodies witnessing a sharp decline in ground water levels. The problem is compounded by a decline in rainfall that compromises natural recharge of aquifers.
Net ground water availability has fallen from 44.2 (billion cubic metres) in 1975 to 20.36 in 2017.
In the prelude to the report, Venkatesh Dutta, Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, writes, “As a result of unscientific exploitation of groundwater in many rural and urban areas, a grim scenario of over exploited and stressed blocks has emerged which is leading to severe threats of pollution, resource depletion and ecological imbalance. It has been observed that reduced base flows are impacting groundwater dependent ecological flows as well the surface storages”.
BB Trivedi, retired scientist from the Central Ground Water Board writes. “…groundwater came to be savagely hounded upon for agriculture as well for drinking needs simulated irreversible damage to worthy aquifer system. Starting from common man to water professional, bureaucrat, political hegemony, all tended to forget that life elixir though in abundance, but not infinite.”.
The report, ‘State of Groundwater in Uttar Pradesh’ authored by Ravindra Swaroop Sinha, convenor of the Ground Water Action Group, with assistance from WaterAid India has made numerous suggestions for sustainable solutions.
These include data consolidation, analysis and management; setting of sustainable extraction limits; a composite set of actions to reduce demand, reduce extraction and recharge groundwater; balanced use of groundwater and surface water; separate mechanisms for industrial, infrastructure and commercial bulk users; and mechanisms for ensuring stakeholder and community participation.
