CHANGING GROUNDWATER RESOURCES SCENARIO OF WESTERN RAJASTHAN

R.K. GOYAL¹*, MAHESH K. GAUR^2
1ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India
²ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India
* Corresponding Author : rkgoyal24@gmail.com

Received : 02-11-2020     Accepted : 26-11-2020     Published : 30-11-2020
Volume : 12     Issue : 22       Pages : 10386 - 10388
Int J Agr Sci 12.22 (2020):10386-10388

Keywords : Groundwater, wells and tube wells, cropping area, Thar desert, western Rajasthan
Academic Editor : Dr Vipul N Kapadia, Dr Vijay Prajapati
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, 342003, Rajasthan, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Groundwater assumes prime importance in arid areas like western Rajasthan where there is no other source of water. To meet the demand of ever-increasing population and economic development, groundwater has been indiscriminately exploited. An attempted has been made to assess the groundwater scenario of western Rajasthan over a long period of time, based on data collected from various sources. The number of wells (dug well /bore well /tube well) has increased four times with an annual growth rate of 9.91% (123051 in 1971 to 610992 in 2015) in last four decades. The increasing number of wells has exacerbated the over drafting of groundwater, which has resulted in decline in groundwater table. The rate of decline in the groundwater table is the highest (> 0.50 m y-1) in Jalore and Pali followed by Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur and Sikar (0.44-0.48 m y-1) districts. The over exploitation of groundwater is also resulted in deterioration of water quality. Groundwater in >80% areas is having EC >2.0 d Sm-1 and is moderately good for irrigation, whereas 40% area have EC > 4.0 d Sm-1, which is not very suitable for irrigation. A significant change has been observed in cropping pattern during last decade. With availability of tube-well and canal water, several high-water requiring crops like cotton, groundnut, sugarcane, rice, wheat, castor, etc., were introduced in area and severely impacted groundwater levels and quality. The severe and ongoing depletion of groundwater levels in western Rajasthan poses a growing threat to the food security. There is need for augmented/accelerated groundwater recharge, conjunctive use of poor-quality groundwater with rainwater, protected agriculture and rejuvenation of traditional water harvesting structures like village Pond, Tanka, Nadi, Khadin etc. to reduce the pressure on groundwater resources.