Any new national water policy should also aim to encourage conservation and efficient use of water resources.
The complexity and scale of the water crisis in India demands a specific response, which can inspire and integrate the ongoing work of various ministries and departments through new configurations. Such an integrated approach must necessarily cut across territorial boundaries and should not stop at the merger achieved between the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which led to the formation of the Ministry of Jal Shakti. in 2019.
Understanding the sources used
Viewing India’s growing water crisis through the ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ locus not only provides a better understanding of the causative factors, but also enables a firmer grasp on the strategies to be implemented to address the water crisis. Is. It basically requires a preliminary understanding of the sources from which the country draws water to meet its different needs. In rural areas, 80%-90% of the drinking water and 75% of the water used for agriculture are drawn from groundwater sources. In urban areas, 50%–60% of the water supply is drawn from groundwater sources, while the rest is derived from surface water resources such as rivers, often lakes, tanks and reservoirs apart from distant rivers.
According to the Composite Water Management Index released by think tank NITI Aayog in 2019, 21 major cities (including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad) were on the verge of running out of groundwater resources, affecting nearly 100 million people. The study also suggests that water demand is projected to double the available supply by 2030.
Chennai Example
An important, and by no means less worrisome, example of the water crisis that unfolded before our eyes in 2019 was Chennai, where life came to a standstill and parts of the city went without piped water for months . Although it is well forgotten, Chennai remains a spectacle of tragedies caused by the city’s inability to meet the basic needs of its citizens, face to face Drinking water, cooking and sanitation.
A closer look at the factors causing the water crisis in Chennai is inevitable, should we gain a better understanding of the underlying problems, especially as it was a city that had previously suffered from floods like Mumbai among others. Many have cited the low rainfall in Chennai last year as one of the main reasons for the water crisis. While it is true that the rainfall was less than 50% below normal, focusing on this factor alone can help explain the irregularities of rain patterns for a rapidly changing climate, without understanding ground level steps (or missteps). Blaming will be absolved of responsibility. ) which have been equally responsible factors.
Chief among these is that the city has been built up by encroaching on floodplains and lakes and wetlands that would otherwise have helped in the process of recharging groundwater. The lack of space for water to seep underground prevented rainwater from recharging the aquifers.
This was further compounded by the loss of green cover (which would otherwise have helped in water retention) to make way for infrastructure projects. In such a situation, where there is flood due to stagnation during normal rainfall, on the other hand a drought like situation arises due to the cessation of ground water storage. It is only that this situation was further exacerbated in Chennai, but in other cities in India these manifestations would be echoed to varying degrees due to the lack of sustainable urban planning.
An example is also in Mumbai, in 2019, when 2,141 trees were felled in Aarey Colony, amid massive protests to make room for a shed for the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
need for coordination
If the government is serious about addressing the water crisis in urban areas, the Ministry of Water Resources will have to reconfigure its relationship with other ministries and departments (urban development, local self-government and environment). This would lead to better integration and coordination through effective land and water zoning regulations that protect urban water bodies, groundwater sources, wetlands and green cover, as well as those targeting aquifers and wells through rainwater harvesting. Work to enhance wastewater recycling and water recharge activities.
Lessons from Rural Punjab
The situation in rural areas is no different, as evidenced by the severe water crisis in Punjab. The draft report of the Central Ground Water Board concluded that Punjab would be reduced to a desert in 25 years if the extraction of Punjab’s groundwater resources continues unabated; 82% of Punjab’s land area has seen a sharp decline in groundwater levels, with 109 of the 138 administrative blocks being categorized as ‘over-exploited’. Groundwater extraction, which was 35% in the 1960s and 1970s, increased to 70% after the Green Revolution – a period in which governments subsidized electricity for irrigation, allowing tubewells to run for hours.
Also, the cultivation of water intensive crops like paddy has further aggravated the water scarcity, even turning the water saline. Urgent measures need to be taken to manage and recharge groundwater, particularly through participatory groundwater management approaches in conjunction with water budgeting, aquifer recharging and community participation.
Such an approach to water conservation again gives rise to new configurations between regions and disciplines. At the regional level, water resources ministries and departments should coordinate efforts with their counterparts in agriculture, environment and rural development to achieve water and food security. At the disciplinary level, governance and management should increasingly interact and draw from the expertise of areas such as hydrology (watershed sustainability), hydrology (aquifer mapping and recharge) and agronomy (water-sensitive cropping options and soil health). Again, the importance given to groundwater conservation should not be overlooked by surface water conservation including many rivers and lakes, which are in a critical and dying state due to encroachment, pollution, over-precipitation and obstruction of water flow by dams.
protect resources
The Ministry of Jal Shakti last year announced an ambitious plan to provide water connections to every household in India by 2024. In view of the continuous degradation of water resources and the ever-increasing demand for water, this should not be stressed upon. The promise of water supply should instead aim towards protecting and conserving water resources on the one hand and reducing and increasing the efficiency of water use on the other. As the Expert Committee constituted under the Union Ministry of Water Resources drafts a new National Water Policy, one hopes that it will be rooted in location specific realities and will require greater flexibility to integrate the insights and work of multiple departments and disciplines. allowing the new configuration to permanently pave the way. Management of the country’s water resources.
Thomas Varghese is a researcher and consultant working on sustainable development in Kochi, Kerala. He can be contacted at thomas9varghese@gmail.com
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