Sustainable groundwater resource management in micro watersheds: Empirical evidence from Raichur district, Karnataka

Groundwater is a strategic resource due to its high quality and perennial availability. However, groundwater management all over the world often lacks sustainability as evidenced by falling water tables, drying wetlands, increasing sea-water intrusion and general deteriorate on of water quality, as groundwater cannot be renewed artificially on a large scale, sustainable management of this resource is vital. They include methods for the determination of groundwater recharge, groundwater modelling including the estimation of its uncertainty, and the interfacing to the socio-economic field. The study has made an modest attempt in two micro watersheds in Raichur district, where Sujala-III watershed development program is being implemented by the Watershed Development Department, Govt. of Karnataka. Study has adopted the new approach in collection of data and information such as irrigation wells location using GPS and installation of water meters for measuring water extraction and estimation of electricity consumption by irrigation wells with installation of electric meters. Water budget technique was employed to analyze the sustainability of groundwater at micro watershed level. Results shows that groundwater use efficiency is more in onion (Rs. 810/acre inch) followed by maize (Rs. 638/acre inch), groundnut (Rs. 386/acre inch), Jowar (Rs. 187/acre inch), and bajra (Rs. 166/acre inch). Efforts should be made to include groundwater management as a one of the important component in watershed development programmes. In order regulate and efficient and sustainable management of groundwater use at micro/ sub watershed, it is need for policy for recording location(by GPS) and yield(inbuilt water meters in IP Sets) of all wells at micro watershed level.