IAPRS & SIS, Vol.34, Part 7, "Resource and Environmental Monitoring", Hyderabad, India, 2002
ground water and it has resulted in either drop in the ground
water levels and or complete depletion of water sources. In fact
the demand for ground water has been increased drastically
especially, in the drought prone regions like Rajasthan due to
irrigation by under ground sources. Improvements in drilling
techniques were helped in tapping deeper water levels and this
resulted in further decline of ground water levels. Hence, there
is an urgent need to replenish the water tables in such areas
through artificial recharge by constructing water-harvesting
structures like percolation tanks and check dams. Under
watershed management programmes, mini/micro watershed
development is being implemented by the Ministry of Rural
development, Govt.of.India under Drought Prone Area and
Desert Development Programmes. The renovation/construction
of village ponds/tanks are being taken up by the local self
governments (panchayats/mandals) under Jawahar Rojgar
Yogana, Employment Assurance Scheme etc., Measures like
contour bunding, trenching, pasture development, afforestation,
nala bunding etc., helped in water recharge. The erratic
conditions in groundwater recharge and inadequate surface
water availability due to inadequate and untimely rainfall
conditions. More than 80 per cent of the annual rainfall occurs
during the period of June-September season. Major part of the
rainfall is confined between 30 to 60 rainy days. Worst still,
half of the rainfall occurs in heavy spells of very short duration
(20-30 rainy hours). Most of the water received from the heavy
spells of shorter duration resulted in the surface runoff, with
little penetration into the ground, causing floods and soil
erosion. Therefore, considerable skill, innovative efforts and
expenditure are required to conserve rainwater for use during
the remaining part (8 to 9 months) of a year. Such water
harvesting structures’ include a) Farm ponds b) Minor irrigation
tanks c) check dams d) water harvesting bunds, e) nala bunds f)
Percolation tanks and h) sub-surface dykes etc., Selection of a
suitable site for locating these structures require large amount
of information on terrain Conditions.
4.4.2 Study Area:
The study area comprising a part of Alwar District of
Rajasthan, which is a drought prone area and its average annual
rainfall, is about 600 mm. It is located in the Northeast part of
Rajasthan. The Alwar district is bounded on the North and
Northeast by Gurgaon district of Haryana state and Bharatpur
District, on the Southwest and south bounded by Jaipur &
Dausa districts respectively. Apart from drought prone, further
it has been subjected to severe soil erosion in the Aravalli Hill
range and wind erosion in the foothills as well as plains.
Implementation of soil as well as water conservation measures
through water harvesting structures assume significance and at
the same time it will serve dual purposes namely arrest the soil
erosion to a great extent and also helps in improving the ground
water levels.
4.4.3 Geographical extent:
Alwar district is extended between 27°04" to 28°04'N Latitudes
and 76°07" to 77°13' E longitudes and comprises an area of
8380 sq.km, whereas the present study confines between
27°15'- 27°45'N latitudes and 76°15'-76%45'E longitudes and
covering approximately 3000 Sq.Km or 36% of the district
geographical area. It is falling under the SOI toposheet No's:
54A/ 6,7,10 and 11 on 1:50,000 scale.
4.4.3.1 Climate & terrain: The climate is very hot during
summer and very cold during winter periods. The monsoon is of
shorter duration. The southwest monsoon commences in the July
month and ends by mid-September. The average annual district
rainfall is 611 mm. The maximum temperature during summer is
47 C and minimum is up to freezing point. The mean annual
temperature is 26°C. The Aravalli Hills covering more than two
thirds of the area and passing through central part of area and
forming Ridge and valley topography and as isolated ridges. The
hills plunging towards north of Alwar town. Their relief varies
between 700-350 mts above MSL. The Plain is undulated in
nature and relief varies between 300 and 200 Meters above
638
MSL. More often, isolated hills and sand ridges interrupt the
monotony of the plain. The pain is connected to hills by thick
piedmont (alluvial) deposits & their slope vary between 5°-10°.
