Water resources potential

Surface water potential:

The average annual surface water flows in India has been estimated as 1869 cubic km. This is the utilizable surface water potential in India. But the amount of water that can be actually put to beneficial use is much less due to severe limitations posed by Physiography, topography, inter-state issues and the present state of technology to harness water resources economically. The recent estimates made by the Central Water Commission, indicate that the water resources is utilizable through construction of structures is about 690 cubic km (about 36% of the total). One reason for this vast difference is that not only does the whole rainfall occur in about four months a year but the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall is too uneven due to which the annual average has very little significance for all practical purposes.

Monsoon rain is the main source of fresh water with 76% of the rainfall occurring between June and September under the influence of the southwest monsoon. The average annual precipitation in volumetric terms is 4000 cubic km. The average annual surface flow out of this is 1869 cubic km, the rest being lost in infiltration and evaporation.

Ground water potential:

The potential of dynamic or rechargeable ground water resources of our country has been estimated by the Central Ground Water Board to be about 432 cubic km.

Ground water recharge is principally governed by the intensity of rainfall as also the soil and aquifer conditions. This is a dynamic resource and is replenished every year from natural precipitation, seepage from surface water bodies and conveyance systems return flow from irrigation water, etc.

The highlighted terms are defined or explained as under:

Utilizable surface water potential:

This is the amount of water that can be purpose fully used, without any wastage to the sea, if water storage and conveyance structures like dams, barrages, canals, etc. are suitably built at requisite sites.

Central Water Commission:

Central Water Commission is an attached office of Ministry of Water Resources with Head Quarters at New Delhi. It is a premier technical organization in the country in the field of water resources since 1945.

The commission is charged with the general responsibility of initiating, coordinating and furthering, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of flood control, irrigation, navigation, drinking water supply and water power development.

Central Ground Water Board:

It is responsible for carrying out nation-wide surveys and assessment of groundwater resources and guiding the states appropriately in scientific and technical matters relating to groundwater. The Central Ground Water Board has generated valuable scientific and technical data through regional hydro geological surveys, groundwater exploration, resource and water quality monitoring and research and development. It assists the States in developing broad policy guidelines for development and management of groundwater resources including their conservation, augmentation and protection from pollution, regulation of extraction and conjunctive use of surface water and ground water resources. The Central Ground Water Board organizes Mass Awareness Programmes to create awareness on various aspects of groundwater investigation, exploration, development and management.

Ground water recharge:

Some of the water that precipitates, flows on ground surface or seeps through soil first, then flows laterally and some continues to percolate deeper into the soil. This body of water will eventually reach a saturated zone and replenish or recharge groundwater supply. In other words, the recuperation of groundwater is called the groundwater recharge which is done to increase the groundwater table elevation. This can be done by many artificial techniques, say, by constructing a detention dam called a water spreading dam or a dike, to store the flood waters and allow for subsequent seepage of water into the soil, so as to increase the groundwater table. It can also be done by the method of rainwater harvesting in small scale, even at individual houses. The all India figure for groundwater recharge volume is 418.5 cubic km and the per capita annual volume of groundwater recharge is 412.9 cubic m per person.