Groundwater Exploitation in the Northwest Plains
Published: Jul 31, 2015
Photo: Prasad
The annual wheat-rice crop rotation pattern in Punjab consumes huge amounts of water and has led to severe groundwater depletion.
Abstract: In the last few decades, there has been a tremendous overexploitation of India’s groundwater resources, particularly in the Punjab-Haryana region, due to cheap and easy groundwater pumping and drilling technologies accompanied by decision distorting energy subsidies.
TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Already have an account? Log In
Keep reading with one of these options :
OR
MORE ARTICLES
Myriad Challenges of the Coasts of India
Monitoring from space, aerial and in situ platforms in coastal regions will help develop models for interactions between ecological and anthropogenic processes, helping sustainable management of coast...
Our Fragile Coasts: Scientific Approaches and Solutions
The Indian coasts hold diverse geomorphological features—mudflats, rocky shores, cliffs, sandy beaches and deltaic reaches that shelter unique ecosystems. However, significant sections of the coastlin...
Need of Flood Warning System for Coastal Metropolis
Integrated Flood Warning System (IFLOWS) is an integrated GIS-based decision support system developed for Chennai and Mumbai that provides flood inundation scenarios and helps state governments to put...
Perspectives on Coastal Research
The Indian coastline sustains unique habitats that are subjected to increasing anthropogenic stressors. The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), engaged in addressing coastal concerns over thr...
Term Power
What is ...
It depicts the rate of flow (discharge) versus time elapsed at a specific point in a river, or other channel. These graphs are generally employed to understand the influence of climate such as seasonal rainfall, flood, drought and climate change on groundwater levels. In addition, hydrographs are also utilised to understand the response of aquifers to pumping and irrigation.
These are wells dug into aquifers under positive pressure. The water in artesian wells rises to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached naturally, without any artificial aid.
Bed flow is the sustained flow in a stream that comes from groundwater discharge or seepage.
Hydraulic conductivity refers to the permeability of water through a medium. It describes the ease with which water flows through the pores or fractures of an aquifer.
Recharge is the addition of water to an aquifer to replenish it. It may occur naturally through rain, runoff or through artificial measures like spreading basins and recharge wells/irrigation.
These processes are aimed to mitigate the effects of global warming. It involves a multitude of global climate modification programmes that function to tackle climate change by removing CO2 from the air.
Also called paleo-water, the term refers to ancient freshwater reservoirs created millions of years ago and trapped underground in deep aquifers.
Runoff is the water that flows over the surface of earth. The flowing water mostly is a result of storms, glacial melt, floods or other sources. Runoffs are crucial for aquifer recharge.
The term refers to the comparatively dry soil or rock located between the ground surface and the
top of the water table. The pores of the soil/rock of this zone contain both water and air.
These are sedimentary beds through which zero flow occurs because of lack of porosity. Aquicludes generally underlie or overlie an aquifer. In case of the latter, the pressure could metamorphose it into a confined aquifer.