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MAKING GROUNDWATER VISIBLE

MAKING GROUNDWATER VISIBLE

India has 16% of the world’s population, but only 4% of its freshwater resources. Given the existing consumption patterns, including rampant groundwater extraction, estimates suggest that by 2030, India will only have half of the water it needs.

As the climate crisis escalates, its impacts are causing significant changes in the flow of rivers, and in some cases, a shift in their course. There are, therefore, credible concerns about the access and availability of water to meet future water demands of cities. Unlike some natural resources such as minerals or oil, groundwater is renewable. If managed sustainably, it can continue to serve as a reliable source of water supply for our cities in the future.

What is India’s Groundwater Consumption Scenario

• India is by far the largest user of groundwater in the world, accounting for 25% of the global water withdrawals; ~ 45% of the water supply in India’s cities is sourced from groundwater. The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) estimates that about 17% of the groundwater blocks across the country are overexploited, where the rate of extraction is more than that of renewal.
• According to the CGWB, with 230 BCM (billion cubic metre) of groundwater drawn out each year for irrigating agricultural lands in India, many parts of the country are experiencing rapid depletion of groundwater. The total estimated groundwater depletion in India is about 122–199 BCM.
• The agriculture sector uses 89% of the groundwater for irrigation while 11% is used by the domestic and industrial sectors. At the State level, in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi groundwater extraction is more than 100%.

Why is Groundwater an ‘Invisible’ Resource

• The theme for this year’s World Water Day (March 22) is “Groundwater: Making the Invisible, Visible”.
• Unlike surface water (rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.), groundwater is “invisible”. A quick internet search will yield that thousands of images of rivers or lakes are victims of encroachment, scarcity, and pollution.
• Due to this, groundwater-related issues and crises often go unnoticed, especially at smaller scales - it is only when extensive studies involving huge budgets are carried out that these come to the fore

Initiatives for Groundwater Management

• National Project on Aquifer Management - NAQUIM aims to provide comprehensive and realistic information on groundwater resources in different hydro-geological settings in real time. This can help prepare, implement, and monitor the efficacy of various management interventions, which, in turn, can help achieve drinking water security, improved irrigation facilities and sustainability in water resources development.
• Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater – 2020 -  CGWB in consultation with the state governments has prepared The Master Plan - 2020 which envisages construction of about 1.42 crore Rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the Country to harness 185 BCM. In addition, the government has also launched the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign to promote rainwater harvesting.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana - Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), co-funded by World Bank funding, was launched for sustainable management of ground water with community participation in the identified over-exploited and water stressed areas.

What Can Be Done to Manage Groundwater Resources

• Tech Innovations for Watering Schedules - Several start-ups have developed precision-irrigation solutions that provide predictive insights to farmers on the optimal watering for crops based on seasons, soil type and crop growth phase.
• Role of Industries -  Not just the government or agricultural communities, the industries too can amplify the work through action in three areas of influence – direct operations, supply chain and wider basin health. Companies can implement water monitoring and reporting processes to identify and eliminate water leaks and adopt water-saving technologies.They can encourage the use of renewable energy, put supplier standards in place and assign water expert teams to help suppliers implement efficient solutions.
• Inclusive Strategy and Investment for Innovations - The need of the hour is an inclusive strategy that considers both site- and catchment-based measures supported by the collection and analysis of complex data as well as joint investments from various stakeholders, collective water governance and accountability mechanisms. Efforts need to be undertaken to identify and benchmark changes these innovations can bring over time.

Securing India’s water future needs to evolve into a movement with everyone getting involved. We need to move from being merely “users of water” to more active stewardship of water and ensure that water consumption is not only environmentally sustainable or economically beneficial but is also socially and culturally fair.