There are several agencies at the centre and at the state level to deal with surface water, ground water, and drinking water supply and sewage disposal. Those agencies face following challenges:
a) Sanitation conditions are very poor and there is unchecked disposal of municipal sewage into surface water.
b) Local bodies face, most of time, paucity of funds and infrastructure facilitators.
c) Treatment of industrial waste faces operation and maintenance problem in end of the pipe technology.
d) Small scale industries use obsolete technology and scale of operation.
e) Judicial proceedings are delayed for prosecution of defaulting units.
f) The non availability of minimum river flow to utilize assimilation capacity.
Some important water management approaches to provide sustainable supply of high quality ware are:
a) Pollution should be controlled at sources giving due regard to techno-economic possibility.
b) Optimal utilization of assimilation capacity of recipient water bodies to minimize investment on pollution control.
c) Waste water should be reused/recycled for agricultural/industrial purposes.
d) Minimization of pollution control requirements by judicious location of industries.
e) River flow regulation.
f) Construction of dams and reservoirs to ensure year round supply of water and in addition, controlling flood and generating electricity.
g) Desalination of sea water and saline of water, making it fit fir drinking and other purposes. Division of water bodies (e.g., though canal) to increase the natural supply of water to a population area.
h) Regular dredging and depilation of water bodies.
There are several agencies at the state level to deal with surface water, ground water, and drinking water supply and sewage disposal. The central agencies which are concerned with different aspects of water management include following:
Ministry of Water Resources(central Water Commission, central ground Water Board, Central Board for Irrigation and Power), Ministry of Urban Development (Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization), Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Ministry of Environment and Forest (Central Pollution Control Board), Environment Impacts Assessment Wing. Hitherto, water management in its various facts have been dealt within a various facets have been dealt within compartmentalized manner, an integrated constitutional terms of quality and quantity. This is [articulately needed in view of the fact that water resources transect the political boundaries and the management of water cannot be and should not be addressed merely as a ‘state’ subject.
Rain Water Harvesting
Rain water harvesting can be defined as a technique of increasing the recharge of ground water by capturing and storing rain water by construing special water harvesting structures. Increasing demand, especially in urban areas, has led to depletion of ground water and associated problem. About 85% of rural water supply and more than 50% of urban and industrial supply in mined. So, conserving the surplus water during the monsoon by water harvesting and recharge technique must be adapted as the water management agenda.
Methods of Rain Water Harvesting
Traditional methods: In high rainfall area, rain water from roof tops is collected into water storage tanks from where water is diverted to some abandoned well or lifted by using hand pumps. In foot-hill area, springs water is collected into water embankments. At many places (e.g. Rajasthan) rain water is harvested either in underground tanks called tankas or in embankments called ‘khandis’. In ancient times, rain water was collected in tables, baawaris, johars, hauz etc., to be used in dry periods.
Modern techniques: These are employed in arid and semiarid regions. Rain water, form large catchment areas is collected in check dams. This technique was nicely used in Rajasthan by Maganaysay Award w Winner Rajender Singh, commonly called “water man”. Another method is to build ground water dams for storing water underground. These are more advantageous than surface dams to minimum loss by evaporation and low chance of contamination.
Government of India started a Central Ground Water Authority under the Ministry of Water Resources. The main theme of this authority is “Replete Ground Water before It Depletes”. According to this authority, rain water harvesting is the only option for 21stmillennium. It has successfully completed the artificial recharge experiments in following areas resulting in the rise of water level.
a) Mehsana Project (Gujarat): Water level increased from 1.84 to 15 meters by spreading canal techniques.
b) Amaravati Project (Mahrashtra): Rise of water level by 3 meters through percolation tanks.
c) Kolar Project (kerala): Rise of 5-10 meters of ground water level through water shed management.
Water shed management
Water shed is a natural unit of water and has an area of high land from which water flows under gravity into river or sea. It has well defined topographic boundary and has only one water outlet. Water sheds supply water for irrigation, hydro power generation, transportation, vegetation growth and r reducing the chances of the floods and drought. Thus, water sheds improve the uncontrolled unplanned and unscientific land use activities like overgrazing, mining, construction, activities, soil erosion, industrialization etc. Thus, water shed managements becomes extremely necessary to conserve the water resources.
Water management can be defined as ‘rational utilization of land and water resources for optimum production causing minimum damage to natural resources’. Components of Integrated Watershed Management Programs, the major components of the integrated watershed management programs are:
Protection of table lands, reclamation of shallow ravines; stabilization for cultivation or horticulture plantation wherever irrigation has been made available; and Stabilization of medium and keep ravines through affectation for building fuel-fodder reserves.Water shed management programs were first time included in the fifth five year plan and have shown good results at Sukhomajri and Panchkula with active participation of the local people.
Methods of Water Shed Management
Water harvesting in the watersheds to be used in dry seasons in low rainfall areas.
To promote a forestation and agro forestry (crop plantation) to prevent runs off loss soil and erosion and increase soil moisture.
In high rainfall areas, woody trees likes eucalyptus and leucaena are grown, while agro-forestry involves growing of woody tree like sheesham, teak etc.
To reduce run off losses and soil erosion measures, like terracing bunding, countour-cropping etc. , are promoted in the sloppy regions of watersheds.
Mining and quarrying in watershed areas should be done by scientific methods.
To promote soil binding plants like vitex.
To ensure people’s involvements in the watershed management programs through their proper education and giving certain incentives.
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