1

Towards Pragmatic Approaches for Groundwater Towards Pragmatic Approaches for Groundwater Management in IndiaManagement in India

India Groundwater Study and Technical Assistance InitiativeIndia Groundwater Study and Technical Assistance InitiativeReport LaunchReport Launch

March 5, 2010March 5, 2010New DelhiNew Delhi

2

Context: Particularities of GW use in IndiaContext: Particularities of GW use in India

• In volume and number of users, India is the In volume and number of users, India is the largest gw user in the world largest gw user in the world

•65% of irrigated area (85% of all area added since 65% of irrigated area (85% of all area added since 1970) depends on groundwater1970) depends on groundwater

• 85% of rural water supply schemes85% of rural water supply schemes

• Environmental services: base-flows of rivers; Environmental services: base-flows of rivers; wetlands, community water bodieswetlands, community water bodies

Intensive Use/Critical DependenceIntensive Use/Critical Dependence

3

Context: The “looming” crisis is now hereContext: The “looming” crisis is now here

Nation-wide 29% of the blocks are critical, semi-Nation-wide 29% of the blocks are critical, semi-critical or over-exploited critical or over-exploited

In some states as high as 75%In some states as high as 75%

4

• 1111thth FYP has allocated Rs. 210,000 crores ($50b) FYP has allocated Rs. 210,000 crores ($50b) for surface irrigation.for surface irrigation.

1111thth Plan: Total 100,000 crores Plan: Total 100,000 crores

Context: Need for actionContext: Need for action

5

World Bank’s India GW study & technical World Bank’s India GW study & technical assistanceassistance

Mandate: Search for “pragmatic” solutionsMandate: Search for “pragmatic” solutionsFocus on over-exploitationFocus on over-exploitation

Provide Pragmatic (politically implementable) Provide Pragmatic (politically implementable) recommendations recommendations

Engagements

Technical assistance to Bank projects

1 Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project

2 Maharashtra Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project

3 Andhra Pradesh Community Tanks Project

4 Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project

5 Andhra Pradesh Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project

Theme papers

6 State-level groundwater management agencies: A key element for the promotion of sustainable resource use

7 Analysis of organizational options and instruments for sustainable groundwater management in India

8 Literature review of groundwater management experience in India

9 Review of lessons from World Bank’s cumulative groundwater management experience in India

Surveys and Assessments

10 Study on actual role and potential of groundwater for Aurangabad municipal water supply

11 Technical and socioeconomic assessment of community self-regulation of groundwater use in Maharashtra

12 Modeling of groundwater use behavior in rural India using a linked agricultural-hydrological model

13 Data collection and remote sensing analysis for groundwater impact assessment of Andhra Pradesh Farmer-Managed Groundwater Systems Project

Trainings, Workshops and Seminars

14 National conference on groundwater pricing and ownership (co-sponsored)

15 Multi-state technical workshop on emerging lessons for community-based groundwater management

16 Emerging lessons for groundwater governance (jointly with East Asia and North Africa regions of World Bank)

6

Emerging Findings: Emerging Findings:

Developing a Responsive Physical Framework:Developing a Responsive Physical Framework:

• Local physical and resource use realities have Local physical and resource use realities have tremendous variation across the country tremendous variation across the country

• Hard-Rock aquifersHard-Rock aquifers low storage, low yields, fast rechargelow storage, low yields, fast recharge In Maharashtra, storage 1-5X annual rechargeIn Maharashtra, storage 1-5X annual recharge

• Alluvial aquifersAlluvial aquifers high storage, high yields, slow rechargehigh storage, high yields, slow recharge In eastern UP storage 200-500X annual rechargeIn eastern UP storage 200-500X annual recharge

7

LAND USE

GENERAL & SPECIFIC HYDROGEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

RESOURCE USE

RURAL

Hard rock terrains of peninsular India

widespread weathered hard-rock (basalt or granite) aquifers with shallow, low-storage patchy groundwater bodies

subsistence and commercial agricultural exploitations, drinking water supply, some industries

occasional but important groundwater bodies in coastal or graben-fill sedimentary aquifer

Major Alluvial Formations of Rural Indo-Gangetic Plain

Alluvial plains largely within major irrigation canals commands with naturally shallow water-table

mainly subsistence and commercial agricultural exploitations

Alluvial plains with more limited irrigation canals and deeper water-table

URBAN

weathered hard-rock terrain

individual urban households, water utilities, industries, tourism

major alluvial plains & peneplains

8

Findings and Recommendations: Findings and Recommendations:

Assessing the appropriateness of standard Assessing the appropriateness of standard prescriptionsprescriptions

Regulation:Regulation: large # of users (> 20 m wells)large # of users (> 20 m wells) weak enforcement / high transaction costsweak enforcement / high transaction costs Indian and international experiences not v Indian and international experiences not v encouragingencouraging Appropriate if limited (e.g. overexploited Appropriate if limited (e.g. overexploited urban blocks)urban blocks)

Pricing/Tariffs and Tradable GW Property rights:Pricing/Tariffs and Tradable GW Property rights: Transaction costsTransaction costs Indian settings v. different from where these Indian settings v. different from where these have been successfulhave been successful

9

Findings and Recommendations: Findings and Recommendations:

What can be done today?What can be done today?

