The major reason for water scarcity is an over-reliance on groundwater extraction, as most Indian cities are unable to meet their water demand with existing supply. Examine (200 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· A NITI Aayog report published last year predicted that Delhi and 20 other large cities are going to run out of water by 2020.
· When this happens, local municipalities may have to stop supplying water.
· Meanwhile, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has projected that more than 60 large and small cities in India are on the verge of water scarcity.
· This rampant extraction will likely lead to zero groundwater levels in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad by 2020, says the NITI Aayog report, affecting water supply for no less than 10 crore people.
· Excess groundwater extraction has already led to a 61% decline in groundwater level in wells in India between 2007 and 2017.
Reasons for over – reliance on ground water
· Poor agriculture practices can be blamed for the most part for depleting groundwater reserves.
· As of today, use of water for irrigation accounts for 80% of the total available water.
· Water-intensive crops like rice and sugar cane are widely grown in many northern states, often in blatant disregard to the available water supply.
· The dominance of paddy-wheat crop rotation in Punjab is a case in point—it led to a rapid decline of water table.
· Major cities lack traditional rain water harvesting system like kulhs, johads, eris etc, thereby depending on groundwater for basic necessities instead of recharging ground water.
· Misuse of free electricity add the fuel to the fire.
Remedies
· The government must disincentivise paddy and sugar cane cultivation in areas where soil and water supply conditions are not conducive for these crops.
· States with sinking groundwater need to appropriate those cropping patterns that suit their agro-climatic zones.
· Switching to less water-intensive crops will enhance their irrigation water efficiency.
· Policymakers at both the Centre and states must encourage adoption of precision farming technologies, such as laser-guided land levelling, which can cut water use by as much as 30%.
· At the same time, drip or micro irrigation ought to be incentivised amongst farmers in severely water-deficient states, like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
· Drip irrigation has higher efficiency of 90% vis-à-vis flood irrigation techniques, which is 60-70% effective.
· Another key focus point can be command area development (CAD). Now a part of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, the CAD initiative centres on “more crop per drop” to increase water-use efficiency in irrigation.
· Reviving the traditional water harvesting system in cities will go a long way in mitigating imminent water crisis.
vivek attri 5 years
Please review my answer
IAS Parliament 5 years
Try to include specific points like findings of Central ground water board, NITI aayog report on groundwater, faulty agricultural practices, provision of free electricity etc. Keep Writing.
Vandana 5 years
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good answer. Keep Writing.
Melvin 5 years
Kindly review
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good answer. Try to give some spacing between lines to increase readability and legibility, underline key points if possible. Keep Writing.
Anantha Boudmanabhan 5 years
Please review my answer sir.
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good answer. Keep Writing.
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