Yogita Dashora

Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology

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Basant Maheshwari

Western Sydney University

P. Soni

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ghatkhed Amravati

Peter Dillon

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Pradeep Kumar Singh

GLA University

R. Dashora

Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology

Pennan Chinnasamy

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

R. C. Purohit

Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology

Roger Packham

Western Sydney University

S. Dave

Gujarat Institute of Development Research

Ramesh Purohit

Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology

Cooperative Institutions

Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology

Western Sydney University

CSIRO Land and Water

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ghatkhed Amravati

University of Adelaide

International Water Management Institute

University of Copenhagen

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Health Sciences and Nutrition

Flinders University

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Hydrologic and cost benefit analysis at local scale of streambed recharge structures in Rajasthan (India) and their value for securing irrigation water supplies

Hydrogeology Journal (2019)

Yogita Dashora Peter Dillon Basant Maheshwari P. Soni Himanshu Mittal

A hydrological study of four streambed recharge structures, locally called check dams, in a monsoonal area of hard-rock terrain in Rajasthan, India, was conducted over 3 years to evaluate their contribution to agricultural production. Their catchment area totalled 3,003 ha, and mean annual recharge from the 4 impoundments was 779,000 m3 or 26 mm. The calculated components of the annual water balance of these check dams are presented, together with a sensitivity analysis on unmeasured parameters and documentation of capital and maintenance costs of check dams. The maximum recharge was found to occur in the wettest year for the two structures on first-order streams; however, for the two structures on second-order streams, the maximum recharge occurred in the average rainfall year because, at these sites, groundwater levels rose so that the stream became hydraulically connected to the aquifer for a period in the wettest year causing mean dry weather infiltration rates to diminish. The study also evaluated the effect of manual desilting and mechanical desilting on mean dry-weather-infiltration rate. For the check dam that was manually desilted, the recharge increased by 84% over that of the preceding year, whereas for the mechanically desilted check dam it reduced by 18%, and the two control check dams increased by 13%. A present value analysis for net benefits of additional crop production attributable to recharge from check dams indicated that, after accounting for average annual maintenance costs 2.9% of capital costs, the benefit:cost ratio of the four check dams averaged 4.1. Hence this study shows that these check dams are economically attractive at the local level for securing irrigation water supplies.

Infiltration (HVAC)

Water balance

10.1007/s10040-019-01951-y

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Citations (18)

The Role of Transdisciplinary Approach and Community Participation in Village Scale Groundwater Management: Insights from Gujarat and Rajasthan, India

Water (2014)

Basant Maheshwari Maria Estela Varua John Ward Roger Packham Pennan Chinnasamy

Sustainable use of groundwater is becoming critical in India and requires effective participation from local communities along with technical, social, economic, policy and political inputs. Access to groundwater for farming communities is also an emotional and complex issue as their livelihood and survival depends on it. In this article, we report on transdisciplinary approaches to understanding the issues, challenges and options for improving sustainability of groundwater use in States of Gujarat and Rajasthan, India. In this project, called Managed Aquifer Recharge through Village level Intervention (MARVI), the research is focused on developing a suitable participatory approach and methodology with associated tools that will assist in improving supply and demand management of groundwater. The study was conducted in the Meghraj watershed in Aravalli district, Gujarat, and the Dharta watershed in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India. The study involved the collection of hydrologic, agronomic and socio-economic data and engagement of local village and school communities through their role in groundwater monitoring, field trials, photovoice activities and education campaigns. The study revealed that availability of relevant and reliable data related to the various aspects of groundwater and developing trust and support between local communities, NGOs and government agencies are the key to moving towards a dialogue to decide on what to do to achieve sustainable use of groundwater. The analysis of long-term water table data indicated considerable fluctuation in groundwater levels from year to year or a net lowering of the water table, but the levels tend to recover during wet years. This provides hope that by improving management of recharge structures and groundwater pumping, we can assist in stabilizing the local water table. Our interventions through Bhujal Jankaars (BJs), (a Hindi word meaning “groundwater informed” volunteers), schools, photovoice workshops and newsletters have resulted in dialogue within the communities about the seriousness of the groundwater issue and ways to explore options for situation improvement. The BJs are now trained to understand how local recharge and discharge patterns are influenced by local rainfall patterns and pumping patterns and they are now becoming local champions of groundwater and an important link between farmers and project team. This study has further strengthened the belief that traditional research approaches to improve the groundwater situation are unlikely to be suitable for complex groundwater issues in the study areas. The experience from the study indicates that a transdisciplinary approach is likely to be more effective in enabling farmers, other village community members and NGOs to work together with researchers and government agencies to understand the groundwater situation and design interventions that are holistic and have wider ownership. Also, such an approach is expected to deliver longer-term sustainability of groundwater at a regional level.