Community-based groundwater Management Community-based groundwater Management (CBGWM):(CBGWM):

“ “Islands of salvation” not v. helpfulIslands of salvation” not v. helpful

Program-based approaches neededProgram-based approaches needed

Documented potential model: Documented potential model: 1m farmers, 650 villages, producing real 1m farmers, 650 villages, producing real

groundwater savings with increasing farmer groundwater savings with increasing farmer incomes, cost ~ 2000$/village/yearincomes, cost ~ 2000$/village/year Key elements:Key elements:

• Empowerment through scientific literacy Empowerment through scientific literacy • Improving crop water efficiencyImproving crop water efficiency• People’s institutions for gw governancePeople’s institutions for gw governance

Draft Comparison 2006-07& 2007-08

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

Yad

alav

gu

Th

un

dla

vag

u

Vaj

aral

avan

ka

Pal

amo

tuva

gu

Ch

inn

eru

Kan

ug

alav

agu

Nar

sire

dd

ipal

li

Ral

lava

gu

Ped

dav

agu

Miit

amee

dip

alli

Lin

go

jipal

li V

agu

Err

avag

u

Th

and

rasi

la

See

tan

agu

lava

ram

P.N

agu

lava

ram

Bh

aska

rara

oku

nta

Ch

avat

avag

u

Bo

dic

her

la

Uls

aip

alem

vag

u

Ko

tha

Ku

nta

Sin

gar

aiko

nd

a

Tar

lup

adu

vag

u

Kak

arla

vag

u

Th

adak

u

Pee

thu

ruva

gu

Ch

and

rasa

gar

Ro

mm

on

ivag

u

Up

par

avan

ka

Su

dd

aku

ruva

vag

u

Hydrological Units

Dra

ft in

MC

Ms

No change 28 HUsDecrease 22 HUsIncrease 8 HUs

Hydrological unit/type of area

Net value of outputs per acre (Rupees, current year prices)

Current year Base Year % change

Project areas: field crops

Chandrasagar 16,838 8,987 87.35

Mallapavagu 9,884 5,835 69.39

Nakillavagu 13,339 6,301 111.72

Narsireeddypallyvagu 11,208 8,378 33.78

Erravagu 7,042 5,317 32.43

Peetheruvagu 7,583 7,124 6.44

Vajralavanka 18,051 9,420 91.62

Nonproject areas: field crops

Non-proj areas near Chandrasagar 4,348 6,415 –32.22

Non-proj areas near Mallapavagu 3,491 2,605 34.01

Non-proj areas near Peetheruvagu 2,500 5,173 –51.67

Potential model for hard-rock areas (65% of Potential model for hard-rock areas (65% of India’s aquifer settings)India’s aquifer settings)

Learning and Replication:Learning and Replication:•Maharashtra WSIP and RWSS projectsMaharashtra WSIP and RWSS projects•AP Community-based Tanks Mgmt projectAP Community-based Tanks Mgmt project•AP RWSS projectAP RWSS project

10

CBGWM: What next? CBGWM: What next?

Institutional Implications for Govt AgenciesInstitutional Implications for Govt Agencies Transformational shift Transformational shift – – from technical professionalsfrom technical professionals to to facilitators of community actionfacilitators of community action– – Need investments in capacityNeed investments in capacity

Institutional Considerations:Institutional Considerations:

– – Focus on participatory engagement and community institutions at Focus on participatory engagement and community institutions at village and aquifer levelsvillage and aquifer levels

Cost ~ Rs 1 lakh/habitation/yr

11

Strengthening and Transforming the Role of Strengthening and Transforming the Role of State Groundwater Agencies:State Groundwater Agencies:

GSDA Organizational unit Main functions

Information and Planning Unit

Keeping updated resource and user status aimed at contributing to sustainability, replication and up-scaling of groundwater management initiatives

Survey, Development, and Demand Management Unit

Ensuring that groundwater supply development, recharge enhancement, and demand management measures are scientifically sound, economically reasonable, follow best professional practice, and are properly linked to irrigation and water supply service providers

Management Enabling Unit

Contributing to communities in community-based groundwater management initiatives becoming leaders of sustainable development processes

Management Regulatory Unit

Supporting local authorities in dealing with critically endangered groundwater blocks

