Jaipur's groundwater in a decade: Rain no longer matters; people do.

What is it about?

Most drinking and irrigation water in Jaipur comes from groundwater, but groundwater levels have been declining for a long time. We analyzed almost a decade of groundwater level records throughout the district and took into account rainfall and other weather conditions as well as land use changes. We discovered that climate (rainfall and weather conditions) is playing a smaller role in driving changes in the groundwater than human pressure (such as large-scale pumping and urbanization). As a result, even good monsoon years are not enough to recharge groundwater, and managing water consumption and recharge locally is critical.

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Photo by Swapnil Potdar on Unsplash

Photo by Swapnil Potdar on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Many semi-arid cities rely on groundwater and hope that the improved monsoons will lead to recovery. Our decade-long city-wide study of Jaipur demonstrates that this hope is misplaced: the power of rainfall and climate to regulate groundwater has declined in importance, while human pressures have increased manifold. And that is really useful now as Jaipur and similar Indian cities are experiencing rapid growth and drastic depletion of aquifers. Our research provides clues to water managers and planners to stop waiting for monsoons and focus on capturing recharge and cutting extraction, and it is applicable for other water-scarce cities.

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