With water scarcity accelerating due to climate change, OECD forecasts that over
3.9 billion people globally will be living in areas of severe water stress by 2030. The ongoing pandemic has brought to light several inadequacies associated with natural resource management, specifically water and the sustainable use of which remains paramount in meeting various targets associated with the
2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Since the past seven decades, the country has witnessed a staggering
72% decline in water availability per capita. A closer inspection suggests that the total annual water withdrawal per capita (1975-2010)
increased by 18,500 liters, a quantity which visually equates to two, large tankers of water. Apart from being the predominant source of drinking water and irrigation for rural India, over
80% of the urban domestic water supply is met solely through groundwater. As
39% of the total national population is projected to reside in cities by the year 2030 and with the national water demand anticipated to doubly exceed supply, ensuring the judicious use of groundwater is an unignorable point of addressal amidst varying lines of discourses related to urban livability, climate resilience, health, governance, sectoral reforms and water security.
This leaves a daunting question to be answered: What steps are Indian cities taking in order to bring about the sustainable management of groundwater? Some of the answers could come from the city of Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka.
With the national water demand anticipated to doubly exceed supply, ensuring the judicious use of groundwater is an unignorable point of addressal.
Whilst the state of water affairs in the city is often taken at face value through prominent impressions of the poor conditions of lakes like
Bellandur and
Varthur, it is not in the least suggestive of deficiencies in pan-city efforts for the improvement of water management strategies at large. Spread over a magnanimous 1,200 sq. km. area, the city which has witnessed a decennial population growth rate of 47.25%
(2001-2011) receives an annual rainfall of 970 millimeters, which through the process of natural percolation is vital for ensuring the replenishment of ground water tables. At the state level,
The National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources in India, 2017 noted a third of the total groundwater assessment units to be in a critical and over-exploited state, with the stage of extraction at 70% whilst that for Bengaluru Urban was 143.81%. This implied that the annual groundwater extraction in the city was far greater than the annual extractable groundwater resources available. Therein, the requirement for addressing this gap prevails and is sought after through formulating strategies coherent with institutional reforms. Given the degree of locational flexibility for extraction, the key stakeholders responsible for ensuring optimal groundwater practices are in fact: citizens, communities and societal groups.
Popular models for improving the qualitative standards of surface water sources in the city, like that of
Jakkur lake for example, indicate the potential of not only technological integration (a Sewage Treatment Plant and constructed wetland that ensures waste water treatment) for the purpose of rejuvenation, but also institutional integration (Jalaposhan Trust Citizen Collective, Satya Foundation NGO, IISC, Bangalore Development Authority and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). Where the potential for various synergies is high with respect to surface source management, it is also equally similar for ground water, particularly in urban areas where municipal supply is not available. A well-known example which best reflects this understanding is that of the
Rainbow Drive Layout located on Sarjapur road. Where borewells failed to strike water at great depths underground, a technological integration for ensuring ground water recharge was made possible through collective citizen investments. The initiation of rainwater harvesting measures (back in 2007), the creation of a high density of recharge wells and employment of a low maintenance, low energy, treatment facility which made wastewater reuse viable, were observed as major assets.
Where the potential for various synergies is high with respect to surface source management, it is also equally similar for ground water, particularly in urban areas where municipal supply is not available.
The levy of a penalty price in addition to the nominal price for monthly use up to 25 kiloliters ensured differences in consumption levels. What eventually ensued, was an increase in the groundwater table level resulting in the daily availability of 1.30 lakh liters for the use of the layout residents by means of two
borewells; ultimately eliminating the reliance on tanker water. Indeed, the Rainbow Drive Layout initiatives are testament to the value of incorporating the umbrella concept of
‘Integrated Water Resources Management’ (IWRM) and helping envision the possibility of
water positive societies.
Another prominent example in the past year involved the revival of
seven old open wells in Cubbon Park through the additional construction of 65 new, shallow recharge units to ensure their optimal condition — a joint effort of the city horticulture department, private firms and NGOs. Unique instances of reviving traditional water assets and mapping naturally pre-existing land features are indicative of a growing trend in the country which involves re-exploring the water histories of cities, so as to understand their potential as part of the larger integrated resource networks. In this regard, preventing encroachment and solid waste dumping in the inherent, long-standing network of
‘rajakaluves’ which drain stormwater into the lakes of the city, can help restore groundwater levels in their immediate vicinity. Recognising the pivotal role of traditional communities in the bandwidth of institutional frameworks for groundwater, such as the well-digging community of ‘Mannuvadars,’ can further help accelerate the process of
recharging across the city.
With respect to the localisation of groundwater initiatives, setting boundary conditions for the scope of intervention is appropriate for arriving at finances required.
A major city-wide campaign initiated in 2018, such as the ‘
Million Recharge Wells’ seeks to augment groundwater levels by encouraging the creation of open wells which tap into shallow aquifers, therein minimising the requirement of Cauvery river water, borewells and tube wells. Apart from the metering of water connections by the concerned local authority, there are norms put forth by the
National Green Tribunal related to groundwater use, which make it necessary for authorities to grant permits with a high level of stringency.
New guidelines issued recently by the central government in order to regulate the extraction of groundwater, further mandate NOC requirement for industries, housing societies and water supply tankers; attracting penalty fees in the case of non-compliance.
In turn, there are several key learnings one can deduce from the example of Bengaluru for groundwater management. With respect to the localisation of groundwater initiatives, setting boundary conditions for the scope of intervention is appropriate for arriving at finances required, and must be decided by communities based on demand estimates.
Institutional convergences and capacity building are strongly desirable for effective management and can help secure adequate levels of transparency, accountability and inclusivity.
A complete over-reliance on borewells and tanker supply water in the absence of municipal connections can be reversed through investments in suitable rainwater harvesting and ground water recharging methods. Programmes emphasised by the Central Ground Water Board such as the
Participatory Groundwater Management, necessitate aquifer mapping in order to implement
aquifer management plans. Institutional convergences and capacity building are strongly desirable for effective management and can help secure adequate levels of transparency, accountability and inclusivity. They can further help facilitate ground and surface water source integration which is a legitimate concern and lacks strong articulation in terms of ground-level implementation as part of the
Model Ground Water Bill, 2016.
While a level of cohesiveness is awaited with respect to water supply source pricing and given a lack of resonance between specific aspects of the prevalent bills for ground water and the national water framework, there remains much confidence to be gained and opportunity to be found from the best practices of Bengaluru city: a model which best exemplifies the value and importance of citizens in achieving urban water security and keeping day-zero concerns distant.
Berjis Driver is research intern, ORF Mumbai.
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