Lucknow, July 22 -- Building rainwater harvesting structures alone will not solve Uttar Pradesh's growing groundwater crisis unless they are backed by scientific planning, regular monitoring and site-specific implementation, water experts and government officials concluded at a high-level roundtable organised by Unicef Uttar Pradesh and the Ground Water Action Group (GWAG) on Tuesday. Held during State Groundwater Awareness Week, the discussion brought together representatives from the irrigation and water resources department, UP Jal Nigam (Urban and Rural), state water and sanitation mission, WALMI, NGOs, researchers and independent water experts. The focus was to debunk common myths surrounding rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge and chart a more effective, climate-resilient roadmap for the state. Experts cautioned that indiscriminate groundwater recharge can be counterproductive and may even contaminate aquifers if carried out without proper hydrogeological assessment. They stressed that recharge interventions must be tailored to local conditions rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. Addressing the gathering, Dr Zakari Adam, chief of Unicef UP, underlined the need for behavioural change in water conservation. Quoting, "We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children," he said water should be treated as a finite resource that must neither be wasted nor polluted. Unicef communications specialist Nipurnh Gupta highlighted that groundwater depletion disproportionately affects women and children, particularly in rural and climate-vulnerable regions, where girls often bear the burden of fetching water. She said scientific interventions, along with community participation, are essential to ensure long-term water security. Warning against technically unsound recharge practices, Dr Nagendra Singh, WASH specialist at Unicef, said aquifers contaminated by bacteria are extremely difficult to restore. "Recharge without scientific understanding can do more harm than good," he said. The panel proposed a series of policy recommendations, including aquifer-based restoration plans, scientific site selection using data, mandatory maintenance of recharge structures, permeable urban pavements, on-farm rainwater harvesting, water budgeting in city planning and stronger inter-departmental coordination. Experts also recommended discouraging direct injection wells unless they are closely monitored by technical specialists....