Executive Summary : | The Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India falls in the rain shadow area of Western Ghats, in the interior of Deccan Plateau. It is one of the land degradation affected and drought prone districts in the country with an average annual rainfall of about 560 mm. There are no perennial sources of water in the district. Persistent dryness prevails in this region throughout the year. During the months of June to August, this region experiences strong surface winds from west to easterly direction. This has resulted in sand dune formation at a number of places. Several villages are affected by sandy soils to various extents. 80% of the working population is agricultural labourers and this has become a serious environmental problem, indicating higher levels of poverty. The efforts to improve environmental conditions and ground water improvement techniques in such areas will improve the socio-economic conditions of farmers in the district. In addition to the desertification, growing demand across competitive sectors, increasing droughts, declining water quality particularly of groundwater, and unabated flooding, inter-state river disputes, growing financial crunch, inadequate institutional reforms and enforcement are some of the crucial problems faced by the district. Availability of safe drinking water is inadequate. Percapita water availability is drastically declining. Severe water shortages have already led to a growing number of conflicts between users (agriculture, industry, domestic), intra-state and inter-state. Meeting the rising water demand, particularly that of drinking water is most compelling challenge before one and all to develop the socio -economic conditions of farmers in the district. Groundwater plays a fundamental role in shaping the economic and social health of many areas of India. Inspite of a number of measures taken up by local and central governments, the vulnerable aquifer systems are not protected, more because of lack of awareness among all most all cross sections of the stake holders. It is also realized that dissemination of scientific knowledge along with acceptable combating solutions among the stakeholders would provide effective and natural protection for the sustainability of this precious resource. The strategy is twofold, namely, scientific and societal, which will be integrated in such a manner as to bring about a much needed integration and convergence of the people’s need and the project’s scientific outcome .The scientific study components would involve investigations leading to understanding of locales of desertification, groundwater resource zone identification, delineation , and creation of resource assets. Social aspects would involve creating awareness of project need and benefits, and winning support of the people so as to engender self motivation and participation in the project implementation and bring about long term commitment to the maintenance of the physical asset of the project. |