scholarly journals Pollution and Other Dimensions of Non-Renewable Groundwater in Haryana (India)

Author(s):  
Avtar Singh Rahi

<div><p><em>The vital role groundwater plays as a decentralized source of drinking water for millions rural and urban families cannot be overstated. In India, where groundwater is used intensively for irrigation and industrial purposes, a variety of land and water-based human activities are causing pollution of this precious resource. There are no estimates of the public health consequences of groundwater pollution as it involves methodological complexities and logistical problems. The groundwater behavior in the Indian sub-continent is highly complicated due to the occurrence of diversified geological formations with considerable litho-logical and chronological variations, complex tectonic framework, climato-logical dissimilarities and various hydro-chemical conditions. Once contamination starts, very little can be done to check it except a total ban on pumping. But this is very difficult, as millions of rural families in India depend on groundwater for sustaining irrigated agriculture and livelihoods. Manufacturing and service industries have high demands for cooling water, processing water and water for cleaning purposes. Groundwater pollution occurs when used water is returned to the hydrological cycle. Haryana is fast emerging as one of the most favoured investment destinations in India. The State has taken lead in terms of planned industrial and urban growth compared to neighboring States, which has resulted in development of vibrant urban and industrial complexes. They dump the wastes in the rivers which results in water pollution. Management of groundwater resources in the Indian context is an extremely complex proposition as it deals with the interactions between the human society and the physical environment. Unplanned depletion of non-renewable groundwater reserves can undermine and potentially erode the economic and social vitality of any community. Hence, there is need to plan the exploitation of non-renewable groundwater resources and guide their utilization with a view to making communities better prepared socio-economically to cope with increasing water stress as aquifer storage is depleted.</em></p></div>

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1440) ◽  
pp. 1957-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. D. Foster ◽  
P. J. Chilton

The exploitation of groundwater resources for human use dates from the earliest civilizations, but massive resource development has been largely restricted to the past 50 years. Although global in scope, the emphasis of this paper is on groundwater–based economies in a developing nation context, where accelerated resource development has brought major social and economic benefits over the past 20 years. This results from groundwater's significant role in urban water supply and in rural livelihoods, including irrigated agriculture. However, little of the economic benefit of resource development has been reinvested in groundwater management, and concerns about aquifer degradation and resource sustainability began to arise. A general review, for a broad–based audience, is given of the mechanisms and significance of three semi–independent facets of aquifer degradation. These are (i) depletion of aquifer storage and its effects on groundwater availability, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; (ii) groundwater salinization arising from various different processes of induced hydraulic disturbance and soil fractionation; and (iii) vulnerability of aquifers to pollution from land–use and effluent discharge practices related to both urban development and agricultural intensification. Globally, data with which to assess the status of aquifer degradation are of questionable reliability, inadequate coverage and poor compilation. Recourse has to be made to ‘type examples’ and assumptions about the extension of similar hydrogeological settings likely to be experiencing similar conditions of groundwater demand and subsurface contaminant load. It is concluded that (i) aquifer degradation is much more than a localized problem because the sustainability of the resource base for much of the rapid socio–economic development of the second half of the twentieth century is threatened on quite a widespread geographical basis; and (ii) major (and long overdue) investments in groundwater resource and quality protection are urgently needed. These investments include appropriate institutional provisions, demand–side management, supply–side enhancement and pollution control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Y. Liu ◽  
W. W. Wang ◽  
S. T. Xie ◽  
Q. W. Pan

AbstractFreshwater scarcity is a global threat to modern era of human society. Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is prospective to provide fresh water for remote water-stressed areas lacking in water and electricity. Adsorbent material plays a vital role in such AWH systems. Here, we report a solid adsorbent synthesized by impregnating hygroscopic salt lithium chloride (LiCl) into solidified activated carbon fiber felt (ACFF modified by silica sol). Composite samples immersed with different mass concentrations of silica sol are prepared and characterized for dynamic water uptake, equilibrium water uptake, textural and thermal properties. AS5Li30 (ACFF + 5 wt% silica gel + 30 wt% LiCl) exhibits an efficient water uptake of 2.1 g/g at 25 °C and 70% relative humidity (RH). The material further demonstrates a heat storage capacity of 5456 kJ/kg. Its low regeneration temperature (< 80 °C) and good cycle stability make it feasible to be used in practical water production applications, driven by solar energy and other low-grade energy. Estimation results show that water harvesting unit can produce 1.41 gH2O/gAS5Li30 under 25 °C and 75% RH.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 642
Author(s):  
Jacek RÓŻKOWSKI ◽  
Mariusz RZĘTAŁA

