Two years of deficient monsoon and over exploitation of groundwater has strained our water capacity. Efforts must be made to ensure adequate drinking water
With many districts like Marathwada and Vidarbha crippled with devastating droughts year after year, India is slowly crafting its path towards a water crisis. As per international standards, water availability of less than 1,000 cubic metre per person per year is regarded as a scarcity condition. Water availability in India in 2011 was recorded at 1,545 cubic metre per person per year, which is a drop of nearly 500 cubic metre from 2000-2011, with wide regional variations.
While public investments have largely focused on surface water in the past, groundwater remains a major resource for drinking and irrigation in India. Eighty five per cent of the drinking water supply in rural India is met through ground water sources and around 84 per cent of the total addition to the net irrigated area has come from groundwater over the last four decades. Excessive reliance on this source of water has created a situation of over-exploitation of resources in many areas of the country.
The overall stage of ground water development, defined as the percentage of groundwater extraction from net availability, stands at 62 per cent for India. However, this number fails to highlight the actual severity of the situation. The percentage of exploitation is as high as 172 per cent for Punjab, 137 per cent for Delhi and Rajasthan and 133 per cent for Haryana, hinting towards tremendous stress on the ground water sources in these States.
Pollution of ground water also stands out as a pressing concern. Percolation of municipal and industrial waste, usually discharged without necessary treatment, severely affects the overall quality of the water extracted. Toxic heavy metals like arsenic and fluoride have been known to contaminate ground water in India, along with iron and nitrate. As per the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, 63,282 habitations in rural India receive inferior quality of water supply. Access to safe water for drinking and domestic use is recognised as a basic human right. However, as per Census 2011, only 31 per cent households in India have access to treated water sources. With nearly 30 million ground water structures and exploitation surpassing sustainable levels, a crisis of scarcity looms over India, with initial symptoms already noticeable.
In order to curb the groundwater situation, the Ministry of Water Resources formulated the National Water Policy (2012), with an emphasis on the need for appropriate ground water planning, development and management. Additionally, a ‘Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India’ was introduced and circulated to State Governments in 2013, envisaging construction of artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting structures. A model Bill for enactment of suitable legislations for ground water regulation was also circulated and has been implemented by 15 States. Thirty States have incorporated rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge in to their legislations.
India, however, has a long way to go in terms of management and judicious utilisation of water. There is an urgent need to assess the replenishable ground water resources to understand the natural and artificial recharge capacity, with a database to monitor the use of ground water by different stakeholders. Moreover, over exploitation of water in States like Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana should be addressed by working with respective State Governments to take remedial action. A policy-level intervention, clearly stating guidelines for maximum extraction levels and use of alternative sources of water should be introduced to ensure sustainability of the depleting resources. Increased emphasis should be laid on rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge methods.
Additionally, State Pollution Control Boards should be urged to ensure effective monitoring of pollution levels, with clearly defined thresholds and consequences for non-compliance. Habitations affected by water contamination should be provided with treated piped water and a plan to address their exposure to ill-quality water and consequential health issues should be suggested. Further, a combination of awareness programs to inform citizens of the impending water crisis situation, continuous monitoring of implementation of plans and measurement of impact levels can help to ensure urgency and continuity of efforts.
(The writer is Research Associate at Swaniti Initiative)