Author(s): Sivaranjani Jaisankar
Linked Author(s):
Keywords:
Abstract: Water is important natural resource and play vital role in everybody’s day to day life. In many places, water is worshiped as a god. It is the duty of every citizen to protect such natural resource. Like, Rivers are naturally flowing water courses, used for several purposes and contribute for groundwater recharge. As intermittent rivers flow on a seasonal basis, fluctuations in groundwater level are also frequently witnessed. The stakeholders who have direct stake in the river flow for irrigation purposes, compelled to go for the only alternative source called groundwater. The pressure exerted on the groundwater for drinking, domestic and irrigation activities leads to a great demand on groundwater. This result in the over exploitation of groundwater, which eventually would affect its quantity and quality. The pivot point of the study explains the linkages between river flow, groundwater, irrigation and the stakeholders. In this study emerged over the general concern on the changing water quality and quantity of the river and on the impact of the water on stakeholders. To address the above, the following objectives are framed to capture the impact of changes in river on stakeholders that is to assess the possibilities of the influence of river source on water usage, the present level of contamination through investigating surface and ground water quality with standard sets and the impacts of the water quality and quantity on the local stakeholders. The area selected for the study is Odambogaiyar river in Thiruvarur district. The selected study area is known as the Rice Bowl of the State of Tamil Nadu in India. It is located in the Cauvery Delta. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the people living here. Currently their primary livelihood has become a secondary livelihood due to various environmental and economic impacts. Groundwater qualities in Thiruvarur district are normally alkaline in nature in some places and it mostly suitable for irrigation purposes (Ramkumar et al. 2013). Water resources are under severe threat not only because of the ever-increasing demand and competing demand (from various sectors), but also because of the diminishing quality caused by discharge of untreated domestic sewage and industrial effluent (Janakarajan et al. 2006).
Year: 2022