Relations for Rainfall Runoff Surface & Groundwater Potential of Kutch

Kutch is an arid region with low rainfall and scarce water resources. Inspite of having largest geographical area amongst all districts of Gujarat and maximum number of rivers in a single district for Gujarat, it has least water potential. Various historical, geological and political reasons make Kutch a region dependent on its own resources with limited options to draw upon external resources. The arid conditions of the region allow limited supplies of water and there is a need to provide for the growing demand. The governments’ efforts in the last four decades in the development of Kutch water resources has enabled it to bring mere 2 % land under intensive agricultural development, against 14 % of defined agriculture land of the district. This has proved beyond any doubt that solution to this intricate problem lies with emphasis on local area resource development. With scanty and erratic rainfall pattern, scarcity of water and excessive exploitation of ground water, Kutch is an ideal region for study of water resources for future planning & management. It was a challenging job for developing relationship between rainfall, runoff, surface and groundwater potential for Kutch.