Over-exploitation of groundwater for irrigation can result in drastic reduction in groundwater level in Jodhpur district of western Rajasthan, India. In this study, we used the long-term trend analysis of seasonal gro...Over-exploitation of groundwater for irrigation can result in drastic reduction in groundwater level in Jodhpur district of western Rajasthan, India. In this study, we used the long-term trend analysis of seasonal groundwater level data to predict the future groundwater scenario in 33 villages of Jodhpur district, assessed the impact of water harvesting structures on groundwater recharge and explored the non-equilibrium between groundwater recharge and irrigation draft in the study area. Analysis of groundwater level data from 26 observation wells in 33 villages in the pre-monsoon period showed that groundwater level decreased continuously at the rate of 2.07 m/a. With this declining rate, most of the tube wells (including the well with the maximum depth of 193 m) are predicted to become completely dry by 2050. Behavior of temporal groundwater level data in the study period (from 2004 to 2012) can be explained by different geospatial maps, prepared using ArcGIS software. Statistical analysis of the interpolated maps showed that the area with the maximum positive groundwater recharge occupied 63.14% of the total area during 2010-2011 and the area with the maximum irrigation draft accounted for 56.21% of the total area during 2011-2012. Higher groundwater recharge is attributed to the increase in rainfall and the better aquifer condition. Spatial distribution for the changes of average groundwater recharge and draft (2008-2009 and 2011-2012) showed that 68.50% recharge area was in positive change and 45.75% draft area was in negative change. It was observed that the area of the irrigation draft exceeded that of the groundwater recharge in most of the years. In spite of the construction of several shallow water harvesting structures in 2009-2010, sandstone aquifer zones showed meager impact on groundwater recharge. The best-fit line for the deviation between average groundwater fluctuation due to recharge and irrigation draft with time can be represented by the polynomial curve. Thus, over-exploitation of groundwater for agricultural crops has result in non-equilibrium between groundwater recharge and irrigation draft.展开更多
Forests are considered as a sacred asset in India and have guided the way of living throughout its history.Indian forests not only accommodate the myriad species but also act as a survival support system to the commun...Forests are considered as a sacred asset in India and have guided the way of living throughout its history.Indian forests not only accommodate the myriad species but also act as a survival support system to the communities that depended on them.The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposed by the United Nations(UN)has gained momentum and becomes an integral part of the recent efforts of Indian governance.In this investigation,we examined the potential nexus between Indian forestry system(biodiversity-enriched assets,ecosystem services,constitutional mechanisms,and governances)and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)through theoretical underpinnings from literature that selected from database like Google Scholar,Indian forest survey reports,and information retrieved from Indian government websites.The significance of this review is that it presents comprehensive information about Indian forestry,biodiversity-rich assets,and sustainable forest management practices.The results show that Indian forestry as a whole is an integral part of the food-energy-water cycle and contributes to all dimensions of sustainable development,i.e.,economic sustainability,social sustainability,and environmental sustainability.The investigation confirms that besides partly contributing to the economy and life support systems to many dependent species,forests also act as boosters in the areas of food security and health.Targets related to the climate action,peace,and partnership goals are well in place through various forestry interventions and environmental commitments by the Government of India.展开更多
文摘Over-exploitation of groundwater for irrigation can result in drastic reduction in groundwater level in Jodhpur district of western Rajasthan, India. In this study, we used the long-term trend analysis of seasonal groundwater level data to predict the future groundwater scenario in 33 villages of Jodhpur district, assessed the impact of water harvesting structures on groundwater recharge and explored the non-equilibrium between groundwater recharge and irrigation draft in the study area. Analysis of groundwater level data from 26 observation wells in 33 villages in the pre-monsoon period showed that groundwater level decreased continuously at the rate of 2.07 m/a. With this declining rate, most of the tube wells (including the well with the maximum depth of 193 m) are predicted to become completely dry by 2050. Behavior of temporal groundwater level data in the study period (from 2004 to 2012) can be explained by different geospatial maps, prepared using ArcGIS software. Statistical analysis of the interpolated maps showed that the area with the maximum positive groundwater recharge occupied 63.14% of the total area during 2010-2011 and the area with the maximum irrigation draft accounted for 56.21% of the total area during 2011-2012. Higher groundwater recharge is attributed to the increase in rainfall and the better aquifer condition. Spatial distribution for the changes of average groundwater recharge and draft (2008-2009 and 2011-2012) showed that 68.50% recharge area was in positive change and 45.75% draft area was in negative change. It was observed that the area of the irrigation draft exceeded that of the groundwater recharge in most of the years. In spite of the construction of several shallow water harvesting structures in 2009-2010, sandstone aquifer zones showed meager impact on groundwater recharge. The best-fit line for the deviation between average groundwater fluctuation due to recharge and irrigation draft with time can be represented by the polynomial curve. Thus, over-exploitation of groundwater for agricultural crops has result in non-equilibrium between groundwater recharge and irrigation draft.
文摘Forests are considered as a sacred asset in India and have guided the way of living throughout its history.Indian forests not only accommodate the myriad species but also act as a survival support system to the communities that depended on them.The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposed by the United Nations(UN)has gained momentum and becomes an integral part of the recent efforts of Indian governance.In this investigation,we examined the potential nexus between Indian forestry system(biodiversity-enriched assets,ecosystem services,constitutional mechanisms,and governances)and Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)through theoretical underpinnings from literature that selected from database like Google Scholar,Indian forest survey reports,and information retrieved from Indian government websites.The significance of this review is that it presents comprehensive information about Indian forestry,biodiversity-rich assets,and sustainable forest management practices.The results show that Indian forestry as a whole is an integral part of the food-energy-water cycle and contributes to all dimensions of sustainable development,i.e.,economic sustainability,social sustainability,and environmental sustainability.The investigation confirms that besides partly contributing to the economy and life support systems to many dependent species,forests also act as boosters in the areas of food security and health.Targets related to the climate action,peace,and partnership goals are well in place through various forestry interventions and environmental commitments by the Government of India.