Stemming water insecurity

Even as some significant strides have been made to mitigate food insecurity, the same cannot be said about water insecurity, which continues to exacerbate. Despite being a renewable resource, water has turned scarce at many places. The government’s think tank, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, reckons that nearly 600 million people (close to half the population) are facing “high to extreme water stress”. The yearly per capita availability of water has dipped from 5,178 cubic metres in the beginning of the 1950s to merely 1,441 cubic metres now. This is below the water-stress threshold of 1,700 cubic metres. Expressing concern over the steadily worsening water crisis, the Economic Survey of 2019 cautioned that India could be a global hotspot of water insecurity by 2050.

This, ironically, is despite the fact that India’s rainfall is not insufficient for its needs. The country gets an average annual precipitation (rainfall plus snowfall) of around 120 cm, which is far higher than the global average of about 100 cm. However, much of this water is allowed to flow down wastefully to the seas, eroding precious soil en route. Only a small fraction of the rainwater is actually conserved in surface water bodies or underground aquifers. What is worse, even the accessible water is not used prudently.
 

Agriculture is, by far, the largest consumer of water, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the water-use. This sector, unfortunately, also happens to be the most inefficient consumer of this resource, thanks to rampant over-irrigation of farm lands. Estimates show that, on average, only 30 to 40 per cent of the applied water is actually utilised by crops. The rest either percolates down to deeper layers, beyond the plants’ root zone, or evaporates. Since a sizeable part of the irrigation requirement is met through groundwater, this resource is also depleting rapidly in most places, especially in the regions where intensive agriculture is in vogue, such as Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of several other states. In all these areas, more water is withdrawn every year than is recharged through rain. Consequently, the water table has receded to deeper and even difficult-to-access depths in many of these areas. Liberal subsidies, especially concessional or free supply of power for operating water pumps, are largely responsible for the indiscriminate use of groundwater.

In the case of surface water irrigation (canal irrigation), over-use is all-pervasive, thanks largely to the under-pricing of water. While canal irrigation was a source of net revenue for the government in the pre-Independence era, it has become a burden on the exchequer now. Water rates have not been revised in many states for decades for political considerations. Even the collection of these charges is not up to the mark. This is regardless of the fact that the National Water Policy of 1987 minced no words to highlight the need for rationally pricing water. It stated: “The water rates should be such as to convey the scarcity value of this resource to the users and to foster the motivation for the economy in water use. They should be adequate to cover the annual operation and maintenance charges and a part of the fixed costs of irrigation works.” Similar stipulations were made in the updated version of the National Water Policy formulated in 2002.

The main objectives of charging an appropriate price for irrigation water are to incentivise its economical use, promote its conservation, and facilitate its equitable distribution among potential users. Studies have shown that even a 10 per cent increase in water-use efficiency in agriculture can save enough water to irrigate an additional 14 million hectares of cropland. The need is to revamp irrigation channels, encourage deploying water-efficient technologies, and improve water management in irrigation command areas by involving water users in its distribution.

The best way to improve water-use efficiency is through micro-irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler irrigation. These methods can help save water to the extent of 60 to 70 per cent. In fact, crop yields are also generally relatively high in micro-irrigated fields. The government is rightly trying to promote the concept of “more crop per drop” through its flagship irrigation development programme — the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. It is also offering substantial subsidies on micro-irrigation equipment. But hardly around 5.5 million hectares, out of the total created irrigation potential of over 68 million hectares, have been brought under these systems. A study sponsored by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has found that drip irrigation elevates the water-use efficiency to as high as 85 to 90 per cent. Besides, it helps reduce power and fuel consumption and wastage of applied fertilisers.

It is, therefore, clear that India is not an inherently water-stressed country. Nor is its water crisis insurmountable. What is lacking is the judicious management and cautious use of available water and these aspects need to be addressed holistically.

surinder.sud@gmail.com