Ground Water Management-Sustainability and Methodology

One of the major environmental issues of concern in an urban ecosystem is the sustainability of ground water for future generations. To ensure this, one needs to understand the impacts of present and future utilization practices, and to adopt the most appropriate one. This paper proposes to explore the needs and methodology of ground water management, pertaining to qualitative, quantitative, environmental, nutritional, and economic aspects. While ground water storage is vast, its rate of replenishment is finite and mainly limited to shallower aquifers, whose quality can be seriously and even irreversibly degraded. Rapid urbanization, leading to high rates of deforestation and industrialization has resulted into degradation of these aquifers. The ground water recharge system has got disrupted. Further, lowering of the water table has led to ecological and economical imbalances. Food security and health of individuals have been subjected to potential threats. Rain water harvesting and afforestation are among the traditional water management strategies. Individual pumpings may be replaced by social pumping to avoid over-exploitation of ground water. Common drainage system treading the sewage water to recycling plants may be brought up. Use of chemicals and synthetic additives may be minimized. Use of concrete in pavements should be replaced with interlocking fly-ash pavers to support water recharge system. Building bye-laws should be followed so that enough area is open for water recharge. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) may be used to monitor the quality and quantity of ground water. There is an urgent need for community monitoring and bringing up water management solutions from efforts toward increasing water availability, and not from demand management. Sustainable ground water development can bring major benefits such as food security, safe drinking water, high value agricultural produce, and inland fisheries, and must be pursued through technical and management approaches.