Paul Pavelic International Water

Management

Institute, Lao PDR

Buffering water variability at the

river basin scale through UTFI

3rd Asia-Pacific Water Summit

Technical Session on:

‘Reviving Hydrological Cycles:

Rainwater Harvesting and Sustainable

Groundwater Management’

11th December 2017, Yangon, Myanmar

Photos: IWMI

Too little Too muchToo low

UTFI APPROACH

OBJECTIVES

• Develop a sound and holistic

evidence-based case for

Underground Taming of Floods for

Irrigation (UTFI)

• Facilitate opportunities for scaling up

in prospective parts of the Ganges

METHODS

• Research – mapping, hydrologic/

hydraulic modelling, pilot testing

(technical, social/gender, economic,

institutional, environmental analysis)

• Outreach – workshops, open days,

dialogue, trainings etc.

Water stored below-ground provides buffering against drought and is utilized to increase dry season agricultural production and safeguard domestic

supplies.

SCHEMATIC

UTFI SCHEMATIC1. CURRENT

2. UTFI WET SEASON

3. UTFI DRY SEASON

Season floods inundate urban areas and farmlands; groundwater use creates leads to drying out of shallow wells and higher pumping costs.

Floodwater is intercepted upstream at the community level filling the underground storage space created by excessive pumping. Floods are

minimized or averted.

Source: IWMI

PILOTING UTFI ON THE GANGETIC PLAIN

BEFORE

AFTER

Image credits: IWMI

Community pond converted for UTFI in Jiwai Jadid village - the area is often flooded and GW levels have been falling, impacting on domestic water supplies and agricultural livelihoods

(a) Basin

(b) Pilot site(c) Recharge well

PILOT SITE

Site selection in western Uttar Pradesh

Pilot demonstration trial layout and design

SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS

Volumes of excess flow stored in aquifer are high (40-60 x 103 m3 per year)

2015 2016 2017 Season

Recharge

Season-

60

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

25-J

ul-1

5

03-O

ct-1

5

12-D

ec-1

5

20-F

eb-1

6

30-A

pr-1

6

09-J

ul-1

6

17-S

ep-1

6

26-N

ov-

16

04-F

eb-1

7

15-A

pr-1

7

24-J

un-1

7

02-S

ep-1

7

11-N

ov-

17

Rec

har

ge r

ate

(m3/d

ay)

Silt has been effectively managed within the pond, filter and wells

Water quality risks have not been exacerbated

Potential to scale up to basin scale established through hydro-economic modelling

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

0 4 8 12 16

Dis

char

ge (m

3/s)

Return Period (years)

Baseline 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

Grou

ndwa

ter ele

vatio

n (m)

Baseline 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

RETURN PERIOD FLOW

GW LEVELS

FLOOD INUNDATION

MULTI-SCALE ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT

VILLAGE LEVEL

DISTRICT LEVEL

STATE LEVEL

NATIONAL LEVEL

Consultation with villagers

Meeting CDO, Rampur

DIP Doc.

MWR site visit

• Acceptance of UTFI by the local community, including women

• Site maintenance formalized through MNREGA with community participation

• Support from the highest level decision makers in Rampur district

• Uptake by UP Govt by inclusion of UTFI in District Irrigation Plan PMKSY (Prime Ministers Irrigation Program)

• Growing support from Ministry of Water Resources

KEY MESSAGES GOING FORWARD

• First demonstration of community-owned assets converted

to UTFI in the Upper Gangetic Plain

• Strengthening evidence (technical & non-technical) to justify

that UTFI is effective in enhancing GW availability and

reducing flood risks

UTFI LINKAGES WITH SECTORS AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

Poverty Reduction

Ground-water

Floods

Irrigation

Water-sheds

UTFI Rural Development

• UTFI can be duly considered by policy makers and developers seeking solutions to development challenges relating to CCA, DRR and SDGs

THANKYOU

For further information go to: http://utfi.iwmi.org/

Undertaken by: With the support of: