The Bundelkhand region is experiencing a freshwater crisis primarily due to low rainfall, improper management of water resources and environmental degradation. This combination is leading to a lack of access to safe drinking water supply for the people in the area. Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in both urban and rural India. Historically, underground water was available at 20-30 feet below the surface but these days, it is rarely found at depths of 200-300 feet in most of the pockets in Bundelkhand. Groundwater is an important source of water for the agricultural and the industrial sector. Being an integral part of the hydrological cycle, its availability depends on the rainfall and recharge conditions. If the historical pattern of rainfall in Jhansi is observed (Fig-1), the trend of rainfall is found to be steadily decreasing. In regards to the quality of the groundwater in the Bundelkhand region – it is also impacted by chemical and biological impurities.

Groundwater depletion and contamination

Groundwater contamination most often occurs due to geo-hydro chemical processes activated by pumping. Once contamination starts, very little can be done to stop it – short of a total ban on pumping. But this is very difficult; as many households are not getting municipal supply and rely on hand pumps. Even the households that are connected to municipal supply do not have availability of fresh water 24 hours a day, and, therefore, depend on groundwater.

Water scarcity is not new to Bundelkhand. Even though the average rainfall of the region is sufficient at 700 mm, the rocky and sloping terrain does not allow storage of rain water. Over the last four years the rainfall has been very erratic and below average, causing further water shortages. The drought intensity was severe during 2002, 2004 and 2005 (Fig.-2). In 2006, the condition worsened to a disastrous condition (SK Rai, et al, 2006).

Groundwater is an integral part of the environment, and hence cannot be viewed in isolation. There has been a lack of adequate attention to water conservation, efficiency in water use, water re-use, ground water recharge and ecosystem sustainability. An uncontrolled use of the borewell technology has led to the extraction of groundwater at such a high rate that often recharge is not sufficient.

Pollution of groundwater resources has become a major problem today. The pollution of air, water and land has an effect on the pollution and contamination of groundwater. The solid, liquid, and gaseous waste that is generated, if not treated properly, results in pollution of the environment; this, in turn, impacts the hydrological cycle resulting in groundwater pollution. In addition, low water levels in the aquifer and water extraction without recharge cause pesticides and fertilizers to be concentrated in the water. For example, there are two wetlands, Laxmi and Antia pond, situated in the center of Jhansi, which are catchment areas for the sewage water of the whole city. Leachates from industrial waste, domestic waste and municipal solid waste flow into these ponds. There is a colony, Chandvihar, situated near the ponds that depends on groundwater and has been impacted by the leachates present. Nitrates, ammonia, coliform bacteria, odour and turbidity have been found after testing the drinking water.

The grim situation of water may be best illustrated by one Bundelkhandi expression, which is roughly translated to mean "let the husband die but the earthen pot of water should not be broken".

The first step towards evolving measures to prevent contamination and cure drinking water quality deterioration is by generating reliable and accurate information through water quality monitoring (WQM). WQM gives an indication of the actual source/cause, type and level of contamination. To assess this problem in the Jhansi urban area, a drinking water quality monitoring program was started utilizing the active involvement of local school students. The city was divided into ten zones and each school monitors four sites in a zone. The sites were selected on the basis of those with the maximum number of users. In addition, the Municipal Corporation is testing a few sites of Municipal supply water in the city. Both the schools and the Municipal Corporation are testing for the 14 essential parameters of water quality. But there are many sites of groundwater which are near the dumping ground, slums, big nalas and other areas that are not being tested by any agencies. During the campaigns to educate the common people on the quality of drinking water, school students involved in the CLEAN-India program generated awareness about the lack of regeneration of groundwater aquifers due to the high degree of dependence on hand pumps and wells for drinking water.

Rainwater harvesting systems have been taken up in many academic and government institutions. Local government has even made it compulsory for new construction projects to conduct rainwater harvesting. These measures will contribute to a rise in the groundwater level. The community is also beginning to realize that groundwater is not a resource that can be utilized unmindfully simply because it is available in abundant quantities.

In the Bundelkhand region, water is contaminated primarily by coliform bacteria, nitrate and turbidity. Due to groundwater depletion fluoride is also found in some places. In the locations where contamination was found, we worked closely with the Municipal Corporation to begin remedial action for the community water sources. Some ecofriendly community based water purification technologies were also provided – like Jal TARA filters for the community.

Bundelkhand is a region suffering severe water scarcity primarily due to drought conditions in the recent past and a lack of scientific know-how about water conservation and capture techniques. It is also impacted by contamination of the available groundwater. The program that was started in Jhansi working with local schools and the government proved to be a powerful tool in bringing awareness and education about the issue. Positive changes have begun in the region, in the schools and in the government. In addition, education of the issue has expanded to the larger community and covers many issues affiliated with water (e.g. – reforestation, erosion control, etc.).