Water footprint assessment enables us to pinpoint the impacts and limitations of the current systems. Identifying vulnerabilities across various regions and times helps us prepare for suitable actions for improving water productivity and promoting sustainable water use. This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the sector-wise water footprint in the Banas River Basin from 2008–2020. The water footprint of the Banas River Basin was estimated as 20.2 billion cubic meters (BCM)/year from all sectors. The water footprint has increased over the year with the increase in population, the number of industries, and crop production demand. The average annual water footprint of crop production varied from 11.4–23.1 BCM/year (mean 19.3 BCM/year) during the study period. Results indicate that the water footprint has nearly doubled in the past decade. Wheat, bajra, maize, and rapeseed & mustard make up 67.4% of crop production’s total average annual water footprint. Suitable measures should be implemented in the basin to improve water productivity and promote sustainable water use in agriculture, which accounts for nearly 95.5% of the total water footprint (WF) of the Banas basin. The outcomes of the study provide a reference point for further research and planning of appropriate actions to combat water scarcity challenges in the Banas basin.

The study was aimed at identifying the potential energy saving for groundwater pumping through enhanced efficiency of the pump sets. A total of 65 electrically powered tube wells were selected in the Sonipat district of the north Indian State of Haryana to study the energy use efficiency for groundwater pumping. The existing efficiency as well as the minimum expected overall efficiency of the tubewells were determined based on field survey, measurements, and applicable standard code of the Bureau of India Standards. The overall efficiencies of selected tube wells, computed based on actual measured power consumption, varied from 10.1% to 56.6% in the Sonipat block and 15.3% to 52.8% in the Rai block. The average energy requirement, for the selected tube wells, at the current efficiency level was 4,364.0 and 13,100.4 kWh for wheat and paddy crops, respectively, in the Sonipat block, while it was 3,424.8 and 10,280.9 kWh for wheat and paddy crops, respectively, in the Rai block. Analysis revealed that improving overall efficiency from the current level to the minimum expected level can lead to energy savings of 48.3% and 35.9% for tube wells in the Sonipat and Rai block, respectively. In the Rai block, where the groundwater level has declined significantly, the replacement of inefficient pumps should be done in tandem with crop diversification, improving water application efficiency and groundwater status by employing improved irrigation management practices and adopting groundwater recharge techniques.

In order to increase water availability, improve water quality, and ensure long-term sustainability, river basin-scale planning and management of water resources is crucial. Using the blue water scarcity index and the water footprint concept, this study assesses blue water scarcity in the Banas river basin from 2008 to 2020. Banas basin experiences considerable scarcity, with the value of the average annual blue water scarcity index being 140.9% which can be characterized as moderate. Banas river basin typically experiences significant blue water scarcity for three months of the year (November, December and January). Compared to these months, it is low for three months (August, September, and October), moderate for four (April, May, June, and July), and significant for two months of the year (February and March). Farmers in the basin should adopt improved water management practices to ensure sustainability and address water scarcity issues. This study can provide a framework for policy to solve some policy and water management related issues in the basin. It can also help with more effective water resource allocation and utilization.

The impact of different land management practices on the amount of runoff and infiltration was studied in a laboratory for a period from August to December (2018) by simulating the natural conditions. Special trays were designed to hold a unique soil surface cover and rain was artificially poured onto them from a pre-determined height using a rainfall simulator designed to provide rainfall at a constant rate of 100 mm/h for a duration of 15 minutes with a soil slope of 5%.Five different land covers were studied and the results evaluated signified that concrete surface of urban environment offered more runoff about 99%, while greater sediment loss is found in intensely tilled soil cover (640 g) as compared to minimum tillage (320 g), no-till system (210 g) followed by perennial herb system. In minimum tilled soils having a 30% residue cover, the obstructions in the flow pathway of runoff water increased the infiltration amount to almost 30% for the same rainstorm event. For the compact no-till surface, runoff amount was found to 92% of the incident rainwater with a little infiltration as such the surface was closely an impervious one. However, for such an intense rainstorm, perennial vegetation produced a little runoff and almost 96% of rainwater was either retained in the vegetative canopy or infiltrated below.

No abstract