Kerala, classed in the fifth water resource region (Watershed atlas) of the nation covering all rivers (except Indus R) emptying into Laccadive Sea, has a steep gradient between the water divide on the Western Ghats and the shoreline (i.e., 125 km at the widest transect and a lofty 3000 m a.m.s.l.), which makes the residence time of rain deposition under 48 hr truly making several pockets of Kerala water stressed. The current study attempts to estimate the average annual rain fall deposition and water yield in Kerala stands at 41.6 BCM, of which 5.2 BCM adds to the groundwater resources and 36.4 BCM goes as surface run off. These figures confirm that the surface and groundwater resources show a declining trend as the figures deviate from the estimates of CGWB (groundwater resources= 5.66 BCM) and a state government source (surface water =78 BCM). Despite falling in the Am climate zone of Koppen – tropical monsoon climate – Kerala (extent =38863 km2; average rain fall =3107 mm/y) was empirically and proverbially deemed as a water surplus state, with an annual per capita entitlement of 1991.0 m3 for a population load of 34.8 million (Census, 2011), against 4921.0 m3 of annual per capita for a population of 13.54 million (Census,1951). With a rising population and steadily rising social and economic development, Kerala?s annual per capita water entitlement stands higher than the national annual average of 1600 m3 per capita. However, the water future of Kerala may be a matter of concern with increasing demand on all fronts of water use, even though high magnitude and low frequency rain fall spikes may yield huge volumes of water that may not at all be stored in the aquifers due to their finite capacity and lower recharge due to large scale land scape/surface transformation.
Is the Water Future of Kerala Fuzzy?
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Kerala, classed in the fifth water resource region (Watershed atlas) of the nation covering all rivers (except Indus R) emptying into Laccadive Sea, has a steep gradient between the water divide on the Western Ghats and the shoreline (i.e., 125 km at the widest transect and a lofty 3000 m a.m.s.l.), which makes the residence time of rain deposition under 48 hr truly making several pockets of Kerala water stressed. The current study attempts to estimate the average annual rain fall deposition and water yield in Kerala stands at 41.6 BCM, of which 5.2 BCM adds to the groundwater resources and 36.4 BCM goes as surface run off. These figures confirm that the surface and groundwater resources show a declining trend as the figures deviate from the estimates of CGWB (groundwater resources= 5.66 BCM) and a state government source (surface water =78 BCM). Despite falling in the Am climate zone of Koppen – tropical monsoon climate – Kerala (extent =38863 km2; average rain fall =3107 mm/y) was empirically and proverbially deemed as a water surplus state, with an annual per capita entitlement of 1991.0 m3 for a population load of 34.8 million (Census, 2011), against 4921.0 m3 of annual per capita for a population of 13.54 million (Census,1951). With a rising population and steadily rising social and economic development, Kerala?s annual per capita water entitlement stands higher than the national annual average of 1600 m3 per capita. However, the water future of Kerala may be a matter of concern with increasing demand on all fronts of water use, even though high magnitude and low frequency rain fall spikes may yield huge volumes of water that may not at all be stored in the aquifers due to their finite capacity and lower recharge due to large scale land scape/surface transformation.
Publication Mode |
Online |
---|---|
Publication Author |
E. Shaji, K. P. Thrivikramji, S. P. Prasood |
Publication Language |
English |
Publication Type |
Conference Paper |
Publication Year |
2021 |
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