Understanding groundwater is central to addressing the imploding water scarcity that is hitting both urban and rural India  and is exacerbated by climate change. Understanding of groundwater requires knowledge of  lithosphere and potential aquifer profile, as well as the extraction, management and governance regime. Urban groundwater management is a challenging task that is different for different levels of towns and cities in India, given the different aquifer typologies, climate and extraction regimes.

This online training is a part of a series of activities envisaged under a 3-year duration CSE programme – 'Capacity building initiative focusing on ‘Making Ganga basin cities water sensitive'. Under this initiative a series of – webinars, workshops trainings (both online and residential), field exposure visits, and knowledge conclaves  are aimed at engaging 1,300+ number state / municipal functionaries and other sector players. The programme is supported by National Mission for Clean Ganga and is part of the series of ongoing efforts by NMCG aimed at ensuring convergence of Namami Gange Mission with national flagship urban missions (AMRUT 2.0, Smart Cities, SBM 2.0, HRIDAY, NULM), and other missions (Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Jivan Mission, Jal Shakti Mission).

About the training
The training will focus on developing a sound understanding of groundwater context and typologies of India,challenges & significance of groundwater in the urban context, specifically in Ganga Basin. The trainees will be exposed to concepts of MAR (managed aquifer recharge) and development of City Water Balance Planning, that are gaining momemntum in urban groundwater management discourse and practice. CSE is organising this training in collaboration with renowned practitioner experts from ACWADAM.

Aim
To equip trainees with a conceptual and scientific understanding of issues and processes of groundwater and aquifers of India, in the urban groundwater recharge and management context.

Training Highlights

  • Introduction: the groundwater story of India, basic concepts and the diversity of aquifers
  •  Urban groundwater in India with special reference to the Ganga basin – aquifer settings, challenges and management issues
  • The urban groundwater typology, approaches to understanding and demystifying groundwater in urban India and understanding city water balances with specific reference to the groundwater balance 
  • Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) – concepts, practices and experiences from rural and urban India
  • Managing urban groundwater: policy framework and the process of urban groundwater governance