Ground Water Development and Management in Jalgaon District

We know that all living things need water. The Earth is full of water. The problem is that people often live where there isn’t enough of it, and they too often waste the water they have.
          India is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resources, water being one of them. Its development and management plays a vital role in agriculture production. Integrated water management is vital for poverty reduction, environmental sustenance and sustainable economic development. National Water Policy (2002) envisages that the water resources of the country should be developed and managed in an integrated manner.

The Importance of Water:

“Water can be without the company of humans but we as humans can only be without water for a few days."This quotation shows the whole truth about the importance and meaning of water as the main source of nourishment. Its value cannot be overestimated. It is essential for all life on this planet.

The human body consists of about 75% water and the brain about 85%. Each cell in the body depends upon water in order to function. Numerous disorders are caused by insufficient and unhealthy water. In order to maintain the various bodily functions, we need to drink up to 2-3 liters of water each day. We need our daily supply of water since we cannot maintain reserves of it in our body as we can with food. We would die within three to seven days without water. Water is food and fire is the eater of the food. Fire is established in water and Water is established in fire.

Groundwater:
              Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. It makes up about twenty percent of the world's fresh water supply, which is about 0.61% of the entire world's water, including oceans and permanent ice.

            Groundwater is a highly useful and often abundant resource. However, over-use, or overdraft, can cause major problems to human users and to the environment. It is also ecologically important.

The stage of ground water development in the country is 58%.The development of ground water in different areas of the country has not been uniform.  Highly intensive development of ground water in certain areas in the country has resulted in over exploitation leading to decline in the levels of ground water and sea water intrusion in coastal areas. Out of 5723 numbers of assessment administrative units (Blocks/Taluks/ Mandals/Watershed), 839 units are “overexploited”, 226 units are “critical”, 550 units are “semi-critical”, 4078 units are “safe” and 30 units are “saline”.
Information of Jalgaon District:

            Jalgaon district is one of the district of Khandesh region and situated in north western part of Maharashtra.  Total area of the district is 11,765 sq.km.  The district is bounded on the north by Madhya Pradesh State, on the east by Buldhana, on the west by Nasik and Dhulia district and on the south by Aurangabad district.

          The district headquarter is located at Jalgaon Town. For administrative

convenience, the district is divided in 15 talukas viz., Jalgaon, Bhusaval,

Yaval, Raver, Muktainagar, Amalner, Chopda, Erandol, Palora, Chalisgaon,

Jamner, Pachora, Bhadgaon, Dharangaon and Bodwad. It has a total

Population of 36, 82,690 as per 2001 census. The district has 16 towns and

1519 villages. The major part of the district comes under Tapi basin. Tapi is

the main river flowing through the district.

Status of Ground Water Development

In Jalgaon district, three type of ground water structures i.e. dug wells, bore wells and tube wells in the area. Ground water is predominantly used for irrigation, as it is the major ground water utilizing sector. State government has drilled large number of bore wells and tube wells fitted with hand pumps and electric motors for rural drinking water purposes in the district. Government of Maharashtra has drilled 1346 tube wells/bore wells under various schemes for rural water supply in the district up to March 2006; of which 1263 are fitted with hand pump and 83 are fitted with power pump. Maximum high yielding bore wells are encountered in Amalner taluka as 35%. The ground water development in the district is mostly through dug wells.

 Ground Water Management and Development:

Ground water has special significance for agricultural development in the

state of Maharashtra. In some part of the state it has reached a critical stage resulting in decline in ground water levels. There is thus a need to adopt an integrated approach of development of ground water resources.Therfore; it is the responsibility of local self government to provide sustainability to ground water development.

Further ground water development in this zone is feasible at those sites wherever additional recharge from percolation tanks all along the foothills of

Satpuda takes place. Further ground water development in Tapi full of deposit of earth, sand etc.left by flood is not feasible, keeping in view the overall interest of future generation. Ground water augmentation in this area should be undertaken on large scale through people’s participation by utilizing the surplus water, available in Hatnur canal and cooperative lift schemes operating in the area, using existing dug wells.

