12.-Environmentally compatible groundwater management in urban agglomeration of Ganga basin

Abstract

Accelerating water demand, limited and diminishing availability of surface water, fast declining trends of ground water levels in unconfined zone and increasing pollution in surface water makes urban life environmentally unfit and unhealthy. Ganga basin which constitutes the 26 percent of the total geographical area of the country possesses 357 million population, which is nearly 42 percent of the total population of the country. Besides surface water, the total availability of groundwater for Industrial and Domestic uses in the basin is about 20390 MCM / year. However, the ground water resource in Ganga Basin is becoming scanty and scarce day by day as a result, in the near future the availability of water for survival of humanity will be difficult and dear. This will also affect the economic growth of the region. It is assumed that due to urbanization and industrialisation, basin will transform into highly polluted and a deficit basin by 2050, if proper preventive and water conservation methods are not followed and adopted. The present paper deals the various aspects of the impacts of urbanization on Ground Water, i.e., lowering of water table, excess runoff, surface water and ground water pollution in Capital cities and other major cities of Ganga Basin. For environmentally compatible and sustainable ground water development, the management measures specific to the area have been discussed. The legislative measures are also suggested for suitable development of ground water and conserving surface water in urban micro-watersheds to prevent and control the environmental deterioration.