NEW DELHI :
The Central government plans to recharge groundwater using treated water in a novel bid to alleviate water shortages in Tamil Nadu. If the pilot proves to be successful, the method is likely to be replicated in other parts of the country as well.
A lack of fresh water to recharge groundwater is a problem in large parts of Tamil Nadu where saline sea water has seeped into the soil, making it infertile.
The artificial recharge project is being implemented in collaboration with the Netherlands, according to the department of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation under the Jal Shakti ministry.
The pilot project being implemented in the doab of Araniyar and Korattailaiyar River in Tamil Nadu is an innovative solution, the department said. Doab refers to the alluvial land between two converging rivers.
“In India or in any other country, direct recharge using treated water has not been taken up considering that groundwater is used for all purposes, including drinking. The area has already been affected by seawater intrusion and groundwater is already saline. Considering the poor quality of groundwater, it would be apt to carry out a pilot study in this area and understand the impact through vigorous monitoring and based on the results, the same can be replicated in other areas having similar problems,” the department said.
According to a 2018 estimate by Niti Aayog, 600 million people in India face high to extreme water stress, and about 200,000 people die every year owing to inadequate access to safe water, a crisis that is set to get worse.
The water situation in states such as Rajasthan, UP, and Gujarat, too, is worrisome as per government estimates. Niti Aayog projected that by 2030, India’s water demand will be twice the available supply. The policy think tank brought out a water management index in 2019 which ranked Gujarat as the best performer in 2016-17 and Jharkhand the worst. It has also projected that India’s water requirement by 2050 in a high use scenario is likely to be 1,180 billion cu. m (BCM) while availability is likely to be lower at 1,137 BCM.
“The natural way to purify the polluted rain and surface water is to harvest and transform it into groundwater. The government and NGOs should focus on reducing the cost of schemes and amplify the benefits and success in groundwater recharge with an adequate knowledge of geological conditions,” said Rahul Todmal, Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Pune.
An attempt was made earlier by Tamil Nadu government to push the seawater interface towards the sea by injecting fresh water into the aquifer but this was discontinued due to non-availability of freshwater sources, the department said.
The Central Ground Water Board’s simulation has suggested a possibility of positive impact of the artificial recharge.
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