what is the state of our water resources? How can we ensure that everyone has access to safe drinking water, while industry and agriculture also get sufficient supplies to produce enough to meet the country’s demands? These issues demand close attention.

 On World Water day (March 22) Prime Minister of India launched the “Catch the Rain” campaign under the government’s flagship programme, Jal Shakti Abhiyan.As per the UN’s report on Sustainable Development Goal-6 (SDG-6) on “Clean water and sanitation for all by 2030”, India achieved only 56.6 per cent of the target by 2019. This indicates that we need move much faster in order to meet this SDG goal.  

The position and Statics water resources in India is:

1. As per the Central Water Commission’s reassessment of water availability using space inputs (2019), India receives a mean annual precipitation of about 3,880 billion cubic meters (BCM) but utilises only 699 BCM (18 percent) of this; the rest is lost to evaporation and other factors. The demand for water is likely to be 843 BCM in 2025 and 1,180 BCM by 2050. So, the targets are not beyond our reach, if we remain focused and follow an appropriate strategy that not only “catches more rain” but also ensures better demand management of this precious resource.

 Measurement of Water resources :

• Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (2019), 75 per cent households in India do not have access to drinking water on their premises and India ranks 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index. 

Issues :

• India is identified as a water stressed country with its per capita water availability declining from 5,178 cubic metre (m3)/year in 1951 to 1,544 m3 in 2011 — this is likely to go down further to 1,140 cubic metre by 2050.

•  Agriculture uses about 78 per cent of fresh water resources. And as the country develops, the share of drinking water, industry, and other uses is likely to rise.

• Over exploitation of groundwater has made this region amongst the three highest water risk hotspots, the others being north eastern China and south western USA (California). Overall, about 1,592 blocks in 256 districts in India are either critical or overexploited.

• As per a NABARD-ICRIER study on Water Productivity Mapping, these crops alone consume almost 60 per cent of India’s irrigation water

For instance while Punjab scores high on land productivity of rice, it is at the bottom with respect to applied irrigation water productivity.

 Similarly, in the case of sugarcane, irrigation water productivity in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu is only 1/3rd of that in Bihar and UP .

Government Initiatives and Programmes:

• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), a campaign for water conservation and water security, was launched by Ministry of Jal Shakti in water-stressed districts of the country.

• Central Government has formulated a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development which envisages transfer of water from water surplus basins to water deficit basins through inter-linking of rivers.

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is being implemented with an aim to expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc.

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is implementing Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) in 500 cities with mission components such as water supply, storm water drainage, etc. The water supply component includes augmentation of existing water supply system and water treatment plants; rehabilitation of old water supply system; rejuvenation of water bodies, etc.

• The Government of India has launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which aims at providing functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024 at the service level of 55 litre per capita per day.

Best Practices in Agriculture  water Conservation

• The Punjab government, along with the World Bank and J-PAL, has started some pilots with an innovative policy of “Paani Bachao Paise Kamao” to encourage rational use of water among farmers. Under the initiative, meters are installed on farmers’ pumps, and if they save water/power compared to what they have been using (taken as entitlements) they get paid for those savings — this is credited directly into their bank accounts.

• Technologies like Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) can also save 25-30 per cent of water compared to traditional flood irrigation.