The functioning of Uzbekistan’s economy is closely linked to the water resources of its huge cross-border rivers: the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, as well as to the groundwater present within their basins. Both natural lakes and artificial reservoirs (e.g. the Aydar-Arnasay system of lakes, the Kayrakkum Reservoir, the Chardarya Reservoir) are present there, which retain significant amounts of water, and large canals with lengths of up to several hundred kilometres which involve complex hydraulic structures are used for irrigation purposes. All these are components of a water management system which needs optimisation; as much as 80% of agricultural land is irrigated, with 70% of the water being lost due to inefficient irrigation systems. The consequence of this allocation of river flows and the overuse of water in irrigation systems has been the disappearance of the Aral Sea (1960 year – 68,900 km2, 2017 year – 8,600 km2) and the inflow of water into the Sarygamysh Lake as well as the reduction of Uzbekistan’s groundwater resources by about 40%. The intensive development of irrigated agriculture is associated with changes in surface and groundwater quality caused, inter alia, by the increased use of chemicals in agriculture and the discharge of collector-drainage waters into river systems as well as their reuse. The extent of environmental degradation in some areas (especially in the Aral Sea region) is unique on a global scale. The origins of Uzbekistan’s other hydrological tourist attractions are related to attempts to ensure the availability of water for both human consumption and industrial use under conditions of water scarcity in the country’s arid and semi-arid climates. Not just the spectacular watercourses and water bodies present there (e.g. rivers, lakes, canals), but also small water retention facilities and minor infrastructure elements (e.g. wells, springs and retention basins, canals, ditches and flow control structures) are of potential tourist importance.


Author(s):  
P K Bhunya ◽  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Sunil Gurrapu ◽  
M K Bhuyan

In recent times, several studies focused on the global warming that may affect the hydrological cycle due to intensification of temporal and spatial variations in precipitation. Such climatic change is likely to impact significantly upon freshwater resources availability. In India, demand for water has already increased manifold over the years due to urbanization, agriculture expansion, increasing population, rapid industrialization and economic development. Numerous scientific studies also report increases in the intensity, duration, and spatial extents of floods, higher atmospheric temperatures, warmer sea, changes in precipitation patterns, and changing groundwater levels. This work briefly discusses about the present scenario regarding impact of climate change on water resources in India. Due to the insufficient resolution of climate models and their generally crude representation of sub-grid scale and convective processes, little confidence can be placed in any definite predictions of such effects, although a tendency for more heavy rainfall events seems likely, and a modest increase in frequency in floods. Thus to analyses this effect, this work considers real problems about the changing flood characteristics pattern in two river regions, and the effect of spatial and temporal pattern in rainfall. In addition to these, the work also examines the trend of groundwater level fluctuations in few blocks of Ganga–Yamuna and Sutlej-Yamuna Link interfluves region. As a whole, it examines the potential for sustainable development of surface water and groundwater resources within the constraints imposed by climate change.


Author(s):  
Florian Brückner ◽  
Rebecca Bahls ◽  
Mohammad Alqadi ◽  
Falk Lindenmaier ◽  
Ibraheem Hamdan ◽  
...  

AbstractIn 2017, a comprehensive review of groundwater resources in Jordan was carried out for the first time since 1995. The change in groundwater levels between 1995 and 2017 was found to be dramatic: large declines have been recorded all over the country, reaching more than 100 m in some areas. The most affected areas are those with large-scale groundwater-irrigated agriculture, but areas that are only used for public water supply are also affected. The decrease of groundwater levels and saturated thickness poses a growing threat for drinking water supply and the demand has to be met from increasingly deeper and more remote sources, causing higher costs for drilling and extraction. Groundwater-level contour lines show that groundwater flow direction has completely reversed in some parts of the main aquifer. Consequently, previously established conceptual models, such as the concept of 12 “groundwater basins” often used in Jordan should be revised or replaced. Additionally, hydraulic conditions are changing from confined to unconfined; this is most likely a major driver for geogenic pollution with heavy metals through leakage from the overlying bituminous aquitard. Three exemplary case studies are presented to illustrate and discuss the main causes for the decline of the water tables (agriculture and population growth) and to show how the results of this assessment can be used on a regional scale.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (9(SE)) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
Rajendran ◽  
Udaya Kumar

