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Water
Management

*Our work aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Water Management

The Water Management program works with communities to harvest and store rainwater for direct use, and/or replenish groundwater by building and restoring infrastructure in villages. It supports revival of traditional water bodies, construction of water storage infrastructure, and safe disposal of wastewater. It promotes safe drinking water for all with innovative low-cost, sustainable technologies and WASH behavior. It creates awareness about the need for water conservation and builds capacities of local communities for better management and long-term sustainability of their water resources. The program seeks opportunities to collaborate for continuous improvement and replication of low-cost water management interventions.

Water Management

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*Data as of March 2024

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Watch our work on "Water Management"

WATER MANAGEMENT

WHY DO WE NEED WATER MANAGEMENT?

India has about 18 percent of the world's population and only 4 percent of the world's water resources. It is severely water-stressed, thereby making water management a national priority. India uses about 230 cubic kilometers of groundwater annually, which is more than a quarter of the global total, making it the world's largest user of groundwater. About 90 percent of the groundwater extracted is used for irrigation and over 60 percent of the irrigated land in India is supported primarily by groundwater supplies. For an agrarian country like India, water is a key driving force of agriculture and has a direct bearing on its productivity and sustainability. However, unregulated extraction and non-replenishment has reduced groundwater drastically and deteriorated its quality. The crisis has worsened further due to climate change, which causes erratic and intense rainfall. This, coupled with lack of sufficient runoff storage capacity, leads to the loss of precious freshwater into the sea. Furthermore, there is a serious lack of infrastructure for safe disposal of wastewater in villages, which further leads to contamination of water resources. Water contamination is a serious problem, giving rise to health and hygiene concerns.

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WATER RESOURCE AUGMENTATION

The Water Management program focuses on replenishing depleted underground aquifers and augmenting groundwater primarily with rainwater harvesting. This improves the availability and quality of groundwater in the long run, and provides water security to rural households. The program works with communities to revive traditional water bodies, and design and construct cost-effective recharge structures to harvest surplus monsoon runoff for either augmentation of groundwater and/or creation of surface water storage. Water resource augmentation structures include check dams, ponds, farm ponds, tanks, recharge wells, among others.

ROOFTOP RAINWATER HARVESTING

The Water Management program promotes installation of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in public buildings such as schools and institutional buildings that collect rainwater and store it over-ground for later consumption. The water is passed through an appropriate filtering process prior to human consumption, which eliminates the risk of biological contamination, suspended solid particles, and other contaminants from the rainwater. Any excess water is recharged back into the ground.

WASH

The Water Management program advocates for integrated WASH behavior change within communities. It promotes affordable and local solutions for the safe disposal of household wastewater, such as soak pits and soak wells, at the household and community level. These structures are built at strategic locations to direct wastewater into the ground. The program works with communities to improve the surroundings of open wells, public water supply taps, and hand pumps to prevent water contamination. It also provides WASH trainings and hand-holding support for the capacity building of practitioners.

SAFE DRINKING WATER

S M Sehgal Foundation program advocates the adoption of sustainable technologies to improve access to safe drinking water for rural communities to prevent spread of waterborne diseases. The program innovates in the drinking water treatment domain. JalKalp biosand water filters and MatiKalp water filters are two such innovations.

JalKalp water filter is a sustainable stainless steel biosand filter that does not rely on recurring maintenance or electric power to deliver clean drinkable water. JalKalp is effective against pathogens such as E. coli, total coliforms, parasites, microbes, and worms, as well as address turbidity, iron, manganese, and arsenic contamination to make water safe for consumption.

MatiKalp water filter is a low-cost local resource based solution which can be produced in village. It takes care of pathogens, turbidity, iron, and manganese present in water. Foundation is further innovating to optimize it for arsenic removal.

Foundation in partnership with CAWST, Canada, offers capacity building workshops and technical support on various WASH related topics for grassroots organizations and practitioners.

MatiKalp Ceramic Pot Filter provided by S M Sehgal Foundation for testing has demonstrated excellent efficacy in removing iron, manganese, and fecal coliform from drinking water, effectively reducing their concentration to safe limits.

— Dr. Ranjana Ray Chaudhari, PhD Head of Department of Regional Water Studies Teri School of Advanced Studies

The Foundation also works on prevalence, impact, and solution of fluoride in water. We have developed a model of fluorosis mitigation integrating sensitization and awareness building, nutrition management and also engaged in developing low-cost innovative risk free technology for fluoride removal from water.

SOIL CONSERVATION

The Water Management program promotes a variety of soil and water conservation measures to prevent soil erosion and salinity, and to maintain and improve soil fertility and productivity. With support from the communities, structures are built for soil and water conservation to reduce the volume and velocity of runoff for better protection against topsoil loss and to improve soil moisture retention. Soil and water conservation structures include contour trenches, farm bunds, gully plugs, among others. The program also promotes large-scale plantation on water catchments to improve the quality of runoff and the slow release of water increases percolation into the soil.

WATER-CONSCIOUS COMMUNITIES

The Water Management program team works closely with rural communities to spread awareness on the importance of water conservation to sustain water resources, use of safe drinking water, and WASH behavior. It actively engages in awareness sessions and literacy drives with all sections of the community, including women and youth, on topics including judicious use of water, importance of managing water resources, water budgeting, household water treatment, and good hygiene and sanitation practices. It further aims to equip rural communities with knowledge and skills to effectively manage and sustain their water resources and be water secure.

FAQs

What is the current situation of water management in India?

In India, just 8% of the groundwater extracted is meant for drinking purposes, while the majority, around 12%, is utilized for industrial needs. The Composite Water Management Index, a report by NITI Aayog, has raised concerns about India’s water crisis, highlighting that over 600 million individuals are currently grappling with severe water shortages.

Who manages water in India?

The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) primarily focuses on establishing policy directives and initiatives aimed at the growth, preservation, and efficient management of water as a valuable national asset.

How can we improve water management in India?

Water resource augmentation
Rooftop rainwater harvesting
Promotion of safe drinking water
WASH
Promoting soil conservation

are a few ways highlighted by the top rural development NGO in India, working towards improving Water Management in India.

Why do we need water management in India?

India consumes approximately 230 cubic kilometers of groundwater each year, representing more than a quarter of the global total and making it the world’s largest groundwater consumer. Of this extracted groundwater, roughly 90% is used for irrigation, supporting over 60% of the nation’s irrigated agricultural land. Water plays a pivotal role in India’s agriculture-dependent economy, significantly influencing productivity and sustainability.

However, unchecked groundwater extraction and insufficient replenishment have led to a significant decline in groundwater levels and a decline in water quality. The situation has been exacerbated by climate change, which brings irregular and heavy rainfall. Due to limited capacity for runoff storage, a significant amount of precious freshwater is lost to the sea. Additionally, rural areas lack adequate infrastructure for the safe disposal of wastewater, contributing to water resource contamination. This contamination poses serious health and hygiene risks.