Sikkim is one of the constituent states of India, endowed with huge water resources. However, due to steep terrain and non availability of a groundwater aquifer, water conservation is a challenge. The water received as rainfall drains away through the steep terrain in the deep valleys, thereby creating a water stress after withdrawal of the monsoon. To overcome such a situation, a study was undertaken to design a suitable rain water harvesting system for the state. To design a suitable water harvesting system, we estimated the water demand of the end users, assessed the water availability during the non-rainy period, and designed the volume of storage structure. The study revealed that more than 80% of the respondents experienced water stress during the period from December to March. The average daily water demand of individual households was observed to be around 400 litres. The rainfall pattern indicated that 90% of the rainfall is concentrated during 6 rainy months. On average, 24 consecutive dry days were observed in the state. The volume of storage structure obtained, based on water availability and demand, was 5 m3 per household. It is felt that this volume can take care of the domestic water demand.
This study was an effort to analyse the problems and prospects of water resource management and for suggesting strategies to meet the perceptive demand of 410 L of water per family during the winter period in South Sikkim district of Sikkim state, India. The district is of hilly terrain with an average rainfall of 1,500 mm per year, yet the district faces acute water shortage during the winter period. The hydro-geological and meteorological characteristics of the sub-watersheds were also studied. The district had very poor soil depth (<50 cm), low water holding capacity of soils (27–28%) with mostly sandy-loam texture. The sub-watersheds were found to have more than 70% first-order streams, higher bifurcation ratio (3.31), higher drainage density (3.99 km/km2) and higher stream density (8.65/km2). Sub-watersheds are mostly elongated with average form factors of 0.21. The rainfall pattern, soil type and morphometry of sub-watersheds indicated poor in situ moisture storage and limited possibility of stream water harvesting. To mitigate the scarcity of water in South Sikkim, the only option left for the planners is to promote household roof water harvesting so that water demand can be met during the average consecutive dry period of 30 days.
Soil moisture and soil temperature are two important parameters that have a wider implication on crop production. The drop of soil moisture and temperature has an impact involving climate, vegetation and drought. The presence of soil moisture does not ensure its availability to a crop but the force by which water is held by soil particle is important. The amount of work done to extract soil moisture is generally expressed as stress. It is necessary to understand the extent of stress for proper water resources management. The soil moisture index (SMI) is a criterion that denotes the extent of stress experienced by a crop. The temperature also has an impact on germination and production. In the present study, we developed a SMI for different locations in Sikkim. The index ranges from +5 to -5. The negative index indicates extreme stress. The study indicated during winter the index goes beyond-3. Considering wilting point stress as 500 and 700 kPa. The soil temperature was also observed to fall below 15 C. Further, it was observed that soil temperature and moisture are strongly correlated to each other. The SMI can play an important role in adopting suitable water management practices for improved crop production.
The term 'water footprint' refers to the quantity of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. It is a decision support tool that can account for and manage water-related risk within a production system. In the present study the water footprint of large cardamom was estimated for the state of Sikkim (India). Large cardamom is the principal cash crop of the state. In the study it was observed that the yearwise crop water requirement (CWR) was 143, 92.9, 134, 125 and 109 mm. As large cardamom is grown under unirrigated conditions, a green water footprint (WF proc,green) was estimated. The estimated WF proc,green for production of 1 kg of cardamom (2012-2016) varied from 27.5 to 32.6 m 3. The effective rainfall varied from 1290 mm (in 2012) to 1470 mm (in 2013), which was higher than the CWR (785-807 mm). Although the effective rainfall is more than CWR most of it is concentrated in 6 rainy months only. During November to March CWR varied from 92.9 to 143 mm. The study indicated scope for taking up large cardamom intensively by adopting appropriate water and crop management practices making it more profitable. K E Y W O R D S green water footprint, water footprint, crop water requirement, crop evapotranspiration, water management Résumé Le terme empreinte de l'eau fait référence à la quantité d'eau utilisée pour produire chacun des biens et services que nous utilisons. Il s'agit d'un outil d'aide à la décision qui peut prendre en compte et gérer les risques liés à l'eau dans un système de production. Dans la présente étude, l'empreinte hydrique de la grosse cardamome a été estimée pour l'État du Sikkim (Inde). La grosse cardamome est la principale culture de rente de l'État. Dans l'étude, il a été observé que les besoins en eau des cultures par année (CWR) étaient de 143, 92,9, 134, 125 et 109 mm. Comme la grosse cardamome est cultivée dans des conditions non irriguées, l'empreinte écologique de l'eau (WF proc, green) a
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