Pollution and Other Dimensions of Non-Renewable Groundwater in Haryana (India)

Abstract

The vital role groundwater plays as a decentralized source of drinking water for millions rural and urban families cannot be overstated. In India, where groundwater is used intensively for irrigation and industrial purposes, a variety of land and water-based human activities are causing pollution of this precious resource. There are no estimates of the public health consequences of groundwater pollution as it involves methodological complexities and logistical problems. The groundwater behavior in the Indian sub-continent is highly complicated due to the occurrence of diversified geological formations with considerable litho-logical and chronological variations, complex tectonic framework, climato-logical dissimilarities and various hydro-chemical conditions. Once contamination starts, very little can be done to check it except a total ban on pumping. But this is very difficult, as millions of rural families in India depend on groundwater for sustaining irrigated agriculture and livelihoods. Manufacturing and service industries have high demands for cooling water, processing water and water for cleaning purposes. Groundwater pollution occurs when used water is returned to the hydrological cycle. Haryana is fast emerging as one of the most favoured investment destinations in India. The State has taken lead in terms of planned industrial and urban growth compared to neighboring States, which has resulted in development of vibrant urban and industrial complexes. They dump the wastes in the rivers which results in water pollution. Management of groundwater resources in the Indian context is an extremely complex proposition as it deals with the interactions between the human society and the physical environment. Unplanned depletion of non-renewable groundwater reserves can undermine and potentially erode the economic and social vitality of any community. Hence, there is need to plan the exploitation of non-renewable groundwater resources and guide their utilization with a view to making communities better prepared socio-economically to cope with increasing water stress as aquifer storage is depleted.