Demand managementDemand management

Understanding use & usersUnderstanding use & users

Sustainability, replicability, up-scalingSustainability, replicability, up-scaling

Facilitating community managementFacilitating community management

12

Groundwater Recharge: Groundwater Recharge: Groundwater crisis areas have low recharge potential; Groundwater crisis areas have low recharge potential;

increasing supply will not solve the problemincreasing supply will not solve the problem Crucial and much-needed in many areas, for high value usesCrucial and much-needed in many areas, for high value uses

Electricity – groundwater nexus: Electricity – groundwater nexus: Significant political rationale for free/cheap power – so a Significant political rationale for free/cheap power – so a

political solution is needed. political solution is needed. Clever technical interventionClever technical intervention - separating agriculture power - separating agriculture power

from rest of rural electricity distribution, pioneered by Gujarat from rest of rural electricity distribution, pioneered by Gujarat and being adopted by Punjab. and being adopted by Punjab.

13

Alluvial aquifers: Alluvial aquifers:

• Not amenable to community groundwater management Not amenable to community groundwater management geographic scale too big for collective actiongeographic scale too big for collective action

• Technical interventions (agri. and irrigation technologies) Technical interventions (agri. and irrigation technologies) helpful where water availability is not the limiting constraint helpful where water availability is not the limiting constraint

(e.g. Punjab)(e.g. Punjab)

• Improve conjunctive use managementImprove conjunctive use management can address water-logging, salinity, groundwater declinecan address water-logging, salinity, groundwater decline can increase cropping intensitycan increase cropping intensity by micro hydrologic and agricultural management zones by micro hydrologic and agricultural management zones targeted subsidies wd be useful (electricity, well drilling, etc) targeted subsidies wd be useful (electricity, well drilling, etc)

Proposed interventions for rice farming Reduction in water need (mm)

Laser leveling 410

Delayed transplanting by one month 210

Timed irrigation with tensiometer 370

Short-duration rice varieties 300

System of rice intensification 370

Baseline water requirement for rice = 1840 mm

14

Groundwater in urban water supply: Groundwater in urban water supply:

• Assess and acknowledge the existing groundwater useAssess and acknowledge the existing groundwater use• Move from opportunistic exploitation to planned useMove from opportunistic exploitation to planned use

Develop Develop more easily protected and managed peripheral more easily protected and managed peripheral municipal well-fields municipal well-fields

Factor in existing private access - a key factor affecting the Factor in existing private access - a key factor affecting the cost-recovery potential for major new urban water-supply cost-recovery potential for major new urban water-supply schemesschemes

• Build administrative capacity to enforce regulation in over-exploited Build administrative capacity to enforce regulation in over-exploited areasareas

15

Conclusions: Conclusions:

• Based on a physically differentiating framework, pragmatic Based on a physically differentiating framework, pragmatic measures can be taken to begin addressing the groundwater measures can be taken to begin addressing the groundwater management challengemanagement challenge

• Agriculture on hard-rock aquifers: community-based gw Agriculture on hard-rock aquifers: community-based gw management is viablemanagement is viable

• State engagement is neededState engagement is needed• Need to build appropriate capacity in state agenciesNeed to build appropriate capacity in state agencies• Focus on software (education and participation)Focus on software (education and participation)• Combine with agri productivity and incomes enhancementCombine with agri productivity and incomes enhancement

16

Conclusions (contd): Conclusions (contd):

• Alluvial aquifers:Alluvial aquifers:• Community groundwater management not likely to be Community groundwater management not likely to be

effectiveeffective• Technical interventions in irrigation efficiency may be Technical interventions in irrigation efficiency may be

useful under certain conditions (if non-beneficial ET is useful under certain conditions (if non-beneficial ET is reduced) reduced)

• Potential of conjunctive use not realized in commands – Potential of conjunctive use not realized in commands – incentives could be provided (electrification, subsidies)incentives could be provided (electrification, subsidies)

17

Conclusions (contd): Conclusions (contd):

• Strengthening state groundwater agencies:Strengthening state groundwater agencies:• Understanding groundwater use and usersUnderstanding groundwater use and users• Facilitating community management of resourceFacilitating community management of resource• Sustainability, replication and scaling-up pf successful Sustainability, replication and scaling-up pf successful

modelsmodels• Resources for regulationResources for regulation

• Strengthening central agencies (CGWA)Strengthening central agencies (CGWA)

• Need to start piloting, replicating, scaling-up of promising ideasNeed to start piloting, replicating, scaling-up of promising ideas

Complex problem, but there are opportunities for Complex problem, but there are opportunities for pragmatic action.pragmatic action. Need to start piloting, replicating, scaling-up of Need to start piloting, replicating, scaling-up of promising ideaspromising ideas

18

Thank you Thank you