Ground Water Related Issues and Problems:

Northern part of the district is underlain by Tapi Alluvium. Only upper 70-80 m of younger Alluvium having 2 to 5 layers of granular zones of sand and gravel ranging in thickness from 2 to 20 m, forms the potential aquifer. At deeper levels the older Alluvium is mostly clayey and does not form potential aquifer. The ground water levels are quite deep as the ground water is being withdrawn heavily for the banana cultivation. The regional water level is also declining. In addition to this, in major part of the district, declining water level trends have been observed both during pre and post monsoon periods. Ground water quality is adversely affected at many places due to high concentration of nitrate. Adequate sanitary protection to the wells may be provided to control the nitrate contamination. Likewise fluoride contamination of ground water is also observed at two places, i.e., Mondhale (2.24 mg/L) and Hingone (2.00 mg/L). Thus, in this area, all the wells used for water supply should be first analyzed for fluoride and nitrate concentration.

The increase in area under banana cultivation has put undue pressure on

the ground water resources due to withdrawal for irrigation purposes resulting in declining trends of ground water levels in Raver and Yaval talukas. Due to which the stage of ground water development reached up to 133.37 % and 109.92 % in Raver and Yaval taluka respectively. There is no ground water resources left for future domestic, industrial and irrigation purpose and both the talukas are categorized as “Over-Exploited”. Due to the over development of ground water resources, Raver and Yaval talukas of Jalgaon district were notified by Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) vide Office Memorandum No. 28-2/CGWA/06- 413 dated 16th March 2006 issued by Administrator, CGWA. A public notice dated 13th March 2006 was also published in the leading local and National newspapers regarding the ‘Declaration of “Over-Exploited Areas” for registration of ground water abstraction structures’. So now a day it is a time to think about water management and development in Jalgaon district.

Recommendations:

Following recommendations are given by Central Government Water Authority (CGWA) for water development & management in Jalgaon district. Some recommendations cited in this paper are below-

1)   Further ground water development in this zone is feasible at those sites

where additional recharge from percolation tanks all along the foothills of

Satpura takes place. Further ground water development in Tapi alluvial

plains is not feasible, keeping in view the overall ground water availability

scenario.

2)   Northern part of the district is underlain by Tapi Alluvium, which is about

450 m thick. However, upper 70-80 m of Alluvium, i.e., younger Alluvium

comprises sand and gravel forming potential aquifer. The ground water in

the Alluvium can be developed through dug wells and shallow tube wells.

3)  Southern part of the district is occupied by Deccan Trap Basalt, where only

dug wells are most feasible structures for ground water development. The

sites for borewells need to be selected only after proper scientific

investigation.

4)  Borewells generally tap deeper fractures, which may not be sustainable.

Besides, the borewells should only be used for drinking water supply and

not for irrigation.

5)  Yaval and Raver taluka fall under “Over- Exploited” category and Pachora

and Chopda taluka fall in “Semi Critical” category. Therefore, further ground water development is not recommended in these talukas and watersheds except

for drinking purpose.

6)   Deeper water level areas have been observed in parts of Yaval, Raver and

Chopda talukas, which are also categorised as “Over-Exploited” and “Semi-

Critical” talukas. Thus future water conservation and artificial recharge

Structures need to be given preference in these parts as well as in the “Over-

Exploited” and “Semi-Critical” watersheds of the district.

Conclusion:

In such a condition citizens should be made aware towards their responsibilities. In this context, to bring about awareness among the people towards water management, camp, melas should be organized. Municipality should compel each of the house owners to dig soak-pit in his house premises. People should be stopped from throwing garbage and Nirmalaya in river, well and lake water. Industrial west should not be left either in river or lake. If water is saved, lives will be safe. Without water there will not lives. Otherwise no drop on the earth but in the eyes. One day we will cry Water water everywhere, not a single drop to drink.

References:

1.      Purohit,Shammi & Agrawal: Environmental Sciences,Agrobios,Jodhpur (India),2006

2.      Richard T. Wright: Environmental Science, Ninth Edition, Prentice Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi.

3.      ^ "Learn More: Groundwater". Columbia Water Center. http://water.columbia.edu/?id=learn_more&navid=groundwater/. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 

4.      http://wrmin.nic.in/

5.      GOVERNMENT OF INDIA,MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES,CENTRAL GROUND WATER BOARD GROUND WATER INFORMATION, Jalgaon district By -Bhushan R. Lamsoge Scientist-B CENTRAL REGION,NAGPUR,2009