Artificial Recharge to Augment Groundwater Resources in Lucknow City

The importance of water is obvious to everyone: we cannot imagine existence of life in the form of flora and fauna without water. At present, space scientists are vigorously engaged in searching for water on other planets. The existence of life on other planets is not conceivable for the human mind unless there is evidence of water. Groundwater is the major source of water in rural as well as in urban areas. About 85 % of the drinking water supply and 50 % of the irrigation supply in rural areas is met through extraction of groundwater. Similarly, 33 % of the domestic supply in cities is also met through tapping of groundwater by dug wells or tube wells (Athavale, Water harvesting and sustainable supply in India. Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, Rawat Publication, New Delhi, p 8, 23, 2003). There are certain areas in the country where the table depth has increased by several meters during the past three decades because of overextraction of groundwater resources. The signs of overexploitation are a continuous fall in the water table, drying of wells, or deterioration of groundwater quality. Just as other major urban centers in India, Lucknow is also facing an ironical situation of water crisis today. On the one hand there is acute water scarcity and on the other the streets are often flooded during the monsoon period. This situation has led to serious problems with the quality and quantity of the groundwater. Most of the existing traditional water-harvesting system in Lucknow City also has been neglected and fallen into disuse, worsening the urban water scenario. One of the solutions to improve the urban water crisis is rainwater to enhance groundwater resources through artificial recharge techniques. Keeping in mind all these facts, a plan has been prepared to generate data regarding projected population for 20 years (2009–2029), per capita per day requirement of water, requirement of artificial recharge, and availability of rainwater for recharge.