Groundwater Management in India

Description

Groundwater is becoming an increasingly popular resource because of the relative ease and flexibility with which it can be tapped. While developing groundwater resources promises to help alleviate poverty in many areas, the most formidable challenge is its sustainable use and management in regions where it is under threat. The central focus of Groundwater Management in India is the economies that groundwater generates, the socio-economic impact of its intensive use and the physical, institutional and policy options for its management. The book provides a fresh analysis of the socio-ecology of groundwater based on a synthesis of macro and micro-level data on the hydrological, social, economic and institutional parameters. The findings of detailed investigations in north Gujarat and West Bengal are used to draw policy conclusions regarding the tools for managing groundwater in other regions with similar resource and usage characteristics. The authors have used several new criteria, methodologies, analytical procedures and tools to analyse groundwater usage in agriculture, the economic value of groundwater, the water intensity of milk production and the efficient use of groundwater. A must-read for policymakers, academics and research scholars working in the area of water management and non-governmental organisations