4.4.3.2 Rivers and Drainage: Siliserh and Jaisamand are the
two major reservoirs. The Ruparel and Sabi are seasonal rivers
in the district. The Ruparel River rises from the hills of
Thanagazi and finally terminates in Bharatpur district, While the
Sabi River raises from Jaipur district, flowing through Behror,
Mundawar, Kishangarh Basli and Tijara tehsil and then enters
Gurgaon district of Haryana state. There are two important dams
located at a distance of 13 kms and 8 Kms from Alwar
respectively.
4.4.3.3 Geology & Minerals: Pre Aravalli major group rocks
comprising schist, quartzite and granite. Railo group rocks
comprising marble, and feldspathic quartzite. Alwar group
consists quartzite and schist formations. Ajabgarh group
consisting phyllite, schist, quartzite and dolomite overlain by
post Delhi intrusive granite and Meta dolerite rocks. Major
minerals found in this district are barites, building stones and
copper. The rocks associated with these minerals are schist,
quartzite and intrusive granites. Baryte production amounts to
two thousand tonnes per annum and the deposits are located at
Sahanpuri, Basli, Jamdoli and Khora-Makroda. The Alwar
district is second richest in copper deposits of Rajasthan and
they are located at Bhagoni and Kho-Dariba. Other important
minerals available in the area include asbestos, china clay,
feldspar, fine clay, soapstone and quartz.
4.4.3.4 Landforms: They can broadly put under four major
categories, namely 1) Structural hills 2) Denudational hills/
pediplain 3) Fluvial and Aeolian (Sand) types. 1) Structural
hills: can be further divided into a) Structural hills and b) ridges
2) Denudational landforms comprising: a) Denudation hills b)
Pediment c) buried pediment. 3) Fluvial landforms (depositional
origin) comprise a) Alluvial b) Floodplain, c) Valley-fills/
alluvial fans. Whereas erosional (fluvial) landforms comprising
gullies and ravines. 4) Aeolian Landforms consist of Sandy
ridges and erosinal features comprising depressions (Blow hots)
of wind origin.
4.4.3.5 Soils: The major soils of the district are-brown, fine to
loamy sand, deep, non-calcareous and belongs to Torrispsament
great group. In the eastern part soils are alluvial and thus of
good quality. Soils on Hills and pediplain are mostly skeletal
and falling under unclassified category.
4.4.3.6 Forests: Total area under forest is about 26480 hectares
equivalent to 3.16 per cent of the total district and it falls under
dry deciduous category of Rajasthan. The famous wildlife
sanctuary of Sariska is falling under the study area.
4.4.3.7 Population: The total population of the district is 23
lakhs (approx), out of which, urban population accounts for 15
per cent only and hence economy is mainly from agriculture
sector, which constitutes 85 per cent of total district population.
4.4.3.8 Irrigation: The Alwar district has a geographical area of
8380 Sq.Kms, out of which 3745 Sq.Kms equivalent of 44.7 %
is covered by irrigation from various sources such as reservoirs/
tanks (surface) and under ground water sources like dug wells
and bore wells. In 1991, there are 117 tanks/bunds having
capacity to irrigate more than 50 acres of the land exists in the
district. Following are the Major water reservoirs: 1) Jaisamand
(7010), 2) Silserh (3936), 3) Manglansar (5272), 4) Siliberi
(2066), 5) Manasarovar (2720), 6) Jhiroli (988), 7) Ager (816),
8) Jaitpur (800) and 9) Ban Sarovar (52.32). Wells and Tube
wells: are the major sources of irrigation in the district. Under
groundwater irrigation, dug wells provide 52 per cent and tube
wells accounts for 48 per cent. Minor irrigation works: There are
in total 81 minor irrigation projects in Alwar district.
4.4.3.9 Ground water utilization: Depth to water levels: In
major part of the district water table varies between 5 to 10 deep
below ground level. Areas around Thanaghazi, Lachhamangarh,
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