Kshipra Sub Basin - Asian Development Bank

Support to the National Water Mission NAPCC
Appendix 3 Kshipra Sub Basin
4. Institutional roles
129. The institutional framework includes government institutions, local authorities, private sector,
civil society organizations, farmers‘ organizations and other community-based organizations. Capacity
building will be needed at each of these levels either through the development of existing water
management arrangements or by forming new ones. Some particular issues requiring capacity
building within this institutional framework include the following:
(i) As identified above there is a need to link the current approach to groundwater resource
assessment with more hydrogeologically sound approaches. A way forward could be to
maintain the current practice of collecting water resources data at the smallest administrative
units (e.g. block) but when aggregating these data use hydrological based divides
(topographic divides and hydrogeologically connected aquifers units). A precursor to this
approach would be an improved understanding of the hydrogeological system particularly
concerning regional aquifer flows for shallow and deep aquifers and on the nature of
groundwater-surface water interactions. This approach would also require relevant staff at
district level to work together to develop these aggregated datasets supported by a wider state
body or in the case of interstate water resources a central government agency.
(ii) Different methodologies for quantifying groundwater recharge should be trialed in pilot areas
to confirm and improve the current methodology for groundwater resource assessment (Water
Level Fluctuation method). These improved methodologies could subsequently be applied to
the new hydrogeologically sound areas of assessment discussed in the previous bullet. This
catchment based assessment would help overcome the issue of unknown specific yield in the
WLF method. Marechal et al. (2006) 22 provide such an approach for a fractured hard-rock
aquifer in Andra Pradesh. Rangarajan and Athavale (2000) 23 estimate a mean annual natural
recharge of 71mm for a Deccan Traps aquifer in Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh using the
injected tritium method.
(iii) There is a need to separate water resources management functions (overall management of
water resources as a whole) from service delivery functions (irrigation, hydropower, water
supply and sewerage) to avoid conflicts of interest and encourage commercial autonomy.
Capacity building will be needed to support effective water resources planning of surface
water and groundwater. Such an arrangement is being proposed for Maharashtra 24 State,
which is dominated by Deccan Trap aquifers.
(iv) Effective and early public participation approaches will be required particularly with farmers‘
organizations to ensure that they are involved in the planning and decision-making processes.
Capacity building of WUAs and Panchayats will be particularly important to ensure take-up of
new approaches to groundwater use and aquifer management.
5. Management Instruments
130. The major issue in the basin is diminishing surface and groundwater resources. The net annual
groundwater draft for drinking and irrigated agriculture exceeds the annual recharging availability.
Nitrate and fluoride was elevated in some groundwater areas. There are a number of remedial
measures that are required to arrest the key issues of: (i) current over-exploitation of groundwater
reserves in the Kshipra sub-basin; (ii) options for artificial recharge and increasing base flows in the
Kshipra rivers and (iii) the issue of some naturally occurring hazards and other contaminants in
localized areas. The management instruments needed to address these issues is outlined below.
131. To address the over-exploitation of groundwater reserves both the supply and demand
approaches need to be addressed. In supply terms this includes developing ways to enhance
recharge to aquifers so that depleted aquifer storage can be replenished (through artificial recharge),
or on the demand side through irrigation methods that result in groundwater resource savings or
changes in cropping patterns, which are discussed below.
22 Marechal, J.C. et al. (2006) Combined estimation of specific yield and natural recharge in a semi-arid
groundwater basin with irrigated agriculture. Journal of Hydrology, 329, 281-293.
23 Rangarajan, R. and Athavale, R.N. (2000) Annual replenishable groundwater potential of India—an estimate
based on injected tritium studies. Journal of Hydrology, 234:38–53.
24 Foster, S. et al. (2007) Confronting the Groundwater Management Challenge in the Deccan Traps Country of
Maharashtra - India . GW-MATE Case Profile Collection Number 18. World Bank.
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