Education plays a vital role for economic development of any nation. It reduces social and economic disparities in society. This study explores the public and private higher educational institutions and literacy level of Tamil Nadu. The literacy rate indicates educational level of total population. Education makes and ushers knowledge economy of a country. The importance of educational service is forever growing in the public and private sectors. Education facilitates the acquisition of new technology, skills and knowledge that ultimately increases productivity in rural and urban areas of India. Public and Private partnership institutions play an important role in delivering educational service in the society and itsrole for delivering general and technical educationfor achieving economic development and its producing skill and knowledge of  human resource.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronan Abhervé ◽  
Clément Roques ◽  
Laurent Longuevergne ◽  
Stéphane Louaisil ◽  
Jean-Raynald de Dreuzy ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;While it is well understood and accepted that climate change and growing water needs affect the availability of water resources, the identification of the main physical processes involved remains challenging. It notably requires to filter interannual to interdecadal fluctuations and extreme events to isolate the underlying trends. Metropolitan areas are specifically subject to growing pressures because of the significant and increasing demand, combined with the strong anthropization of land uses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Meu-Ch&amp;#232;ze-Canut catchment supplies the city of Rennes with drinking water (680 km&amp;#178; - 500&amp;#160;000 users, Brittany, France). In this field laboratory, we explore the dynamics of the water cycle and water resources availability. In this context, water supply is mostly coming from reservoir storage for which levels shows a medium-term vulnerability in response to frequent relatively dry years. Based on retrospective data analysis, we describe the relationship between climatic forcing (precipitation, temperature) and water availability (aquifer storage, river discharge and reservoir storage) in different parts of the catchment that are characterized by distinct lithological and topographical settings. We then evaluate the resilience of both surface and groundwater resources, their past evolution and their resilience to climate change and increasing societal needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Water resources availability in these catchments relies on two geological formations with distinct hydrodynamics properties: the Armorican sandstone and Brioverian schist. To assess the resilience of the system, we specifically analyzed the relationships between monthly effective precipitation and stream discharge within nine sub-catchments over the past 30 years. We observe annual hysteresis relationships - that is, a time lag between precipitation and discharge highlighting the capacity of the landscape to temporarily store water - with significant variability in shapes across the catchments. We argue that topographic and lithological factors play key roles in controlling this variability through their impacts on subsurface storage capacity and characteristic drainage timescales. We propose perspectives based on the complementary use of calibrated groundwater models to leverage these results and provide adaptive water management strategies.&lt;/p&gt;


Author(s):  
W. M. Edmunds

Springs are symbolic of the sustainability of life on earth. Since the earliest times flowing springs have been held as sacred and as a subject of awe and fascination. Subterranean water is identified in the creation myths on Babylonian tablets, where waters above the earth are separated from the ‘water of the deep’. The persistence of these creation myths is still reflected in the Arabic word ain or ayun, which has the double meaning of spring and eye (Issar 1991). Springs were the eyes of the gods. Springs (or fountains) were the focal point of many events in the Bible and other religious texts, and were the subject of veneration, as in Psalm 104: 10, ‘He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills Modern scientific understanding of the origins of spring flow dates from the seventeenth century. The earliest explanations of the hydrological cycle, often termed the reversed hydrological cycle, probably stem from biblical sources (Ecclesiastes 1: 7). The unexplained constancy of the ocean volume was accounted for by the return of seawater through the rocks, which then purified them and returned the water to the surface as freshwater rivers and springs. This interpretation of the hydrological cycle persisted through the writings of ancient Greece and Rome as in Seneca’s Quaestiones Naturales and into the Middle Ages (Tuan 1968) until correctly explained by Edmond Halley(Halley 1691). In modern society spring waters are valued highly because they still embody an element of mystery and bring us face to face with the subsurface expression of the hydrological cycle or ‘groundwater’. There is also traditional belief that spring waters represent a source of perennial pure water. The properties of pure spring water command a high market value and in a world where tap water is (often wrongly) perceived as something less pure, the bottled water image-makers seek after evidence of the purity, longevity, and healing properties of the spring, with a zeal that echoes the reverence accorded to spring waters by early philosophers. The objective of this chapter is to explore the reasons for the decline of natural springs and the fragility of groundwater resources in general.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9183
Author(s):  
Heejung Kim ◽  
Chungwan Lim

Climate-related changes that have occurred over the last few decades are particularly induced by changes in large-scale hydrological cycle processes [...]


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