Participatory Groundwater Management (PGM) forAdvancing Water-based Rural Livelihoods

February 24-25, 2014Planning Commission, New Delhi

Evolving Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM)Framework for Alluvial Flood Plains in North Bihar

Eklavya PrasadMegh Pyne Abhiyan

Bihar and its scale...

Name is derived from the ancient word Vihara (monastery)

Total population of 103.8 million with 1,102 persons per square kilometers (sq km)

Total area is approximately 94.2 thousand sq km, split into two by the Ganges - northern region is of 53.3 sq. km and the southern region is spread in 40.9 thousand sq km

Approximately 90 per cent of its population lives in rural areas

Contd... Floods affect about 73 per cent of Bihar’s total area with almost 7

million hectares (ha) are at risk of flooding each year

Approximately 16.5 per cent of the total flood affected area of India is located in Bihar

It is estimated that 22.1 per cent of the flood affected population in India lives in the alluvial plains of Bihar

Almost 0.8 million hectares (ha) of land (roughly 15 per cent of the region) in north Bihar remains permanently waterlogged

North Bihar has an additional season in a calendar year identified by the misery, destruction, and fatality accompanying it In 2013 5.9 million people in 20 districts of Bihar were affected. As per

Government figure the death toll was around 176 In 2008, a total of 3.3 million people were affected In 2007 the figure was at 25 million.....

Bihar's groundwater

As per the National Rural Drinking Water Program's (NRDWP) - 80 per cent of the sources developed under the scheme are based on groundwater tapped by handpumps or bore wells

Out of a total of 107,642 habitations 34,909 habitations (32.4 per cent) has access to contaminated water

According to Bihar's minor irrigation census (2006-07) dugwell (56112); shallow tubewell (571871) and deep tube well (23259) based MI schemes together comprise 98.17 per cent of the entire MI schemes in Bihar

Hydrogeology

Fine sand / silt

Clay

Sand

Dark coloured silt

0m

0.4 m

0.8 m

1.2 m

Groundwater accumulation, movement and quality are governed by the sediments. The clay intercalations will also play a very important role. Source – ACWADAM, Pune

Groundwater dependence and its diverse set of vulnerabilities

Scarcity in excess...

Experiences from the ground – reducing risks through local alternatives

Contd...

Shifting paradigm towards participative

Developing a sub-regional argument - the diversity within groundwater systems (availability, access, contamination) keeping in view differing character of floods, flood management system, trans-boundary aquifers and hydrogeology

Locations

Partner Organization

IE & RF OE & WL FF GF & WE TBA AC GWC

Gramyasheel, Supaul √ √ √

Kosi Seva Sadan, Saharsa √ √ √

Samta, Khagaria √ √ √

Ghoghardiha Prakhand

Swarajya Vikas Sangh,

Madhubani

√ √ √

Water Action, Pashchim

Champaran√ √ √

* IE & RF – Inside embankment and Regular Floods** OE & WL – Outside embankment and Waterlogged *** FF – Flash floods**** GF & WE – General floods and Without embankment***** TBA – Trans-boundary aquifers ****** AC – Arsenic contaminated*******GWC – Groundwater contamination

Supal – Kishanpur block

Saharsa – Mahishi block

Khagaria – Mansi block

Madhubani – Phulparas block

Pashchim Champaran –

Gaunaha block

Floods

Jal DootsRural households

Quality

Notional AbundancePGWM

State

CBOs/CSOs/NGOs/Institutions/Groups

Researchers - Anthropologists/

Sociologists

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Continuing with the exploration of arguments, processes, and technologies.....