Watershed Management

10.3390/w6113386

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Estimation of specific yield using water table fluctuations and cropped area in a hardrock aquifer system of Rajasthan, India

Agricultural Water Management (2018)

Pennan Chinnasamy Basant Maheshwari Peter Dillon Ramesh Purohit Yogita Dashora

10.1016/j.agwat.2018.02.016

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Groundwater Quality Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes in the Ayad River Basin, Udaipur (India)

Groundwater for Sustainable Development (2024)

Kuldeep Pareta Sachin Karan Trine Enemark Tirumaleswara Reddy Yogita Dashora

Groundwater Pollution

10.1016/j.gsd.2024.101351

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Managed Aquifer Recharge at a Farm Level: Evaluating the Performance of Direct Well Recharge Structures

Water (2020)

P. Soni Yogita Dashora Basant Maheshwari Peter Dillon Pradeep Kumar Singh

A field study evaluated the performance of direct well recharge structures (DWRS) in order to harvest and filter farm runoff and its discharge into open dug wells to augment groundwater recharge. This was undertaken between 2016 and 2018 using a total of 11 wells in the Dharta watershed, situated in a semi-arid hardrock region of Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India. The depth to water level in each DWRS well was monitored weekly for 1 to 3 years before and after the DWRS was established, and water samples were taken for water quality analysis (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, fluoride, and Escherichia coli) before and during the monsoon period. For each DWRS well, two control wells in close proximity were also monitored and sampled. Five of the DWRS established in 2018 also had flow meters installed in order to measure discharge from the filter to the well. The volume of water recharged through DWRS into individual wells during the 2018 monsoon ranged from 2 to 176 m3 per well. Although the mean rise in water levels over the monsoon was higher in DWRS wells than in nearby control wells, the difference was not significant. Values of pH, EC, TDS, and F decreased in DWRS and control wells as each monsoon progressed, whereas the turbidity of wells with DWRS increased slightly. There was no significant difference between DWRS and control wells for pH, EC/TDS, turbidity, or fluoride. The presence of E. coli in DWRS wells was higher than in control wells, however, E. coli exceeded drinking water guidelines in all sampled wells. On the basis of this study, it is recommended that rural runoff should not be admitted to wells that are used for, or close to, wells used for drinking water supplies, even though salinity and fluoride concentrations may be reduced. For this study, none of the 11 DWRS wells produced sufficient additional recharge to potentially increase dry season irrigation supplies to justify expenditure on DWRS. This even applies to the DWRS well adjacent to a small ephemeral stream that had a significantly larger catchment area than those drawing on farmers’ fields alone. An important and unexpected finding of this study was that no sampled open dug well met drinking water standards. This has led to a shift in local priorities to implement well-head water quality protection measures for wells used for drinking water supplies. It is recommended that parapet walls be built around the perimeter of such dug wells, as well as having covers be installed.

Turbidity

Water well

Total dissolved solids

10.3390/w12041069

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Hydrologic and Cost–Benefit Analysis of Multiple Check Dams in Catchments of Ephemeral Streams, Rajasthan, India

Water (2022)

Yogita Dashora David Cresswell Peter Dillon Basant Maheshwari Richard E. Clark

Investment in the small-scale enhancement of groundwater recharge through check dams and other recharge structures in rural India is on the order of USD 1 billion/year. However, for any catchment, the optimal capacity of check dams is unknown, and the impacts on downstream flows are rarely determined. This paper describes a method that can be applied to plan recharge augmentation in catchments that have at least one monitored check dam. It was applied in the Dharta catchment of the Aravalli Hills in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India, where four check dams in an ephemeral stream were monitored by farmers over seven years. For the last three years of this study, the hydrology of two of these check dams was affected by 19 new check dams established upstream. A basic hydrologic model, WaterCress, was calibrated on monitored check-dam storages and used to assess the impacts of the new structures on recharge from those downstream. Then, the model was rerun with a range of capacities of upstream check dams to determine the effects of check-dam capacity on (1) the recharge from the downstream check dam, (2) the total recharge from all check dams, and (3) the frequency of spill from the downstream check dam. Using the available economic information, the benefit–cost ratio was calculated for a range of check-dam capacities. This showed a decline in economic efficiency with each new check dam and defined the optimal capacity. Monsoon size was found to be consequential to results, and longer hydrological records yield more reliable results. The study showed that monitoring check dams, rainfall, and groundwater levels is key to deciding whether additional check dams are economically beneficial.

Ephemeral key

10.3390/w14152378

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Citations (2)

Managing aquifer recharge and sustaining groundwater use: developing a capacity building program for creating local groundwater champions

Sustainable Water Resources Management (2018)

Yashwantsinh Jadeja Basant Maheshwari Roger Packham Hakimuddin Bohra R. C. Purohit

Capacity Building

Grassroots

10.1007/s40899-018-0228-6

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Citations (45)

Performance Assessment of Water Delivery and Distribution in Som Kamla Amba Irrigation Scheme

Irrigation and Drainage (2018)

Upma Sharma Mahesh Kothari Yogita Dashora

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the water delivery performance of the Som Kamla Amba irrigation scheme located in the Dungarpur district of Rajasthan using adequacy, equity and dependability indicators. Three minors each at the head, mid and tail sections of main canals (Right and Left Main Canal) and branch canals (Aspur Branch Canal and Baroda Branch Canal) were selected. The ratio of water delivered (obtained from discharge measured at outlets) and water required (calculated from CROPWAT software) was determined for major rabi crops (wheat, barley, gram and mustard) grown in the command area in 2011–2012. Results had shown good (1.00 to 0.93), fair (0.84 to 0.80) and poor (0.42 to 0.18) adequacy at the head, mid and tail sections of each canal respectively. Also there is poor equity in water delivery as its value varied from 0.35 to 0.92. Dependability was found to be good at head, fair at mid and poor at tail sections. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

10.1002/ird.2298

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Citations (3)

A simple method using farmers’ measurements applied to estimate check dam recharge in Rajasthan, India

Sustainable Water Resources Management (2017)

Yogita Dashora Peter Dillon Basant Maheshwari P. Soni R. Dashora

Water balance

Rainwater Harvesting

10.1007/s40899-017-0185-5

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Citations (41)