Management of Groundwater Contamination
Contents
Executive Summary 4
1. Introduction 5
1.1. What is groundwater? 6
1.2. Availability and use of groundwater 6
2. Sources of Groundwater Contamination 8
2.1. Natural Sources 8
2.2. Agricultural Activities 8
2.3. Human Activities 9
3. Regulatory, Institutional and Policy Framework 13
4. Ways to manage Groundwater 15
4.1. Groundwater Recharge 15
4.2. Recycling and wastewater treatment 16
5. Case Study 19
5.1. Case Study I: Ambuja Cement Limited 19
5.2. Case Study II: Bosch Limited – Safe Drinking Water 21
6. Recommendations 22
7. Way Forward 24
8. Bibliography 26
Executive Summary
Water is inextricably linked with every facet of human development. Its unavailability, deterioration in quality and neglect drastically impedes the quality of human life. The India's accelerated and continuous growth has led to an unprecedented stress on the finite and fragile water resources that are on the verge of depletion on account of overexploitation. Sectoral demands for water are growing rapidly in line with urbanization, population increase, rising income and industrial growth. One of the major sources of drinking water is underground water. The poor management of water calls for action by all stakeholders. In the advent of a water crisis, industry will be hard hit and, it is, therefore, incumbent upon the same to undertake pro active measures toward effective water management.
Despite massive outlays for drinking water and sanitation in India, access to safe drinking water remains a challenge. Institutional challenges in rural and urban drinking water and sanitation remain a major hurdle. These include addressing leakages in official spending, monitoring of progress and creating linkages between different agencies.
There are concerns on groundwater and surface water sustainability, with emerging concerns of inequity in access that is both intra-rural and rural-urban. The crisis has become intense over the past decade affecting both rural and
Executive Summary 4
1. Introduction 5
1.1. What is groundwater? 6
1.2. Availability and use of groundwater 6
2. Sources of Groundwater Contamination 8
2.1. Natural Sources 8
2.2. Agricultural Activities 8
2.3. Human Activities 9
3. Regulatory, Institutional and Policy Framework 13
4. Ways to manage Groundwater 15
4.1. Groundwater Recharge 15
4.2. Recycling and wastewater treatment 16
5. Case Study 19
5.1. Case Study I: Ambuja Cement Limited 19
5.2. Case Study II: Bosch Limited – Safe Drinking Water 21
6. Recommendations 22
7. Way Forward 24
8. Bibliography 26
Executive Summary
Water is inextricably linked with every facet of human development. Its unavailability, deterioration in quality and neglect drastically impedes the quality of human life. The India's accelerated and continuous growth has led to an unprecedented stress on the finite and fragile water resources that are on the verge of depletion on account of overexploitation. Sectoral demands for water are growing rapidly in line with urbanization, population increase, rising income and industrial growth. One of the major sources of drinking water is underground water. The poor management of water calls for action by all stakeholders. In the advent of a water crisis, industry will be hard hit and, it is, therefore, incumbent upon the same to undertake pro active measures toward effective water management.
Despite massive outlays for drinking water and sanitation in India, access to safe drinking water remains a challenge. Institutional challenges in rural and urban drinking water and sanitation remain a major hurdle. These include addressing leakages in official spending, monitoring of progress and creating linkages between different agencies.
There are concerns on groundwater and surface water sustainability, with emerging concerns of inequity in access that is both intra-rural and rural-urban. The crisis has become intense over the past decade affecting both rural and