Artificial groundwater recharge helps to overcome water shortage

Artificial groundwater recharge helps to overcome water shortage

Gujarat state India is characterized by arid/semi-arid climate with hot and dry pre-monsoon summer months (March-May) followed by well-experienced monsoon (June-September). The annual rainfall pattern is quite varying i.e. about 1480 millimeter in south Gujarat, 700-800 millimeter in central Gujarat and 250-350 millimeter in North Gujarat and Kutch region. The state experiences drought during the crop growth period and at times crop failure occurs mainly due to limited availability of irrigation water.  The total groundwater recharge of Bharuch and adjoining districts has been estimated at 499 million cubic meters per year, of which 100 million cubic meters per year is utilized for domestic and industrial use, resulting in about 399 million cubic meters per year utilizable groundwater recharge. 
The Karnal (Haryana) based Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), with its Regional Research Station (RRS) at Bharuch, Gujarat has designed artificial groundwater recharge structures for better harnessing rainwater in Bharuch and Narmada districts mainly for cultivation purposes. CSSRI works under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi. 
Dr. G. Gururaja Rao, Head, CSSRI, RRS, Bharuch along with Dr. D.K. Sharma, Director, CSSRI, Karnal and Dr. S.K. Kamra, Head, Division of Drainage and Irrigation Division, CSSRI, Karnal and other scientific team at Bharuch indicated that surface water is inadequate to meet the demands, farmers have to depend on groundwater. So the groundwater recharging through recharge wells in rainfed areas can be a boon for the farmers by enabling them to take crops during moisture stress periods and improve their socio-economic condition. They can also go for remunerative crops due to availability of good quality water resulting from the groundwater recharging.

The CSSRI, RRS, Bharuch has installed 15 artificial rainwater recharge wells at farmers’ fields in Bharuch and Narmada districts of Gujarat through the financial assistance from the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India under the project entitled “Farmers’ Participatory Research on Enhancing Groundwater Recharge and Water Productivity in North-Western India (FPARP)”.
“Excavation of artificial rainwater recharge wells of 400 mm bore, lowering of 110 mm outside of PVC pipes, two blank and three strainers and filling with aggregates 8-20 mm, followed by compressor to a depth of 100 ft showed rise in water-table levels with significant improvement in the water quality” said the team of scientists at Bharuch.
The technology is cost effective and easy to install in the fields and is more suitable for regions falling in arid and semi-arid climate having moderate to heavy textured soils of Gujarat.
A case study
Growing crops using ground water used to be a difficult experience for Shri Kaushikbhai Patel, a farmer from Borebhata village, Bharuch district, Gujarat. He had Banana and Papaya in about 11.5 acres and vegetables in 1.2 acres of land. He had one tube well for the groundwater irrigation which is rich in salts (EC about 1.9 dS/m; TDS 1219 ppm) prior to monsoon (June 2008) and not enough to provide irrigation throughout the cropping season.
The artificial rainwater recharge well constructed at his farm under the guidance and support of CSSRI, RRS, Bharuch brought cheers to the farmer as he could succeed in harnessing the rain water runoff from his farm during the monsoon.  The groundwater recharging during the years 2008 and 2009 monsoon had resulted in reduction in salinity (EC) to 0.3 dS/m (TDS 192) and (0.4 dS/m (TDS 256), respectively, thus indicating the improvement in groundwater quality of his tube well.
Shri Patel’s average income from banana from seven acre was Rs. 80000/- per acre prior to the installation of recharge well. Since the installation of recharge well, the income has increased by Rs. 30000/- per acre i.e. 37.5 per cent high. “Prolonged groundwater availability as well as improved water quality has resulted in increased farm income” said Shri Patel. Similarly, income from Papaya has increased from Rs. 140000/- per acre to Rs. 160000/- per acre with an increase of 14.3 per cent. Vegetables, however, are grown to meet the domestic needs and to fetch additional revenue to meet the domestic expenses.
The farm which had been under drip irrigation has also not encountered the frequent clogging of emitters and thus there is a saving on the cleaning of the drip system. The farmer is of the opinion that the groundwater recharging work taken up by CSSRI RRS has helped him in overcoming the water shortage and the water quality problems such as salinity.
(Source: NAIP-Mass Media Project, DKMA with inputs from CSSRI-RRS, Bharuch and the consortium partner DMAPR, Anand)