Inventorization of Water Resources in Solan Block of Himachal Pradesh, India

Water is one of the most precious resource on earth without which there would be no life on this planet1. Inspite of enormous volume of water on the planet, only a small portion is available for use. About 97 per cent of total water is present in oceans and seas abstract The present investigations entitled “Inventorization of Water Resources in Solan Block of Himachal Pradesh” was conducted during 2012-13, with the objective to prepare a detailed inventory of water resources in the area, some latest data had also been added. For inventory, a survey was conducted as per prestructured proforma. People’s perception was also recorded to verify the inventorization. In Solan Block the total number of water resources recorded in the field were 3218. Out of which 3070 number of water resources are being commercially exploited for use. A total of 412 hand pumps were installed in the area till December 2016. Out of the total water resources in Solan District, 22% ground and 30% surface water resources were in Solan Block. The people’s perception indicated that out of 35 panchayats, seven panchayats had water deficiency. In Solan Block 5.29 sq. km of total area was covered under 18 major irrigation schemes till 2016. A total population of 70,643 in rural area of Solan Block had a water requirement of 13,06,189.07 gallons per day whereas, that of urban population (45,845) was 15,13,801.9 gallons per day. The total water requirement of Solan Block calculated was 28,19,990.97 gallons per day for a population of 1,16,488 (Census 2011). The total water storage capacity in Solan Block on an average was 63,07,388.64 gallons to meet the demand of inhabitants along with water requirement for other purposes. But many times this capacity remained unutilized due to less water availability. Periodic water resource management is thus recommended for sustaining quality water availability. article History