World Water Day 2024: Close the tap before it's dry
Rationing and containment of water until sources fill up are temporary measures. Given how water and climate issues are linked, we need to plan strategically and well into the future — not just how to augment supply of fresh water but also how to use it wisely and sparingly.
Decades back, agriculture was termed a 'gamble on the monsoon'. Earlier, with surface water being tapped through canal irrigation systems, parts of India were somewhat insulated from this. However, groundwater, which was supposed to be a reserve for challenging times, became a primary resource.
India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. The Gangetic belt, with its cropping patterns, has exploited wells to the extent of 78%, and may face critically low groundwater availability in a few years.
A 2023 United Nations University-Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) report highlighted that the world is approaching a tipping point on groundwater. More than half of aquifers globally are depleting faster than they recharge. South Asia, with a large population, has become vulnerable.
The policy challenge, then, is to plan for food and nutrition security that can be sustained at available water levels. But this needs to be done without affecting farmers' livelihoods.
Several GoI water supply-enhancing schemes like Atal Bhujal Yojana, MGNREGA, Mission Amrit Sarovar, and Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain address different perspectives. Simultaneously, demand-side schemes like PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and Sahi Fasal
