This paper refers to the recent plans by the Government of India to undertake artificial recharge of groundwater in over-exploited areas of the country to meet the demands for water and raises certain fundamental questions about the methods used for analysing the hydrological and economic impacts of the interventions.

The regions facing problems of water shortage in India are due to natural water scarcity where demand for water exceeds the utilisable water resources and are characterised by:

• Low and erratic annual rainfall
• High inter-annual variability in rainfall
• High aridity due to excessively high evaporation rates including that during monsoon
• Low and highly variable run-offs
• Underlain by hard rock formations, which have poor water holding capacity
• Having basins that are either closed or on the verge of closure

These regions have also experienced high degree of water resources development in the past many decades.  Modern water harvesting initiatives are also concentrated in these regions.

Evidence suggests that it is impossible to carry out local water harvesting and groundwater recharge activities in an economically efficient way in these regions without causing negative downstream impacts and waste of scarce resources, apart from causing several negative social and environmental consequences.

The paper argues that there are no “quick fix solutions” to the complex water problems facing India. There has to be a better application of natural and social sciences, the socio-economic and institutional and policy context while designing water management programmes and policies in the Indian context.

It concludes by stating that in this particular case, it is important to generate better understanding of the catchment and basin hydrology, the groundwater storage potential, the stage of water development in the basin, and climatic and socio-economic factors that determine water demands before designing strategies for the problems of water scarcity in the area.

India Water Portal thanks the authors for permission to publish this paper.

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