3-National ground water observation system and need for it's improvement

Abstract

The Central Ground Water Board, the National apex organisation has set up a national network of observation wells and is monitoring Water Level and Water quality from these observation wells to keep a watch on the changes in the ground water regime consequent to extensive development, excessive irrigation and seepage in the Canal Command areas, pollution from various sources such as industries etc. The Board has established 15,972 National Hydrograph Net work stations by March 1993. The state Governments have also established their own groundwater observation well networks. There is need to improve this existing system of data collection and infrastructural facilities at the state and National level. The basic structural modifications needed to strengthen the existing National and state data collection networks are outlined.

The National Hydrograph observation well Network established by the Central Groundwater Board reflect the macrolevel changes in the ground water situation in the country where as the micro level monitoring of the groundwater regime is undertaken by the State Ground Water Department who have set up more then 30,000 Network observation stations.Various steps contemplated to integrate the National and state Groundwater observation well net works to evolve a uniform system of data collection, processing and analysis by the CGWB and States, have been mentioned.

There is a growing neea for a flexible and dynamic data base management system to store the ever increasing amount of data and to make them available and accessible to a wide range of users. The details of the proposed National Groundwater Information system to be established in collaboration with the state Governments and other agencies to collecat store, update; process and disseminate the groundwataer data, to enable planning and effective management of groundwater resources of the country, have been presented.