Strengthening managed aquifer recharge investments through evidence: insights from the Ramganga Basin in India

Alam, Mohammad Faiz; Sharma, Navneet; Pavelic, Paul; Sikka, Alok

Strengthening managed aquifer recharge investments through evidence: insights from the Ramganga Basin in India

Autores

Editor

International Water Management Institute

Descripción

Groundwater is central to India’s food and water security, irrigating nearly two-thirds of agricultural land and supplying about 85% of drinking water needs. However, unsustainable extraction has led to serious depletion, with nearly 20% of assessed units categorized as overexploited or critical. In response, India has scaled up Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) interventions under national and state initiatives, including the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge, which targets 14 billion cubic meters of recharge through 14 million structures. This technical brief presents evidence from participatory monitoring of recharge structures in the groundwater-stressed Ramganga basin in Uttar Pradesh, part of the Ganges basin. A total of 147 ponds were surveyed across Rampur and Moradabad districts, and 23 representative sites—covering control, repurposed, and repurposed-with-recharge-well categories—were selected for detailed monitoring. Water levels were tracked using staff gauges, stage–volume relationships were developed, and recharge was estimated using water balance and water level fluctuation methods. Local volunteers were trained to collect and transmit data, strengthening community engagement and long-term monitoring. Findings show that recharge performance declined over time, with the recharge-to-storage ratio falling from 1.75 in 2023 to about 0.8 in 2024–2025. Although water availability averaged around 140 ponded days, recharge rates remained modest (15–59 mm/day) and decreased across sites. High evaporation losses (27–28% of storage) further reduced effectiveness. The results highlight the need for improved design, siting, and performance monitoring of MAR structures to enhance groundwater recharge and ensure more sustainable water security outcomes in the Ganges basin.