Augmenting groundwater resources by artificial recharge : AGRAR guidelines for field work

The purpose of this report is to provide guidelines for the AGRAR project partners for carrying-out investigations at the three case study sites in India. The scopes of the hydrological and socio-economic assessments were described in the project Inception Report (CR/03/028). This document provides more detailed guidance on how those assessments may be undertaken. The report has two main chapters dealing separately with the hydrological and socio-economic aspects. This technical part of the document is intended to provide broader guidance on the field methodologies to be used by giving more comprehensive information on the range of potential methods. It is not intended to be used to the exclusion of textbooks and standard guidelines and methodologies that are routinely used. Where issues are not addressed in sufficient detail, clarification this should be sought from the literature, government departments, equipment manufacturers or other experts. It should therefore be regarded very much as a working document and feedback can be incorporated into the report during the life of the project. However, in order to ensure comparability across the three study sites in India, several technical parameters, determined and methodologies, used need to be common to all sites, namely: • detailed geological description; • groundwater contour map and seasonal fluctuations measured using electric dippers (this implies accurate levelling in of all monitoring points relative to the geodetic datum); • develop a conceptual model of the hydrogeology; • install an automatic weather station, to enable calculation of evaporation, accompanied by a standard evaporation pan; • install an automatic water level recorder in the main recharge structure to accurately record fluctuations; • develop a stage/volume relationship for the main recharge structure; • survey and monitor the water quality in the recharge structure and the aquifer to determine background potability and changes resulting from induced recharge; • monitor the water quality in the recharge structure and the aquifer to determine scale of recharge (chloride and isotopic methods): • Undertake socio-economic surveys using the checklist developed in Pune as a focus, but drawing on tools and methodologies described elsewhere in AGRAR project documents. In terms of the socio-economic evaluation, Chapter 3 provides further guidance on the objectives, approach and presentation of the evaluation. The Chapter draws on, and develops, ideas presented in the AGRAR review and inception reports, and those discussed at the methodology meeting in Pune (May 2003). At this meeting, it was agreed that the focus of the socio-economic evaluation should be an examination of the role water plays in supporting livelihoods at each of the case study sites, rather than a narrow examination of site-specific recharge effects. Findings can then be combined with technical results to assess how changes in groundwater availability affect the livelihoods of different wealth groups, and over what spatial scales, side-stepping some of the methodological hurdles associated with the ‘with vs. without’, and ‘before vs. after’ benchmarking of recharge effects. The need for mixed methods, both quantitative and qualitative, is emphasised. The use of sample surveys based on questionnaires, and more exploratory, open-ended and participatory techniques, is suggested. A good deal of quantitative/semi-quantitative information on the economic, livelihood and resource characteristics of the study areas is already available from the ComMan investigations. It is therefore important that this is built on and that the partners pay particular attention to capturing, and presenting, the more qualitative ‘stories’ from each of the sites. Echoing the point made above for the technical guidance, this is a working note. Feedback and further notes on guidance can therefore be added to the document as case study preparation proceeds.