Ground water Model Bill

There is unsustainable use of ground water, we may exhaust all ground water before it can be replenished by rains.Groundwater is the main source by which we have freshwater in the mainland India. More development means deeper penetration of the soil to gain greater access to groundwater. The more powerful install deeper wells and try to use as much as possible. With the result we are very quickly using up this resource. In states like Assam, groundwater is completely restored or recharged by heavy rains, but in other states, we take out the water from the ground and finish it off; and rains are not enough to replenish the water table.From 1970, we have been making deeper and deeper wells for irrigation. 80% of all farming is done by irrigation from water brought up from the ground. We had provided the farmer with motorised pumps to use this resource freely,not knowing that this is an exhaustible resource. Even 80% of our drinking water is extracted from groundwater tables. In 2004, it was becoming clear that drinking water was becoming scarcer and that quality of ground water had become very poor too. We had hit the environmental limits. There was no legislating to regulate the use of ground water. If any control was done, it was landownership-based and not aquifer-wide.(water table based) It was not realised that surface water and the ground water was related --if you extract ground water, surface water will get reduced. For example water in springs/lakes/rivers will be reduced if we extract the ground water under them.Agricultural and industrial practises have to reduce ground water usage,so that water table can recharge itself. Water harvesting must be done. We must encourage making of rain water catchments. We must learn to recycle water and re-use this resource. When going into the issues of groundwater, we have to make sure all get groundwater to drink and not just the rich. The quality of water should be monitored, so that clean water is available for drinking. Livelihoods of many depends on water, irrigation is needed, but not beyond the limits of the land. Water intensive crops must be made only in those zones which are able to provide water for it. Ground water should be priced;there will be technical problems with this. Before making of an infrastructure or industry, environmental impact must be assessed(whether water is sufficient) Every year assessment must be made, so that we can make sure ground water is not exhausted. 'Gram Panchayats' have been entrusted with the conservation of aquifer's waters. Understanding of the groundwater water management cannot be easily taught to them.Model Bill for Conservation and Regulation of Ground Water 2011 makes an outline of 'what should be done', how will it be done, how fast can it be done, can we really preserve our waters? India's future depends on this......whether we become a desert nation or not....India will not become a desert...let us work for that by conserving water today.Let us plant more trees to attract rain.