Water Resource Mapping

Water Resource Mapping, Planning and Conservation for drought prone districts using WATSCAN Tool

Interweaving technology and community, CII Foundation, in partnership with CII - Triveni Water Institute (CII – TWI), implemented the Water Resource Mapping, Planning, and Conservation Initiative. Using CII’s data driven WATSCAN tool to devise better water management strategies, the initiative was implemented in four water scarce villages of the Aurangabad to enhance water supply and manage demand in the drought prone areas.

Location

Aurangabad
Maharashtra

Outcome

4 billion litres
of water saved

The WATSCAN Tool

WATSCAN an integrated IT driven, GIS and Remote Sensing based information system. It generates millions of digital pixels, links satellite and on ground databases and undertakes analytics with cloud computing. Based on these outcomes, the system designs water management strategies and demonstrates improved water scenarios. The technology helps in identification of high/low water generation, water accumulation and water losses pockets in the watershed.

Phase I : WATSCAN was applied to six drought prone districts of Maharashtra for undertaking water resource assessment at the district’s watershed level. An exercise to identify critical gaps was undertaken to create maximum impact with optimal investment.

Phase II : Village level assessment and implementation to scientifically enable application

Supply Side Interventions

Identification of strategies with pin-pointed locations for implementation using drone surveys, Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) groundwater surveys and water quality testing.

Implementation - check dams, gabion bandharas, recharge shafts and rainwater harvesting structures were constructed based on the findings; desilting was undertake where required and localised Automatic Weather Stations were installed.

Additional water storage capacities were created to bridge the village water demand.

Water for sanitation in rural schools was successfully linked.

Demand Side Interventions

Training of small-scale farmers in Sericulture, a multi-cycle ‘crop’, crop advice, to create alternate livelihood options

Technical support and expert advice on input material, best practices and linking

Soil quality analysis for selected farms recorded on farmer soil health cards

Provision of shade nets to control evaporation and help cultivate healthier crops

Adoption of drip irrigation to reduce water demand by 60% and optimising water usage