Sustainable water resource management in Chhotanagpur plateau, India

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the urban water use and its associated problems in Hazaribagh city of Chhotanagpur plateau and suggest sustainable water management strategies. The gap between supply and demand for water is increasing because of the increasing population and rapid urbanization in the area. The analysis indicates that this imbalance is not uniform and varies across economic groups and the spatial dimension of the city. The high-income group is consuming more water than the low-income group. The paper also assesses the spatial variation in water security with the help of the water security index. In the absence of proper water supply, residents have started using groundwater for domestic purposes, including drinking. Hence, the physico-chemical characteristics of groundwater samples collected from hydrograph network stations (HNS) wells during May 2016 were analysed to evaluate its suitability for drinking purpose, and the results were compared with Indian and WHO standards. Correlation analysis was carried out to examine the statistical relationship between different ions and contamination sources in the area. The quality of groundwater is endangered by overuse, organic, and inorganic pollution from different sources. The study suggests that the requirement of water can be supplemented by rainwater harvesting as its potential in the area is quite high and it can prove to be a key to sustainable water resource management. The other measures such as public education and awareness will be necessary to achieve desired rationalization in consumption and quality.