Multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for surface water management plan, a case study of Kansachara sub watershed, West Bengal, India

The increasing demands on fresh water resources by our burgeoning population and diminishing quality of existing water resources because of pollution and the additional requirements of serving our spiraling industrial and agricultural growth have led to a situation where the consumption of water is rapidly increasing and the supply of fresh water remains more or less constant. In the context of quality, potable water is always meager for the present and future. The study is an innovative attempt towards the development of the watershed on the earth science platform. Thereafter the balancing of water resources for domestic and agricultural uses is also tried. The focus is mainly on surface water for present use and groundwater for future. This management plan especially includes socially and economically backward demographic conditions. The present study is an integrated approach for a micro-watershed development plan of the Kansachara sub-watershed.