Potential and Determinants of Groundwater Use in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Aims: To study the potential and determinants of groundwater use. Study design: Purposive random sampling. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu and the survey was conducted during July 2021 and September 2021. Methodology: The sample size selected for the study is 480 which includes 160 sample farmers from each region. Mean and simple regression analysis with regional dummy was used for the study. Results: The groundwater was highly developed in the overexploited region. Among the farmers, it was highly developed among the medium farmers. The determinants of groundwater use on the farm are the overexploited region, farm size and cultivating water-loving crops of expecting higher income. Conclusion: The groundwater is highly tapped in the overexploited region and mostly by the large farmers of the region. Sustainable groundwater management is essential for addressing the developing water scarcity problems. The optimal extraction of groundwater could be the solution for the groundwater depletion particularly in the overexploited regions of the district. It could be made possible my regulatory institutions. One could conclude that our policy focus may be tilted towards the water management practices and particularly in the regions of overexploited firka.