FOREWORD
Water resources have increasingly come under pressure of late due to competing
and ever increasing demands from different sectors. What is often said that
future wars will be fought for water, seems prophetic, given the depleting water
resource endowment both in quality and quantity. That the groundwater resource
in the country is the most stressed in the world, drives us to think of alternatives
to water management.
As we all know, understanding of technical aspects of water resources is
essential to appreciate the limits to exploitation and technological options for
judicious use of the resource. This publication caters to such need in the present
context. I appreciate the efforts of Shri P.K.Chatterjee, Chief General Manager
(Retd.), NABARD in compiling the different technical aspects relating to water
resources.
NABARD has chosen to publish this booklet as the maiden issue in the
Knowledge Series. I congratulate the Department of Economic Analysis and
Research (DEAR) for initiating this series and wish that more of such
publications should come to disseminate knowledge across policy makers,
researchers, practitioners and bankers.
H.R. Dave
Deputy Managing Director
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