Performance and impacts of managed aquifer recharge interventions for agricultural water security: A framework for evaluation

Abstract

To minimize and counter decline of groundwater levels and improve the availability of water for crop production, Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) interventions are widely adopted across India, often initiated or supported by, local communities, state and central governments to improve the availability of water for irrigation. While the literature on MAR in India is vast, the science of their construction is lacking. Furthermore, there is an absence of a structured approach to evaluate the performance and impact of MAR interventions. Often, performance and impacts of MAR have been commented upon together, without distinguishing the two.In this article, we aim to propose that performance and impact are different from each other, and that the evaluation of MAR interventions should take into account such differences between them. A framework for performance and impact analysis, based on three levels, viz. primary, secondary and tertiary, is outlined. It is then applied to seven selected MAR interventions in India, Adarsha watershed – Andhra Pradesh, Gokulpura-Goverdhanpura watershed – Rajasthan, Kodangipalayam watershed – Tamil Nadu, Chikalgaon watershed – Maharashtra, Rajasamadhiyala watershed – Gujarat, Satlasana watershed – Gujarat and Sujalam Sufalam Yojana – Gujarat. Although, the evaluations of these case studies reported were not categorized into performance and impact, most of them have addressed both. However, none of them could explicitly demonstrate that reported impacts were uniquely related to MAR interventions. If impacts are used as a surrogate for performance, it must be shown that impacts are uniquely linked to MAR interventions.