Managed aquifer recharge: the widening gap between law and policy in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1159-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Sakthivel ◽  
L. Elango ◽  
S. Amirthalingam ◽  
C. E. Pratap ◽  
N. Brunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Law And Policy

The past decade has witnessed discussions on various options to overcome groundwater depletion, such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) and ‘artificial recharge’ methods. This paper addresses law and policy issues relating to managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Based on an analysis of the National Water Policy of India and water polices and laws of the Indian states, a concrete case study, namely Chennai metropolitan area, has been studied in detail. The city of Chennai and the State of Tamil Nadu provide a favorable atmosphere for groundwater recharge, making, e.g. RWH mandatory. However, the legal framework does not support more systematic approaches towards MAR and the administrative praxis does not ensure that groundwater recharge is offset by an increase of illegal groundwater extraction.

Focused groundwater recharge in a dryland environment: hydrometric and isotopic evidence from central Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Seddon ◽  
Japhet J. Kashaigili ◽  
Richard G. Taylor ◽  
Mark O. Cuthbert ◽  
Lucas Mihale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Ephemeral Stream ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Groundwater, and its replenishment via recharge, is critical to livelihoods and poverty alleviation in drylands of sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, yet the processes by which groundwater is replenished remain inadequately observed and resolved. Here, we present three lines of evidence, from an extensively-monitored wellfield in central semi-arid Tanzania, indicating focused groundwater recharge occurring via leakage from episodic, ephemeral stream discharges. First, the duration of ephemeral streamflow observed from daily records from 2007 to 2016 correlates strongly (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.85) with the magnitude of groundwater recharge events observed and estimated from piezometric observations. Second, high-resolution (hourly) monitoring of groundwater levels and stream stage, established in advance of the 2015-16 El Niño, shows the formation and decay of groundwater mounds beneath episodically inundated adjacent streambeds. Third, stable-isotope ratios of O and H of groundwater and precipitation as well as perennial and ephemeral surface waters trace the origin of groundwater to ephemeral stream discharges. The identification and characterisation of focused groundwater recharge have important implications not only, locally, for protecting and potentially augmenting replenishment of a wellfield supplying the capital of Tanzania through Managed Aquifer Recharge but also, more widely, in understanding and modelling groundwater recharge in dryland environments.</p>

scholarly journals Water Banks: Using Managed Aquifer Recharge to Meet Water Policy Objectives

Water ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 1500-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Megdal ◽  
Peter Dillon ◽  
Kenneth Seasholes
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Policy Objectives

scholarly journals An Overview of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and Its Legal Framework

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Belle Cruz-Ayala ◽  
Sharon B. Megdal
Keyword(s):  
Arid Regions ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Pilot Projects ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Water Recharge ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Policies And Programs

In Mexico, one hundred of the 188 most important aquifers dedicated to agriculture and human consumption are over-exploited and 32 are affected by seawater intrusion in coastal areas. Considering that Mexico relies on groundwater, it is vital to develop a portfolio of alternatives to recover aquifers and examine policies and programs regarding reclaimed water and stormwater. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) may be useful for increasing water availability and adapting to climate change in semi-arid regions of Mexico. In this paper, we present an overview of water recharge projects that have been conducted in Mexico in the last 50 years, their methods for recharge, water sources, geographical distribution, and the main results obtained in each project. We found three types of MAR efforts: (1) exploratory and suitability studies for MAR, (2) pilot projects, and (3) MAR facilities that currently operate. This study includes the examination of the legal framework for MAR to identify some challenges and opportunities that Mexican regulation contains in this regard. We find that beyond the technical issues that MAR projects normally address, the regulatory framework is a barrier to increasing MAR facilities in Mexico.

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in Baluchistan, Pakistan, Present Situation and Future Prospects

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sikandar Hayat ◽  
Hana Ben Mahrez ◽  
Zsóka Szabó ◽  
Ádám Tóth ◽  
Judit Mádl-Szőnyi
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Management ◽  
Watershed Management ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Combination Method ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Sustainable Groundwater Management

