Groundwater, the most assured widely available source of irrigation water, influences India’s industrial and agricultural growth (Rao et al. 1996). About 12.5% of India’s annual precipitation percolates into the groundwater, where it is protected from evapotranspiration. Demand for water by the agricultural, domestic and industrial sectors has increased considerably over the years, resulting in unsustainable exploitation of groundwater resources. The number of wells has increased from 7.78 to 9.98 million (dug out), 2.13 to 4.77 million (shallow tube) and 33.3 to 49.1 million (deep tube) over the last 10 years. Continuous cropping reduces potential recharge by reducing downward flux of rainfall (O’Connell et al. 1995). Although vast, India’s groundwater resources are not inexhaustible, as evidenced by continuous decline in groundwater levels in regions such as the Coimbatore district in western Tamil Nadu.

Item Type:	Research Book Chapter
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Agriculture, land and farm management
Research Field:	Agricultural hydrology
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Terrestrial systems and management not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Meinke, HB (Professor Holger Meinke)
ID Code:	71498
Year Published:	2007
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	Research Division
Deposited On:	2011-07-20
Last Modified:	2012-02-14
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