Augmenting Groundwater Resources by Artificial Recharge (AGRAR)

A DfID funded project undertaken by the BGS in collaboration with the other organisations listed below from 2002–2005

Background

Range of techniques for managed aquifer recharge. Click to enlarge.

Groundwater is the main source for rural water supplies in many developing countries. Increasing abstraction to meet rising demand for domestic use and irrigation has raised concerns for the sustainability of the resource and the livelihoods it supports.

To address these concerns, considerable emphasis is being given to the augmentation of natural recharge (artificial or Managed Aquifer Recharge—MAR) by both traditional and modern techniques. Some of these techniques have been employed for centuries and range from simple check bunds in gullies to complex diversion and infiltration structures as well as injection wells.

Recently there have been considerable renewed effort and investment to maintain and restore such traditional facilities as well as building new structures. However here has been little systematic assessment of the effectiveness of these schemes.

Aims of the project

To facilitate governments, donors and NGOs to make informed decisions on the role of managed aquifer recharge in rural water supply and groundwater management projects and programmes, through provision of:

  • Improved knowledge of the impacts of MAR in different physical and socio-economic settings. This output is concerned with collecting and interpreting data on the types of MAR schemes in different areas with different management and support approaches.
  • Guidance on scope and effectiveness of MAR for implementers, funders and policy makers. The aim here is to synthesize knowledge generated into guidance on the types of MAR that are likely to be ‘effective’.
  • Dissemination of knowledge enabling others to contribute to the learning process (through feedback), and increasing exposure of findings, including through the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) website

The research was undertaken at three sites in India in differing geographic, hydrogeological and socio-economic settings and the findings are reported in Gale et al., 2006

Augmenting Groundwater Resources by Artificial Recharge (AGRAR)

A DfID funded project to be undertaken by the British Geological Survey in collaboration with:

  • Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM) Pune. (Dr H Kulkarni)
  • Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Coimbatore. (Dr K Palanisami)
  • Vikram Sarabhai Centre for Development Interaction (VIKSAT), Gujarat. (Dr S Mudrakartha)
  • Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET), Nepal & USA. (Dr M Moench)
  • Nepal Water Conservation Foundation (NWCF), Nepal. (Dr A Dixit)
  • Institute of Development Studies (IDS-Jaipur), India. (Prof M S Rathore)
  • Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), Rajasthan. (Mr R Singh)
  • UNESCO New Delhi Office. (Dr R Jaykumar) and Paris Office (A Aureli)
  • International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH)