State of groundwater resource: relationship between its depth and sewage contamination in Leh town of Union Territory of Ladakh

Abstract

Groundwater as a resource of wide-spectrum use, especially in the tourism sector, has evolved as the prime most source of water in Leh town in recent years. Unfortunately, the regulation on groundwater use and monitoring as well as scientific management of this resource is almost zero so the resource is over-exploited as well as ill managed. The skewed balance of technology required versus that already available in order to manage this fast urbanizing town is massive, and the place is already showing initial signs of management issues of waste, traffic, air and water pollution. The town is in dire need of innovative and cost-effective solutions for keeping alive its environmental sustainability quotient as it is undergoing a paradigm shift from an agricultural society into a class III urban agglomeration as per Indian Census. In the absence of constant monitoring of this resource, there is a wide data gap related with groundwater resources in Leh town, and so it is very difficult to derive an exact estimation of the water table all over the town. This paper thus gives an elaborate description of the status of groundwater resources in Leh town in dearth of baseline data. Further the risks posed by various factors which are threatening the proper management of this resource are mentioned, and the way forward for sustainable management of Leh town keeping groundwater as a focal point is rightly covered.