Deep wells and prudence - Towards pragmatic action for addressing groundwater overexploitation in India - A World Bank document (2010)

India is the largest user of groundwater resources in the world. It is estimated that approximately 230 cubic kilometers per year is used annually, this is more than a quarter of the total world consumption from this resource.

It is in this context that this World Bank report looks at the reasons for this quantum of groundwater usage.

The report delves into socio-economic and political reasons and looks at policies which inadvertently promote so much extraction. The report also analyses various attempts to manage this resource. These attempts range from government and international agency efforts directed to grassroots mobilisations. Finally the report comes out with suggestions to deal with this crisis.

The report is broken into 4 chapters and an introduction. These are:

You cannot manage what you don’t know: Understanding realities under and above the ground
A semblance of sufficiency: Institutional framework of groundwater management in India
A groundswell of change: Potential of community groundwater management in India
Pragmatic approaches for managing over-exploited aquifers in India

Each chapter ends with a 'conclusion' section that is both a summation of the points discussed and an introduction to the next chapter.

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