There’s a lot of talk about water scarcity in summer, but not so much when the southwest monsoon starts in June and the northeast, in October. The World Bank and the NITI Aayog have been putting out reports that India is going to face major problems due to water scarcity. So, is it right to talk about water scarcity only in summer season and forget about it in the rainy season? How can water scarcity be prevented during summer without increasing storage capacity during the rainy season?
As India’s population continues to grow and with most people still engaged in agriculture, water scarcity can be all the more debilitating. According to a report by US-based World Resources Institute (2015), approximately 54 per cent of people living in India are already experiencing water scarcity.
Similarly, a World Bank report estimates that the average per capita water available will decline from 1588 cubic meters to less than half that by 2030. Another study on climate change and water by the World Bank in 2016 has warned that the countries with water scarcity could lose up to 6 per cent of their GDP by 2050. In such an intimidating scenario, shouldn’t water conservation in the rainy season be discussed?
UNPRECEDENTED CHANGES
Unlike in the past, many unprecedented changes have been taking place in water storage. Although the number of large irrigation dams has increased from 236 in 1960 to 5,334 in 2020, the gross water availability of dams dwindles during summer.
Studies show that perennial rivers like Ganga, Godavari and Krishna dry up in many places during summer. It is estimated that the level of groundwater in Ganga and Brahmaputra, which are said to be the largest groundwater rich river basins in the world, declines by 15-20 mm per year.
Owing to human and other interventions in the catchment area, the sediment deposit in the water storage area of major and medium dams has increased, which is reducing the total water storage. The ‘Compendium of Sedimentation on Reservoirs in India’, published by the Central Water Commission (2020), shows the water storage capacity of dams declines by 0.95 per cent per year due to silt deposit alone.
AGRICULTURAL DEMAND
The Ministry of Water Resources has estimated that the country’s total water demand (1,447 bcm) may exceed the amount of water available for use (1,123 bcm) by 2050, due to the rapid economic development and increasing population (see chart).
On the other hand, due to income and market-related reasons, farmers have been cultivating more water-intensive crops in recent years. For example, between 1990-91 and 2020-21, the area under water-intensive sugarcane increased by 32 per cent, paddy by 6 per cent, and banana by 129 per cent. This has led to a rapid increase in the demand for water in recent times.
As the overall economic growth of our country is still heavily dependent on the agriculture sector — which also accounts for about 90 per cent of the water consumed — India needs to address water scarcity more urgently than other countries. With growing scarcity of irrigation in many parts of the country over the past few years, farmers are facing many difficulties in cultivating crops; in some Sates, farmers have even committed suicides citing crop failure due to water scarcity. Such occurrences can affect the country’s food security.
POINTERS FOR FUTURE
Considering the rapidly increasing demand for water and declining potential, steps must be taken to conserve every drop of rainwater. Thanks to the efforts taken by some individuals in Rajasthan, the small water bodies that have not been maintained for years have been brought under use now. Similar efforts need to be taken in every State to store water during the rainy season.
As predicted by the IPCC, the climate change is causing major changes in the rainfall pattern. Rainy days have decreased over the past few years, and in several parts of the country the amount of rainfall for a year falls in a day or two.
For example, in a single day, Mumbai received 950 mm of rainfall in 2005, Chennai 494 mm in 2015, and Mount Abu 770 mm in 2017. In November 2022, Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu received 420 mm of rainfall in a single day. There are no provisions to store such rainwater now. Therefore, non-conventional approaches should be adopted while planning to construct new dams to store water.
The 5th Minor Irrigation Census mentions that India has a total of 6.42 lakh small water bodies. Due to lack of proper maintenance, their storage capacity has been declining. As a result, the irrigated area of tanks has declined sharply from 45.61 lakh hectares in 1960-61 to 16.68 lakh hectares in 2019-20.
Various government committees have pointed out that small water bodies have been encroached upon and destroyed at many places. Measures should be taken to maintain these water bodies on a sustained basis.
Considering the reduced water storage capacity of most dams due to silting, urgent action is needed to remove them through various means. If actions are not taken to harvest and store the rainwater during monsoon, water scarcity will become a perennial problem soon.
The writer is former full-time Member (Official), Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, New Delhi. The views are personal
The Ministry of Water Resources has estimated that the country’s total water demand (1,447 bcm) may exceed the amount of water available for use (1,123 bcm) by 2050
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