44-Pricing Policy and Its Role in Groundwater Management - A Karnataka Experience

Abstract

Karnataka state has seen a sudden spurt in groundwater structures during the last fifteen years resulting in over-exploitation of groundwater resource in many taluks. Out of 175 taluks, 22 are fully and 102 are partly over-exploited as per the groundwater resource estimation as on 2004. In terms of areal extent, 30% of the state comes under the over-exploited category where an annual overdraft of 0.22 mham of ground water is taking place. This has caused lowering of water table with an average decline of 0.24 m/annum and drying of about 106,529 wells as per Minor Irrigation Census 2000-01. This situation has resulted in an estimated loss of Rs. 596 crores in terms of investment, irrigation potential and additional pumping cost. There is an urgent need to arrest this alarming situation by scientific means and sustainable groundwater resource management options. This paper deals with the role and necessity of groundwater pricing in management as a measure to minimize the draft and to induce innovative methods of groundwater utilization. It also deals with issues and policies to determine the price of ground water. An attempt has been made in this paper to compute the groundwater price in terms of investment towards watershed treatment to recharge groundwater aquifer so as to maintain the available dynamic resource in the area and to avoid the adverse impact of overdraft. The case study of the watershed management programme covering Basavapura micro watershed in Gauribidanur taluk, Kolar district, Karnataka has been discussed.