India To Exploit Its Underground Water

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32050, 26 July 1969, Page 7

India To Exploit Its Underground Water

fN.Z.P.4.-Reuter—Copti right) NEW DELHI. India is giving serious attention to tapping to the full its underground water resources, which are estimated to equal 10 years rainfall. Surveys indicate that the country, which has suffered a series of crippling droughts, no longer needs to depend on monsoons to relieve the perennial water shortage. Officials say that an estimated 53 million acres of underground water could be used to irrigate an equal amount of land area. Since the start of India’s third Five-Year Plan in 1961, farmers have been using underground water, but not at the rate currently being contemplated. Surveys Undertaken The Geological Survey of India and the Exploratory Wells Organisation have been carrying out ground water surveys in North India since 1966-67. Faced with a serious drinking water shortage, mainly in Bihar State, the Government started drilling for water on a big scale. Hundreds of irrigation wells were sunk in the area, at some places using diamond head drills to bore through rocks. Rigs were imported and some were given by foreign voluntary agencies. Since then survey teams, including foreign experts,

have toured the country and made recommendations.

The latest was an East German undertaking, Ves Hydrogeologic, which offered to help India to survey its underground water resources, after two of their experts had toured the country. They said that India had the technical know-how to do it, but not quickly enough. One international official said early this year after a visit that the effort in irrigation through diversion of rivers and sinking wells was being made at such a pace that he thought monsoon agriculture would soon be superseded.

the Exploratory Wells Organisation has carried out investigations in 16 different regions of the country. About one-third of the area proved worthy of exploitation. Large-scale Plan

■ The fourth Five-Year Plan, which began in April this year, contemplates the drilling of 485 exploratory and production wells covering about 45 million acres. The Geological Survey of India, which has five ground water directorates, is mainly responsible for prospecting and advising the Tubewells Organisation on drilling areas. Both agencies have been asked to intensify their activities to take in deep explorations based on modem techniques. Several state governments have set up ground water cells In their irrigation departments to help in the programme. Alongside, there have been complaints of unwise exploitation of ground waterlead-

ing to the drying up of open wells, which are main sources of drinking water in many areas.

To check this, the Indian Government has advised its State governments to enact legislation to regulate the use of ground water. The States have also been asked to study existing legislation in other countries, A World Bank team, which has just concluded an evaluation of water potential in parts of southern India, said that underground water could be tapped in many areas without affecting the ground water table, but it bad to be constantly watched.