Stopping private investments in borewell digging and institutionalising community level participatory groundwater monitoring systems are two suggested measures to halt unsustainable groundwater use in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Special Commissioner for Rural Development proposes these measures in “Managing Groundwater with Sustainability and Equity” a draft discussion note.
Alarmed at the unsustainable groundwater usage in farming and the resulting public distress, the Andhra Pradesh government is working on legislation to remedy the situation. The legislation is likely to be in the form of an upgrade to the current AP Water Land and Trees Act (WALTA).
Another background discussion note is an “Inventory of Norms and Other Regulatory Instruments for Groundwater“.
See also: Rene van Lieshout, Andhra Pradesh: shift to adaptive managing water demand needed, Source Bulletin, Aug 2009
Source: India Water Portal, 31 Jul 2010
