Water Conservation and Artificial Recharge Efforts in India

Groundwater resourceGroundwater resource in India has immensely contributed in achieving food and drinking water security of the country. Groundwater development has been the backbone of green revolution in India, and exponential growth in well construction has led to about 21.7 million wells presently in India. The easy access and extraction of groundwater to meet the demand has resulted in unplanned and skewed groundwater development in India and it has created pockets of over-exploitationOver-exploitation, where recharge exceeds the annual replenishment. In order to combat the lopsided development, efforts have been made in India to augment the natural recharge through man made interventions under “Rain Water HarvestingRain water harvesting and Artificial RechargeArtificial recharge (RWH & AR)”. In India, the various subjects of governance are vested with either the Union or the State Government as per the constitution of India. Water is primarily a State subject and only in cases of disputes between State Governments, the Union Government intervenes to resolve the issues. However, initiatives on RWH and AR are being taken up by both Central and State Governments through different schemes. The efforts made in India towards water conservationWater conservation and groundwater resourceGroundwater resource augmentation have been compiled as a chapter to highlight the steps taken to meet the challenges in such a diverse hydrogeological environment.