A balanced assessment of the role of MAR in sustainable groundwater management in India

Pavelic a*, P., D. Muralidharan b, P.J. Dillon c and K. Jella a

a International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad, India (p.pavelic@cgiar.org)
b NGRI, Hyderabad, India
c CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Program, CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide, Australia

* Corresponding author

Abstract:  Just as nowhere else in the world uses groundwater to the same extend as India, so to India has a leading role to play in the field of MAR, which the central government of India is implementing in a way that is both unprecedented and significant on a global scale.  The main motivation for MAR is to address short-term water deficits as well as water quantity and water quality effects associated with longer-term groundwater exploitation.

MAR, in its modern form, has been implemented in the rural and urban areas under the auspices of the watershed development programme, as a means of combating natural resource depletion in rainfed areas, as well as the groundwater recharge programme, which focuses entirely on MAR. Large financial investments are being made in water-stressed parts of the country and hopes are pinned on successful outcomes.  The CGWB master plan, for example, boldly aims to recharge 36 km3 annually and raise average groundwater levels across the country by three metres at a cost of over 5,000M USD.

Although the scientific development of MAR in the country is decades old and large amounts of literature on the topic already exist, many questions as yet remain unanswered.  Scientific discussions on the topic have become increasingly polarized, and have sometimes tended to fall in the affirmative camp, which can be roughly interpreted as MAR being the panacea of all groundwater-related problems, or else in the negative camp such that it does not work effectively, and where it does, the costs outweigh any benefits.  Little or no discussion has covered the so-called ‘middle ground’ that looks at how well these systems actually perform; options for improvement and the constraints and tradeoffs to recharge.

The paper is intended to provide a more balanced, evidenced-based assessment of MAR in India that draws upon the existing literature combined with the experiences of the authors in India and internationally that have a bearing on the Indian context. Fresh insights are expected to brought out on this topic to help restimulate discussion and consider the need for further research investments to address knowledge gaps.