India Environment Portal Knowledge for change

About us Contact us
downtoearth-subscribe

Browse by subjects

Water audit

  • 30/01/2008

Since 2002, Hiware Bazar has been doing an annual budgeting of water assisted by Ahmednagar district's groundwater department. Every year, the village measures the total amount of water available in the village, estimates its uses and then prescribes the agricultural cropping pattern to be taken up. "The village decides on the crops to be grown consensually,' says Shivaji Thange, who works with the village watershed committee.

After five years, the village has been able to identify its average water availability. It is estimated that with 400 mm of rainfall, Hiware Bazar is self-sufficient. It receives an average rainfall of 350 mm to 400 mm, experiencing a shortfall of 50-80 million litres. Realizing this handicap, the gram sabha has banned borewells. "The discipline on this decision is maintained,' says Thange.

"The audit begins with monitoring the groundwater level of the six observation wells identified in the village, along with the amount of total rainfall received measured by the village's three rain gauges. The sum of rainfall and groundwater is the water available,' explains Ramesh Bagmar, assistant geologist with the district groundwater department.

The gram sabha budgets water for the village. Water for drinking (for humans and animals) and other daily use gets priority. Seventy per cent of the remaining water is used for irrigation. The remaining water is used to recharge groundwater.

In 2004-05, Hiware Bazar found a deficit of 86.5 million litres of water after receiving annual rainfall of 237 mm. This was followed by another deficit year in 2005-06 with a 47.7-million litre shortfall after the village received 271 mm of rainfall. "The village had changed its cropping pattern and priority was given to crops like moong, bajra and gram, which require less water. This helped them handle the deficit of 2004-05 and as a result the deficit of 2005-06 did not have any major impact on the cropping pattern,' says Bagmar.

In 2006, the village received 549 mm of rainfall and had a surplus of 1,465 million litres of water, which encouraged them to take up wheat on 100 ha of land and jwari on 210 ha. However, in 2007-08, the village only received 315 mm of rainfall and registered a deficit of 456.3 million litres (see table: Water balance sheet, 2007). The gram sabha has decided to reduce the land for jwari to 2 ha and wheat to 70 ha. More land will be allocated to moong and bajri.

"This water audit has been very useful in ensuring sustainability of both agriculture and water available for drinking purposes for humans and livestock in the village,' says Pawar.

During 2003-04, there was a drought in the district and there was a drinking water scarcity. Hiware Bazar was the only village in Nagar block, which did not need tankers. "That year, our village did not cultivate any major crop like wheat, bajra and had to switch to drip irrigation for crops like tomatoes and onions,' Pawar says.

Related Content