Understanding the Crisis
The documentary delves into various aspects of the water crisis, including:
- Health Impacts: Reduced water intake and contamination have severe effects on health, leading to diseases such as gastroenteritis and kidney stones.
- Economic Disparities: While the affluent can afford clean water and filtration systems, the poor struggle to access even basic necessities.
- Governance and Management: Poor governance and mismanagement exacerbate the crisis, with policies often failing to address the root causes.
- Sustainable Practices: Innovations like rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge are crucial for mitigating the crisis.
The Dire Statistics
According to the 2018 Composite Water Management Index report by the National Institution for Transforming India, India is facing the worst water crisis in its history. Approximately 600 million people experience high to extreme water stress. Inadequate access to safe water is estimated to cause 200,000 deaths annually.
Yale University’s 2022 unsafe drinking water index ranked India 141 out of 180 countries. Nearly 70 percent of India’s water is contaminated. By 2030, India’s water demand is projected to be double the amount available, as reiterated by the Interconnected Disaster Risks Report in October 2023. The potential scarcity would affect millions and adversely impact the country’s GDP.
The Importance of Groundwater
Groundwater is vital for India’s agriculture, industry, and population needs. It is a primary irrigation source, crucial for food security. In rural areas, groundwater is a primary source of drinking water through community wells and boreholes. Industries depend on it, particularly where surface water is scarce. Despite its significance, groundwater over-extraction poses challenges, emphasising the importance of sustainable management to ensure its long-term availability.
India has 18 percent of the world’s population but only 4 percent of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed countries. The average per capita water availability for 2031 has been assessed to be 1367 cubic meters. Per capita annual freshwater availability in 2021 was lower than the Falkenmark Water Stress Indicator threshold.
Around 30 percent of India’s freshwater is stored as groundwater, mostly in aquifers — bodies of permeable rock and sediment — below the Earth’s surface. With more than 60 percent of irrigated agriculture and 85 percent of drinking water supplies dependent on it, groundwater is a vital resource.
Withdrawing water from aquifers causes a reduction in the water table. Conversely, the water table can be elevated by rainwater, snowmelt, rivers, and other surface water inputs.
Strategies for Groundwater Management
There are three main approaches to address groundwater depletion. The first is community-based management of groundwater. The second aims to replenish groundwater levels by reassessing crop patterns and spatial management. The third approach centres on the adoption of water-efficient technologies, such as water-efficient pump sets and technological innovations, like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
State electricity boards across India face financial losses. The relationship between electricity and irrigation contributes to this challenge. Output subsidies exert pressure, which leads to heightened electricity demand in agriculture. Farmers are incentivised to extract groundwater for the more lucrative, and equally more water-intensive, crops. Additionally, cross-subsidisation has substantially increased industrial power tariffs over the last decade.
It is crucial to promote a shift in crop patterns towards less water-intensive options, like millets. In the early 20th century, Indian households consumed smaller quantities of rice and wheat, with millets being popular choices. Yet over time, easier production and increased availability have steered households towards consuming more rice and wheat.
Managed aquifer recharge techniques are widely employed to replenish reservoir spaces with surplus fresh water. Common methods include recharging shafts, checking dams, and utilising previously unused dug wells. India must take the lead in adopting these techniques.
The country is prone to annual flooding in certain regions. The Indian Rivers Inter-link, a proposed large-scale civil engineering endeavour, aims to connect Indian rivers through reservoirs and canals. By connecting Indian rivers, the project should enhance irrigation, promote groundwater recharge, mitigate persistent floods, and address water shortages.
The Ken-Betwa River Linking project has received parliamentary approval, though it will necessitate significant time and funding before results become apparent. Quicker approval for smaller river link projects in northern India is feasible.
Communities must take active steps to recharge water, change crop patterns, and adopt a comprehensive and holistic approach to preserving soil and water. There is an immediate need for an educational program that addresses the perils of groundwater depletion and discusses local solutions for increasing the water tables.