Decreasing Water Levels in Reservoirs

In News

• According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, live storage of water in India’s major reservoirs has been continuously dipping.

About

• Immediate Reasons: 
  • Continuously dipping due to an early and intense heat wave as well as deficient pre-monsoon rainfall.
• Data: 
  • The storage levels in 140 major reservoirs monitored by the CWC fell to 39 percent of their cumulative capacity from 50 percent from March 17-April 21, 2022.
  • The nine major reservoirs in the northern region have the lowest live storage (32 per cent). 
  • The western region has 44 per cent live storage, followed by central with 42 per cent and southern and eastern regions with 37 per cent live storage each. 

What are the reasons for water dip?

• 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.

Concerns

• Rising Water Needs: 
  • Meeting the daily water needs of cities is a major concern.
• 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. 
  • Low water storage due to a delayed monsoon arrival or inadequate rainfall can affect the upcoming Kharif-sowing season. 
• Electricity: 
  • In meeting the peak electricity demand as 45 of these 140 reservoirs are for hydropower generation. 
• 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. 

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 drain pipes 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