<p>Groundwater is depleting across the globe. According to NASA, 33% of the world’s major basins are overexploited. This water shortage could be alleviated by using Managed aquifer recharge (MAR)  techniques. MAR is defined by Gale, 2005 as “Intentional storage and treatment of water in aquifers”. The three most common methods of MAR are a) direct infiltration into the aquifer through wells, b) interception in the river bed, c) indirect infiltration from the land surface (Dillon et al., 2009a). Baluchistan, the largest province of Pakistan by area (44 % of the total area of Pakistan) has hyper-arid to dry climate and is comprised of 18 river basins, 11 of which are suffering from groundwater depletion (2-3 m cumulative decline in watertable) . To solve the issue, 300 delay action dams were constructed but due to high-intensity rainfalls, steep slopes, and lack of vegetative cover, the sediment erosion rate was very high which converted the delay action dams into evaporation ponds and this scheme failed. After the failure of delay action dams, the leaky dam technique along with effective watershed management was applied, this enhanced the percolation and reduced the sedimentation in the reservoir (Asharaf and Sheikh 2017). Leaky dams reduce the energy of flood, initiate the sedimentation of suspended load and release the water downstream through leakage to infiltrate in the riverbed (Gale, 2005). The integrated approach of watershed management, leaky dams, ditches, and furrows positively affected the watertable in the area (Asharaf and Sheikh, 2017). The goals of this research are to revise the development of MAR in Baluchistan (Pakistan), to display a MAR suitability map using INOWAS platform and update of MAR sites in Baluchistan at Global MAR portal. To delineate potential MAR sites, thematic layers such as slope, rainfall, drainage, land cover, and soil characteristics are integrated using GIS multi-criteria decision analysis (based on weighted linear combination method) (Senanayake et al, 2016).  MAR suitability maps are used as a preliminary step to field investigation to decide whether an area is suitable for a particular MAR type and hold the potential to be integrated into sustainable groundwater management plans . This study helps design a suitable groundwater management plan for Baluchistan.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgement:</strong></p><p>"This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 810980."</p><p> </p><p>References</p><ul><li> Dillon, P., I. Gale, S. Contreras, P. Pavelic, R. Evans & J. Ward. (2009a), Managing aquifer recharge and discharge to sustain irrigation livelihoods under water scarcity and climate change. IAHS Publication 330, pp.1-12</li> <li> Gale, I. (2005). Strategies for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) in semi-arid areas.UNESCO</li> <li> M.Ashraf and Ashfaq A. Sheikh (2017). Sustainable Groundwater Management in Balochistan. Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), pp. 34.</li> <li> Senanayake, I.P., Dissanayake, D.M.D.O.K., Mayadunna, B.B., Weerasekera, W.L.,( 2016). An approach to delineate groundwater recharge potential sites in Ambalantota, Sri Lanka using GIS techniques. Geoscience Frontiers, Special Issue: Progress of Machine Learning in Geosciences 7, 115–124.</li> </ul>

scholarly journals Monitoring and modeling infiltration-recharge dynamics of managed aquifer recharge with desalinated seawater

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Ganot ◽  
Ran Holtzman ◽  
Noam Weisbrod ◽  
Ido Nitzan ◽  
Yoram Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Infiltration Rates

Abstract. We study the relation between surface infiltration and groundwater recharge during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with desalinated seawater in an infiltration pond, at the Menashe site that overlies the northern part of the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. We monitor infiltration dynamics at multiple scales (up to the scale of the entire pond) by measuring the ponding depth, sediment water content and groundwater levels, using pressure sensors, single-ring infiltrometers, soil sensors and observation wells. During a month (January 2015) of continuous intensive MAR (2.45 · 106 m3 discharged to a 10.7 hectare area), groundwater level has risen by 17 m attaining full connection with the pond, while average infiltration rates declined by almost 2 orders of magnitude (from ~ 11 to ~ 0.4 m d−1). This reduction can be explained solely by the lithology of the unsaturated zone that includes relatively low-permeability sediments, whereas clogging processes at pond-surface – abundant in many MAR operations – are negated by the high-quality desalinated seawater or negligible compared to the low-permeability layers. Recharge during infiltration was estimated reasonably well by simple analytical models, whereas a numerical model was used for estimating groundwater recharge after the end of infiltration. It was found that a calibrated numerical model with a one-dimensional representative sediment profile is able to capture MAR dynamics, including temporal reduction of infiltration rates, drainage and groundwater recharge. Measured infiltration rates of an independent MAR event (January 2016) fitted well to those calculated by the calibrated numerical model, showing the model validity. The successful quantification methodologies of the temporal groundwater recharge are useful for MAR practitioners and can serve as an input for groundwater flow models.

scholarly journals Icing phenomena for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and it’s feflow simulation result

2019 ◽  
pp. 16-31
Author(s):  
Nasanbayar N
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Cold Period ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Winter Cold ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Natural Recharge

