Water Harvesting for Groundwater Management

The late Dr. Partha Sarathi Datta was an Experienced Advisor and Independent Consultant on Water and the Environment. Dr. Datta held many coveted senior level positions, and he was former Project Director, Professor and Principal Scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. He was educated (M.Sc., Ph.D.) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Editor’s Note – October 2018 ix

Series Editor Foreword – Challenges in Water Management xi

Foreword xiii

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xix

1 Introduction: Issues in Water Harvesting and Water Security 1

1.1 Concept/Principles of Water Harvesting and Water Security 1

1.2 Food‐Water‐Energy Nexus 8

1.3 Climate Forcing Environmental Impacts (Floods and Droughts) 13

1.4 Water Security 16

2 Mega‐Trends that Impact Water Security 19

2.1 Global Population Growth and Water Availability 19

2.2 Increased Demand for Water, Food, and Energy 22

2.3 Anticipated Climate Change 25

3 Groundwater Occurrence, Availability, and Rechargeability 35

3.1 Groundwater Provenance, Recharge, Residence Time, and Pollution Characteristics 35

3.2 Identifying Groundwater Recharge Zones 64

4 Phases of Water Harvesting Systems 73

4.1 History of Water Harvesting Practices 73

4.2 Phases of Water Harvesting Systems in India 74

4.3 Methods of Rainwater Harvesting 76

5 Case Studies of Implementing Water Harvesting 97

5.1 International Scenario 97

5.2 Successes of Water Harvesting 99

5.3 Failures of Water Harvesting 105

6 SWOT Analysis of Water Harvesting Systems 111

6.1 Strengths of WHS – Local-Level Benefits 111

6.2 Weaknesses of WHS – Negative Impacts 114

6.3 Issues/ Limitations/Questions that Need Attention 120

6.4 Opportunities for Revival of WHS 125

6.5 Threats to WHS in India 129

7 Challenges Associated with Water Harvesting 133

7.1 Water Bodies and Associated Problems and Challenges 133

7.2 Land Encroachments, Land Grabbing, Water Pollution, and Other Issues 134

7.3 Risks Associated with Managed Aquifer Recharge 137

8 Scope of Water Harvesting for Groundwater Management Strategies 141

8.1 Scope of Water Harvesting as Part of Groundwater Management 141

8.2 Groundwater Management and Sustainability Issues 142

8.3 The Missing Elements in Groundwater Management 149

9 Guidelines to Make Water Harvesting Helpful and Meaningful for Groundwater Management 155

9.1 Groundwater Augmentation Approaches 155

9.2 Behavioral Change for Groundwater Governance 160

9.3 Ethical Issues in Groundwater Governance and Use 167

9.4 Role of Geoscientists 169

9.5 Role of Media 170

9.6 Guidelines for Rainwater Harvesting Projects 171

10 Concluding Remarks 175

10.1 Scope of Rainwater Harvesting 175

10.2 Economic Evaluation of Water Harvesting Systems 176

10.3 Scale Considerations 176

10.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of RWH for Groundwater Recharge 177

10.5 Practical Suggestions for Efficient Water Harvesting 177

Glossary of Terms 185

Index 193