India’s Falling Groundwater Storage Being Replenished (Study)

For the first time, researchers from India and abroad have given positive confirmation on the replenishment of groundwater storage at the regional scale.

“Our study shows a recent paradigm shift in Indian groundwater withdrawal, and management policies for sustainable water utilisation have probably started replenishing aquifers by increasing storage in western and southern India,” said research lead Abhijit Mukherjee from IIT-Kgp. Image source: The Indian Express

India’s groundwater storage, which had been falling steadily in recent years, is now being replenished according to researchers from IIT-Kharagpur and NASA. The dwindling supply of groundwater in India has been of great concern in recent years, with almost 60 per cent of the country being regarded as water stressed.

For the first time, researchers from India and abroad have given positive confirmation on the replenishment of groundwater storage at the regional scale.

A research team from IIT-Kharagpur in collaboration with NASA scientists have reported replenishment of regional-scale groundwater storage (GWS) through long-term (1996-2014).

The researchers used more than 19,000 groundwater observation locations, ground-based measurements and decadal-scale (2003-2014) satellite-based groundwater storage measurements.

“Our study shows a recent paradigm shift in Indian groundwater withdrawal, and management policies for sustainable water utilisation have probably started replenishing aquifers by increasing storage in western and southern India,” said research lead Abhijit Mukherjee from IIT-Kgp.

In parts of western (Gujarat) and southern (Andhra Pradesh) India, groundwater storage has been decreasing at the rate of -5.81±0.38 km3/year (1996-2001) and -0.92±0.12 km3/year (1996-2002) respectively. But this was reversed to replenish at the rate of 2.04±0.20 km3/year (2002-2014) and 0.76±0.08 km3/year (2003-2014), respectively.

Groundwater, Image Source: Max Pixel

Read full article: The Indian Express

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Taxonomy

• Resource Management
• Groundwater
• Drought
• Access
• Consumption
• Water Resource Management
• Groundwater Recharge
• Groundwater Assessment
• Groundwater Mapping
• India

5 Comments

1. very good approach and paradigm shift

2. It is really good sign. However we must find out the root cause, so as to enable us to implement at other places also.

3. It is really a very positive information. The stage of groundwater development in AP is 46 % and for Gujarat is 75 % . It  is quite a good achievement for Gujarat state which is becoming  semicritical. Being a hardrock area groundwater recharge is quite low. How storage being replenished? One reason could be over the years rainfall has increased because of that natural recharge has increased and draft has been reduced.  Any other significant factors please share.

4. How much? And what were the factors?

5. Good to hear.  Other reports had been very pessimistic.