12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

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National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’ 12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow Rainwater harvesting is a traditional practice all over the world especially in the areas where no perennial drainage system exists and people are dependent either on groundwater resources or on available rainwater harvested in the surface reservoirs. All great civilizations flourished on the banks of river and the areas that are devoid of rivers or surface water bodies relied on practices of rainwater harvesting for domestic, agriculture and livestock needs. Many peoples in the world have continued to rely on water harvesting practices. Others have returned to it in order to relieve pressure on overburdened groundwater tables or municipal water systems. Due to day by increasing water demand as a consequence of increasing population, agriculture activities, industrial activities, and changing climatic conditions, the surface water and groundwater resources are declining at rapid rate. Changing climatic conditions in the form of global warming due to increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gases are serious issues all over the globe, which in turn puts additional stress on water resources due to increasing evaporation losses especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. It has been observed that increase of temperature of 1 ° C will throw additional stress upto 20% on groundwater reserves in semi-arid and arid regions. It has been projected that there will be increase of 1.4 to 5.8 ° C temperature over a period of 1990 to 2100 thus throwing relatively large stress on groundwater system. The global temperature is projected to rise upto 5 degree celsius this century that will be twice the entire warming after last ice age 12000 years ago and it will take place in 100 years rather than thousands giving the natural world and human civilization little time to adapt. The only solution for this decline of water resources in major part of the world is revival of ancient rainwater harvesting techniques and its application in modern era with scope of groundwater recharge. This paper deals with history of rainwater harvesting and illustrations of revival of traditional rainwater harvesting techniques and modern application of rainwater harvesting and future of these techniques by Scientists-People participation to conquer the forseen water crisis resulting from changing climatic conditions. REVIVAL OF DYING RIVER SYSTEMS OF GANGA BASIN IN UTTAR PRADESH Anjani K. Tangri * , Divya Kumari and Parth Sarthi Karmakar Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow *email: aktangri@rediffmail.com Ganga basin had been the citadel of civilization. The intrinsic network of drainages with rich and fertile soil has witnessed enormous developmental activities. 42
National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’ 12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow The perennial rivers had all-through been the main lifeline. However, with the climate change resulting in diminishing snow and glaciers in the source areas, the melt water discharge in the Himalayan rivers has been decreasing year after year. Coupled with this, is the environmental degradation in the upper catchment resulting in ever increasing sediment load being eroded off and ‘dumped’ in the river channels as they enter into the plains. The two factors have adversely affected the ‘health’ of majority of the rivers. The sand bar/channel ratio has increased by almost 30% in the last 50 years in a part of Ganga river. Ghaghra river between the foot hills and Faizabad city is today almost 78% filled with sand bars. This has resulted in the rivers gradually diminishing in their prominence. Not only the major Himalayan rivers, but also the depleting ground water scenario has resulted in smaller ground water fed rivers gradually ‘dying out’. Gomti river which has it’s origin in the vicinity of Madho Tanda in Pilibhit district provides water to 15 major townships in Uttar Pradesh in addition to providing irrigational facilities to large agricultural stretches, before merging into Ganga river at Saidpur in Jaunpur district. Today Gomti river is literally a ‘sluggish’ river with literally ‘no’ continuous flowing water in the lean period in its upper almost 25 kms stretch. Even in the low reaches for eg. at Lucknow, the flow is abysmal during summer months. Even worse is the case of Sai river which originating in the vicinity of Pihani village, Hardoi district of U.P. is almost dry with no continuous flow during lean period in a majority of it’s upper reaches. If not taken care of, these ‘dying’ rivers of Ganga basin may soon be the ‘dead river systems’ in not too far a future. An attempt has here been made to revive the ‘dying’ Gomti and Sai rivers of U.P. High resolution satellite data coupled with extensive field surveys have enabled proposing preliminary remedial measures. Mighty Sarda river flowing north of Madho Tanda has enormous perennial discharge and the excessive discharge during monsoon time over- spills the banks and causes flood havoc. The water from Sarda river is today diverted through canals into the Sarda Sagar reservoir, which is then used for canal irrigation in major parts of U P. This Sarda Sagar today is being used to half its original proposed capacity and the remaining half of reservoir bed is encroached upon by local dwellers. Villages and semi permanent structures have come up on this encroached reservoir bed. It is proposed that the ‘excess’ water in Sarda river during monsoon times may be diverted into the Sarda Sagar to fill it to the original proposed capacity or even up-to it’s augmented capacity through raising of it’s embankments. However the displaced inhabitants of the area would have been re-located at some other suitable place. This additional stored water in Sarda Sagar could meaningfully be utilized for augmenting the discharge in Gomti river during lean period. The existing Sarda canal (Hardoi Banch) or an additional canal could be used to conduit this water from Sarda Sagar into Gomti river in the vicinity of Haripur Fulhar /Rampur Fakire villages, where the lateral distance between the canal and river channel is hardly 23 m., and the river cuts even 43
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12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

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