Water Security in India

In News

• Recently, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) stated that Global warming and climate change has the potential to put water security in India at risk.

Key Highlights

• Increasing temperatures: 
  • India is witnessing a repeat of 2021 conditions, when temperatures touched 40 degrees Celsius as early as February in some parts of the country.
• Climate Change’s Impact:
  • Climate change impacts are about heat — increased and scorching temperatures — and about variable and extreme rain. 
  • Both have a direct correlation with the water cycle. 
• No Relief from La Nina:
  • 2021 was the year of the La Niña — the Pacific water currents that are known to bring cooler temperatures globally. 
  • But global warming has offset this cooling effect of La Niña.
  • Situation is bound to be worse in El Nino conditions.
• Varying Rain Pattern:
  • The number of rainy days in India will further go down, but extreme rainy days will increase.
  • This will have a huge impact on India’s plans for water management. 

India’s Water Security

• About: 
  • India faces a serious and persistent water crisis owing to a growing imbalance of supply and demand, as well as poor water resource management and climate change. 
• Severe crisis:
  • India is projected to face severe water stress by 2050.

Image Courtesy: OECD 

• Issues:
  • Water Usage in Agriculture: 
    • Although industry is the largest contributor to India’s GDP, agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water use. 
    • Two-thirds of India’s irrigation needs and 80% of domestic water needs are met using groundwater, contributing to the significant groundwater depletion rate. 
  • Inefficient Water Use:
    • Although India has one of the world’s largest irrigation systems, it is characterised by high levels of inefficient water use.
    • Declining water tables mean increased cost of pumping, salty irrigation water as a result of over abstraction leading to crop and revenue losses for farmers, and long-term consequences for water availability. 
  • Poor Access: 
    • Lack of access to improved water supply and adequate sanitation persists. 
    • According to the government census of 2011, only about 30% of the 167 million rural households in India have access to tap water and household toilets.
  • Declining Water Quality: 
    • The discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies is the most important source of water pollution in India; eighty percent of the sewage generated goes untreated. 
  • Policy Loopholes:
    • The existing policy framework lacks a clear incentive structure for efficient and sustainable water use. 
    • Intra- and inter-state water sharing and lack of adequate enforcement and monitoring of existing water policies undermine water governance. 
    • Low or absent water charging and energy subsidies for groundwater pumping drive severe depletion of resources.
  • Finance for Water Infrastructure: 
    • A lack of sustainable financing for water infrastructure results in poor maintenance of existing infrastructure and limits further investment. 

Importance of Water Security for India

• To Address Rising Demand: 
  • With total water demand in India expected to rise by over 70% by 2025, a huge demand-supply gap is expected in the coming years. 
• Ensuring Health:
  • Poor water quality and lack of adequate access to sanitation are also major causes of disease and poor health.
  • Proper access to potable water will minimise health issues and medical expenses.
• Supporting Economy: 
  • Adequate water security will act as a potentially significant booster on economic growth as it will reduce the costs for water infrastructure.

Challenges

• Increasing Rate of Evaporation:
  • It is not that evaporation losses did not happen in the past, but the rate of evaporation will now increase with the soaring temperatures
• Increased Usage:
  • Heat will drive up the use of water — from drinking and irrigation to fighting fires in forests or buildings. 
• Intense drought and floods cycles:
  • Climate change is already showing up in terms of the increasing number of extreme rain events. 
  • This means that one can expect rain to come like a flood, making the cycle of floods followed by droughts even more intense.
• Land Degradation:
  • In a country like India, where the bulk of the food is still grown in rain-fed regions, climate change will intensify land degradation and dust bowl formations.

Steps Taken

• Jal Jeevan Mission: It is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. 
• Jal Shakti Abhiyaan: It was launched by Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019, a time-bound campaign with a mission mode approach intended to improve water availability including groundwater conditions in the water-stressed blocks of 256 districts in India. 
• National Water Policy: National Water Policy (2012) has been formulated by the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, inter-alia advocates rainwater harvesting and conservation of water and highlights the need for augmenting the availability of water through direct use of rainfall. 
• Groundwater legislation: Ministry has circulated a Model Bill to all the States/UTs to enable them to enact suitable groundwater legislation for the regulation of its development, which also includes the provision of rainwater harvesting. So far, 19 States/UTs have adopted and implemented groundwater legislation.
• Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA): It has been constituted under Section 3 (3) of the “Environment (Protection) Act, 1986” for the purpose of regulation and control of groundwater development and management in the Country.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020: It has been prepared by CGWB in consultation with States/UTs which is a macro-level plan indicating various structures for the different terrain conditions of the country including estimated cost. 
• National water Awards: The Department of Water Resources, RD& GR has instituted National Water awards to incentivize good practices in water conservation and groundwater recharge.
• Mass awareness programmes: Training, Seminars, Workshops, Exhibitions, Trade Fares and Painting Competitions etc. are conducted from time to time each year under the Information, Education & Communication (IEC) Scheme of DoWR, RD & GR in various parts of the Country to promote rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge to groundwater.
• Mission Water Conservation: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has developed an actionable framework for Natural Resources Management (NRM), titled ‘Mission Water Conservation” to ensure gainful utilization of funds. 
  • The Framework strives to ensure synergies in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), erstwhile Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) now PMKSYWatershed Development Component and Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM), given their common objectives. 
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY): It is an Rs.6000 crore scheme with World Bank funding, for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation is being taken up in the identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Way Ahead

• Focus on Underground Water: 
  • India’s irrigation planners and bureaucracies have largely depended on canals and other surface water systems. 
  • Now, the focus needs to be on the management of groundwater systems, i.e., underground water storage, or wells.
• Vegetation Planning:
  • Water management must go hand-in-hand with vegetation planning to improve the ability of soils to hold water, even in times of intense and prolonged heat.
• Minimising Losses:
  • There is a need to work not just on storing water in millions of structures, but also plan for reducing losses due to evaporation. 
• Water Reuse:
  • Even the wastewater that is currently being left to flow down drainpipes should also be utilised.
• Improved Infrastructure:
  • As extreme rains become the norm, the structures being created under MGNREGA will need to be redesigned so that they last over the seasons.

Source: DTE