Ms. Namrata Sankhla will present her APS as per the detail below:
Date: 25th February 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 1600 - 1730 hrs.
Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No. 1
Title: Integrated surface water and groundwater modelling to strengthen governance for sustainable water resource management in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Maharashtra
Guide: Prof. Parmeshwar D. Udmale
RPC Members: Prof. Priya Jadhav, Prof. T I Eldho
Abstract :
Water is life's essence, which plays a key role in ecological balance, well-being, and socio-economic progress. The United Nations Agenda 2030 prioritises access to clean water and sanitation. The UN SDG Report 2023 shows that 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Severe water scarcity affects about 50% of the global population annually. To address the issue, SDG 6 Target 6.4 aims to enhance water use efficiency and sustainability, reducing water scarcity by 2030. WRI 2020 reports that India faces high water stress, with water availability below 1200 m3/capita/year. The country's groundwater accounts for 62% of irrigation water, serving as a primary irrigation and domestic supply source. Unsustainable groundwater extraction and use is a significant issue, mainly in India's arid and semi-arid regions, where surface water is scarce. CGWB report 2023 identifies the northwestern part of the country as highly over-exploited, and Rajasthan is one of them. There is more stress on groundwater resources due to limited recharge and the semi-arid climate. Over the past decade, more than 40 m below ground level (bgl) depth to water level has been observed in these regions. Similarly, Maharashtra's Marathwada region falls in a semi-arid climate. Also, it faces less rainfall due to the rain-shadow belt of Sahyadri (the Western Ghat) mountain range, which leads to water scarcity and frequent drought in the Marathwada region.
This study addresses critical challenges in sustainable water resource management in the Luni River basin of Rajasthan and the Godavari basin of Maharashtra State. River Luni is a significant surface water source in the Thar desert known as "Maru Ganga". Godavari is the important river basin in Maharashtra known as the "Ganges of Deccan", as the people of Marathwada division highly depend on it for their livelihood. These both river basins span through semi-arid region of India and have significant water-related issues. Previous studies in these regions mainly focus on surface water and groundwater assessments individually, while understanding the integration of surface water and groundwater is crucial for sustainable water resource management. Also, a holistic surface and ground water governance with well-defined roles and responsibilities of multisectoral and multi stakeholders can ensure the water security. Understanding governance mechanisms including roles and responsibilities, acts, policies and guidelines, associated challenges, and potential solutions through multi stakeholder consultation can lead to sustainable water management (both supply and demand sides).
In this background, the proposed research aims to assess water availability by setting up surface water and groundwater simulation models in Luni River Basin (western Rajasthan) and Godavari River Basin (Marathwada division of Maharashtra State). The availability, access, utilisation, and stability of surface water and groundwater in significant agricultural, industry, and domestic sectors will be analysed. The study also explores potential challenges and opportunities in strengthening surface and groundwater governance in the study area. The methodological framework developed for the proposed research will be applied to both study areas. The findings from the study are expected to provide valuable insights for evidence-based decision-making for sustainable water resources management.