Groundwater Hazards Risk Management In West Bengal

Abstract

Frequency and severity of natural hazards are increasing worldwide, in particular for hydro-meteorological extremes, posing a serious threat to the groundwater hazards in many countries and regions. Adequate fresh groundwater losses have been increasing as a result of groundwater-related hazardslike long-term depletion of groundwater level and groundwater contamination mainly due to high concentration of arsenic, fluoride, total dissolved solids etc. But it has beenexperienced that changes or variability in the climate are also responsible for the increasing losses of sufficient fresh groundwater. In particular groundwater resources are vulnerable to climate change, compounding changes in groundwater use in domestic, irrigation, industrial sector as part of its development.Groundwater conditions in some parts of West Bengal is also in vulnerable due to some hazards like groundwater crisis during frequent drought-like situation; groundwater depletion due to excessive withdrawal; and higher concentration of arsenic, fluoride and salinity in groundwater. Therefore, groundwater hazardsrisk management is the issue of groundwater security in the state of West Bengal, which must be addressed on a groundwater basin basis through a strong and properly enforced groundwater regulatory systemby modernizing the governance structure, combined with a strategic groundwater resource plan.For sustainable development, access to fresh groundwater and the protection against groundwater related hazards from quantitative and qualitative point of view are very crucial. Therefore, a productive approach to groundwater hazards risk management and adaptation strategies would reduce the risk through development of short-term action plan and long-term preventive actions e.g. a risk-based groundwater resource plan. In this paper, the review focuses on groundwater-related hazards, including impacts, current management and policies to reduce the risk, and opportunities for strengthening integrated groundwater hazards risk management in West Bengal.