Recently I was asked to produce a short podcast episode on groundwater and I chose to do one on how technology is helping a more equitable distribution of this precious resource.

India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. It uses an estimated 260 cubic kilometers of groundwater per year. Since groundwater is invisible, it largely escapes the attention of policy makers. However, its importance is indisputable, and this is exactly why technology is coming to its rescue.

The MARVI project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and uses a village level participatory focus to help improve groundwater supplies by involving farmers and other key stakeholders who are called ‘groundwater informed’ volunteers.

AI can monitor potential leaks in storage tanks. This is especially true as many tanks are connected to systems like bore wells that draw groundwater and store the same in tanks.

In fact technology can be used at the village and gram panchayat level to ensure groundwater resources are being used fairly.

Read all about it or even listen to it on Fair Planet here: