Rainwater Harvesting—A Supply-Side Management Tool for Sustaining Groundwater in India

Much of India’s agricultural production is reliant on groundwater for irrigation, which has led to declining water tables. Rainwater harvesting (RWH), the small-scale collection and storage of run-off to augment groundwater stores through recharge, is an important supply-side management tool to sustain this precious resource. Understanding the impact of RWH is crucial to ensure that the net effect on groundwater and the watershed water balance is positive both locally and within a watershed. Using a case study of a watershed in rural Rajasthan, the Arvari River, this chapter describes the hydrological impacts of RWH for groundwater recharge carried out by the local community and a non-government organisation (NGO). The chapter first defines RWH and its potential to change the water balance. It then describes the field- and watershed-scale impacts of RWH in the Arvari River watershed. Finally, the chapter explores the operation of the local community watershed organisation that supports demand-side water management. This study shows that for sustainable management of groundwater, RWH construction must be balanced with groundwater demand management.