MARVI Approach

Given the complex interactions of physical and socio-economic factors that affect recharge processes and the variability of these factors across the case study areas, it is important to have a clear understanding of the scientific and socio-economic impacts of the local water management problem. For this reason, the research in this project is to be conducted through impact assessment of two study areas, one in northern Gujarat and the other one in southern Rajasthan, and supported by broader-scale assessments.

One way to enhance the impact of this project is to increase awareness about groundwater dynamics and encourage village communities to observe and manage their water resources cooperatively. Therefore, the project activities have been designed for participatory hydrological data collection by researchers, villagers and local schools.

To ensure meaningful assessments of the MAR impacts, in each district the study area (cluster of villages – micro watershed) will be selected such that it has some region (subset of cluster of villages) with significant level of investments in watershed development interventions (including MAR through NREGA) and some has had much lower level of investment. The one with a lower level investment will act as ‘control’ and will aid in the assessment and comparison of MAR impacts within the study area. The key components of research methodology and the framework and indicators for MAR impact assessment are shown Figure 1 [Word, 18.5KB] (opens in a new window) and Figure 2 [Word, 27KB] (opens in a new window) respectively.