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Since September 2015, IWMI scientists have been testing a new method for managing floods while overcoming water scarcity. The approach, referred to as ‘Underground Taming of Floods for Irrigation’ (UTFI) (pronounced ‘utify’), involves using surplus floodwaters to recharge underground aquifers during the monsoon season, and then pumping the water to irrigate crops during the dry season. The pilot is being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, India. India is one of five Asian countries where IWMI has explored the potential to implement UTFI.
A detailed site assessment revealed the village of Jiwai Jadid in Rampur
District as a suitable location for the pilot. Groundwater is being
over-exploited across much of the district, while the wider Ganga
River Basin suffers from regular floods. Many farmers grow thirsty
crops, such as poplar trees, sugarcane and paddy rice, primarily
pumping water from tube wells and boreholes to irrigate them.
Groundwater levels have dropped substantially as a result.
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The team suggested diverting excess water from a canal fed by the
flood-prone Pilakhar River, a minor tributary of the Ganga, to a
village pond. After gaining the support of the community, work
began. It took 3 months to set up the site, so that floodwater could
be transferred to the pond. In the latter part of the 2015 monsoon
season, water was successfully transported from the canal to the
underlying aquifer via recharge wells sunk in the base of the pond. During this process, water is first pre-treated through a desilting chamber to remove excess sediment and help it flow swiftly below the ground.
This water will be available to farmers for pumping during the dry season. The team is working towards ensuring that, over the long term, the local community will be able to maintain, or even intensify, crop production and reduce downstream flooding. Agricultural worker Ram Das was quoted in The Hindu as stating that the water level in nearby wells had risen, and the project was looking promising.
IWMI scientists are assessing how well the pilot project performs to see how the approach might be scaled up. They have prepared maps showing other locations where UTFI might have potential within the Ganga River Basin, as well as in other regions. “This is an exciting concept that has never really been tested before, and which directly benefits local and wider communities,” said Paul Pavelic, Principal Researcher – Hydrogeology at IWMI, who leads the Institute’s research on UTFI. “Putting UTFI into practice will save on the large funds spent each year on flood relief and restoration efforts, and on subsidies for groundwater extraction during the dry season.”