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, shows a highly dynamic urban and industrial development, with a strong increase of population. Thus, water demand is continuously rising while water availability is in general low and less reliable. The semi-arid and cold environment shows a high variability in precipitation and river discharge, with a general tendency towards decreasing water availability due to increasing air temperatures and thus rising potential evaporation. In parallel with the city’s development, the extended groundwater aquifer shows a clear decline, and the groundwater levels drop significantly. Therefore, a groundwater management system based on managed aquifer recharge is proposed and a strategy to implement these measures in the Tuul valley is presented. In this study considered enhancement of natural recharge rates during the early winter cold period, an increase of groundwater recharge through creating ice storages, due to keep water source as in ice form on surface. In dry season March to May ice storage recharge surface and groundwater by melting where Tuul River is non-flow condition. In this paper also written matlab icing code in water supply wells location, limited and unlimited area. The study of icing was processed in feflow simulation scenarios for artificially recharging groundwater resources.In this study considered feflow simulation scenarios for artificially recharging groundwater resources like enhancement of natural recharge rates during the early winter cold period, an increase of groundwater recharge through creating ice storages, due to keep water source as in ice form on surface, drainage canal recharging aquifer from opposite side, constructing underground dam that accumulates groundwater behind. The result shown that one of the possibilities recharge groundwater in dry season is icing method which creates ice sheets over ice and build ice storages in winter, keep water in ice form.

scholarly journals Monitoring and modeling infiltration–recharge dynamics of managed aquifer recharge with desalinated seawater

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 4479-4493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonatan Ganot ◽  
Ran Holtzman ◽  
Noam Weisbrod ◽  
Ido Nitzan ◽  
Yoram Katz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Infiltration Rates

Abstract. We study the relation between surface infiltration and groundwater recharge during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) with desalinated seawater in an infiltration pond, at the Menashe site that overlies the northern part of the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. We monitor infiltration dynamics at multiple scales (up to the scale of the entire pond) by measuring the ponding depth, sediment water content and groundwater levels, using pressure sensors, single-ring infiltrometers, soil sensors, and observation wells. During a month (January 2015) of continuous intensive MAR (2.45  ×  106 m3 discharged to a 10.7 ha area), groundwater level has risen by 17 m attaining full connection with the pond, while average infiltration rates declined by almost 2 orders of magnitude (from  ∼  11 to  ∼  0.4 m d−1). This reduction can be explained solely by the lithology of the unsaturated zone that includes relatively low-permeability sediments. Clogging processes at the pond-surface – abundant in many MAR operations – are negated by the high-quality desalinated seawater (turbidity  ∼  0.2 NTU, total dissolved solids  ∼  120 mg L−1) or negligible compared to the low-permeability layers. Recharge during infiltration was estimated reasonably well by simple analytical models, whereas a numerical model was used for estimating groundwater recharge after the end of infiltration. It was found that a calibrated numerical model with a one-dimensional representative sediment profile is able to capture MAR dynamics, including temporal reduction of infiltration rates, drainage and groundwater recharge. Measured infiltration rates of an independent MAR event (January 2016) fitted well to those calculated by the calibrated numerical model, showing the model validity. The successful quantification methodologies of the temporal groundwater recharge are useful for MAR practitioners and can serve as an input for groundwater flow models.

scholarly journals Regulations and guidelines on water quality requirements for Managed Aquifer Recharge. International comparison

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Fernandez Escalante ◽  
Jose David Henao Casas ◽  
Ana María Vidal Medeiros ◽  
Jon San Sebastiá Sauto San Sebastián Sauto
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Managed Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Maximum Allowable Concentrations ◽  
Groundwater Body

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a promising set of techniques to cope with a variety of water management-related issues. In recent years MAR implementations have witnessed an expansion and greater social acceptance. Nonetheless, there are still some gaps in the scientific, economic and governance dimensions of MAR which need to be addressed. One of these gaps is the lack in many countries of clear regulations addressing MAR. In this paper eighteen regulations and twelve guidelines on water quality standards from around the world have been reviewed to favour the advancement of the legal framework concerning MAR. The review has demonstrated that the existing MAR regulatory frameworks are implemented at different levels (i.e. from regional to international) and consider different aspects such as planning, permitting and monitoring as well as the risk assessment. Most regulations take into account some of these aspects, but seldom all of them. The detailed study and comparison of the water quality standards enabled to define conclusions regarding the differences in maximum allowable concentrations (MACs). Furthermore, this comparison made visible the different approaches to encompass the variability of MAR systems, and also the natural conditions prevailing in the receiving groundwater body. Based on the review of the selected regulations, their advantages and shortcomings, a series of recommendations are proposed for the development of future legal framework entailing the MAR technique.

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