Project Report Chemical & Isotopic Characterization of Deep Aquifers of Middle Ganga Basin (PDS NO: NIH-26_2017_62)

Abstract

Water is an essential resource that is crucial for sustaining life and plays a vital role in various aspects of human activities. It is vital for drinking, culinary purposes, irrigation, construction, and industrial processes. The significance of water stems from the fact that it constitutes approximately 60% of an individual's body mass and is essential for regulating body temperature and facilitating physiological functions. Adequate hydration, achieved through both liquid intake and water-rich foods, is necessary to replenish the fluid lost through respiration, perspiration, and digestion. Insufficient availability of water can lead to extensive famine conditions, particularly affecting agricultural output. The world’s population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022, and India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023 (UN 2022). In the industrial sector, water serves multiple purposes and is indispensable for various operations. Industries such as thermoelectric power generation, manufacturing plants, ore refining units, and hydroelectric facilities heavily rely on water. Water acts as a solvent, cooling agent, and chemical reagent in these processes. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), water is integral to product creation, processing, cleansing, dilution, cooling, and transportation in industrial contexts. Critical industries like smelting, petroleum refining, food and paper manufacturing, and chemical production heavily depend on water. Agriculture plays a fundamental role in India, providing subsistence for a significant portion of the population. About 45.8% labor forces are engaged in agricultural pursuits (PLFS, 2022-23), highlighting the substantial water utilization in irrigation and the nation's dependability both for productivity and employment of water resources. Groundwater withdrawal for irrigation purposes has increased in India, particularly in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). UP is the 4th largest state in terms of geographical area in the Indian sub-continent, and the 5th highest population density state (excluding Union Territories) in the country (Census, 2011). As per agro-productivity data of the economic survey for the year 2022-23, UP is the largest producer of wheat and sugarcane, 2nd largest producer of rice, and the 3rd largest producer of tur in the country. Considering uses of groundwater in all the sectors (irrigation, domestic and industrial), the stage of groundwater extraction (percentage of groundwater extraction with respect to annual extractable groundwater) of the state is 70.18%. However, if the unreported or underreported data pertaining to these sectors are considered then the stage of groundwater extraction is likely to reach to 85.24%. 70% administrative blocks of the state are witnessing groundwater devline. This is despite the fact that the major rivers of Himlayan origin such as Ganges, Yamuna, Ghaghara Gomti, Rapti, Gandak, Son, Sarda etc, flows through the state; the huge network of canal originating from these rivers caters the irrigation needs, and that the Central Ganga Plain is known for having the richest groundwater repository in the World (Sinha, 2021).