By Naina Singh
This article will take you beyond the surface (literally), as we explore the groundwater aspect of India’s looming water crisis. In a land of rich surface level water resources, from lakes to rivers to entire oceans, many may wonder, is groundwater really that important for India? Absolutely. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, and it uses more than China and the United States combined.
Importance of Groundwater
The major uses of groundwater in India are drinking water and agriculture, both of which are essential for our survival. It is used heavily for agriculture, which is the livelihood of two-thirds of our country (accounting for nineteen percent of our GDP ), and feeds India’s growing population. Additionally, groundwater is also used for industrial and commercial purposes such as manufacturing, mining, and power generation.
Interconnected Disaster Risks Report
To delve deeper into the groundwater situation, let’s look at the United Nations’, “Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023”. This was published by the UNU-EHS which is the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security. This report talks about six environmental tipping points that the world is moving towards. These are: accelerating extinctions, groundwater depletion, mountain glacier melting, space debris, unbearable heat and an uninsurable future. According to the report “environmental tipping points”, are “critical thresholds in the Earth’s systems”. If surpassed, extreme and nearly permanent changes will take place. This will further cause (potentially disastrous) shifts in the overall environment, ecosystems and climate patterns.
With regard to India and groundwater, the report talks about how the northwestern states of our country, such as Punjab and Haryana are the bread basket for our rapidly growing population. 50 percent of India’s rice and 85 percent of its wheat is produced by Punjab and Haryana alone. Moreover, in Punjab, 78 percent of wells are considered over-exploited. It is predicted that in the entire northwestern region of India there will be critically low groundwater availability by 2025.
Causes of Groundwater Depletion
Groundwater depletion does not have a single root cause, but is the result of many factors. These include the following –
- Agricultural Overuse: Approximately ninety percent of groundwater extracted in India, is used for agriculture. Water intensive crops like rice and wheat are part of the country’s staple diet. Due to the growing population, the demand for these crops and thus groundwater is increasing as well.
- Green Revolution: The Green Revolution, which started in 1960 introduced and popularised High Yield Variety (HYV) seeds. These crops require more water, leading to even more use of groundwater.
- Subsidies on Energy and Fertiliser: The government has subsidised the cost of power or energy and fertilisers for farmers. If electricity (power) is cheaper, farmers can use more of it, and extract large amounts of groundwater at a low cost.
- Groundwater Contamination: Overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilisers along with release of industrial effluents has led to pollution of groundwater in both rural and urban areas. Chemicals such as fluoride, arsenic, and nitrate have been found beyond allowed limits in 276 districts in India, as reported by a study conducted by the CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board.
- Climate Change: Climate change has also led to overuse of groundwater for agriculture. The continuously rising temperatures indicate that crops now require more irrigation, as a result of which groundwater is further depleted. Increasing irrigation is only a short-term solution, as draining the water table will cause serious issues in the long-term.
Combating the Crisis
As a country with eighteen of the world’s population and only four percent of its water resources, India is definitely a water-stressed nation. While the groundwater situation is less than optimum, we are taking measures to improve the situation. Making water ecosystems more sustainable, for groundwater and other water resources alike is one of these. This basically means reusing and recycling wastewater for purposes other than consumption. Treating wastewater is also extremely important. Currently, India only treats one-third of its sewage. Reusing and treating more water would prevent us from needing to extract more groundwater. To this end, treatment plants have been set up like the one at the Indian Oil Corporation’s refinery in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Additionally, the ‘Atal Bhujal Yojana’, a six thousand crore rupee scheme by the centre has also been set up. The main objective of this is sustainable management of groundwater resources. It is being implemented for a five year duration in seven water stressed states – Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The aim is community led groundwater management at a large scale.
Sources
Achieving Atma Nirbharta in Agriculture. http://pib.gov.in/FeaturesDeatils.aspx?NoteId=151185
‘Depleting Groundwater: Why India Needs to Rethink Many Agri Practices’. India Today, https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/depleting-groundwater-india-agriculture-farmers-water-intensive-crops-2506372-2024-02-23
Devineni, Naresh, ‘Solving Groundwater Depletion in India While Achieving Food Security’. Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, June 2022, p. 3374. www.nature.com, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31122-9
Gupta, Dr Neelam. ‘Water Contamination: Still a Serious National Challenge’. The Times of India. The Economic Times – The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/water-contamination-still-a-serious-national-challenge/
‘India and Water: How Is the World’s Largest Groundwater User Tackling Its Looming Water Crisis?’ The Times of India, 18 Aug. 2022. The Economic Times – The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spotlight/india-and-water-how-is-the-worlds-largest-groundwater-user-tackling-its-looming-water-crisis/articleshow/93637697.cms
MWS | Green Revolution in India and Its Impact on Water Resources. https://millenniumwaterstory.org/Pages/Photostories/Water-and-Livelihood/Green-Revolution-in-India-and-its-Impact-on-Water-Resources.html#:~:text=The%20canal%20irrigation%20networks%20developed,scale%20dependence%20on%20groundwater%20instead
‘UN Report Warns India Heading towards Groundwater Depletion Tipping Point’. The Economic Times, 26 Oct. 2023. The Economic Times – The Times of India, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/un-report-warns-india-heading-towards-groundwater-depletion-tipping-point/articleshow/104707732.cms?from=mdr.
