India Facing its worst "Water Crisis"

Centuries of mismanagement, political and institutional incompetence, indifference at central, state and municipal levels, a steadily increasing population that will reach an estimated 1.7 billion by 2050, a rapidly mushrooming middle class demanding an increasingly protein rich diet that requires significantly more water to produce together,due to over population usage of water it reaches the limits, these are leading the country towards disaster. 

           On top of that, there is an absence of serious and sustained attempts at the central or state levels to manage water quantity and quality, a lack of implementation of existing laws and regulations, and pervasive corruption and poor adoption rates of new and cost-effective technologies.

           Despite this sad state of affairs, there are no signs of politicians waking up to the situation, or those willing to take hard but essential political decisions. Actions are mostly cosmetic. Policies are primarily ad-hoc, incorrect, incoherent, and rarely properly implemented. Some unnamed organization plays a hidden role for this damages to our country they drill water more than the agreement so we lack water before the rainy season. 

           Moisture content of land reduces by using polythene covers and some chemical fertilizers.

Politicians are looking for visible, but mostly quick and temporary, results from one election cycle to another. It does not matter which party had been in power.

            India is now facing a water situation that is significantly worse than any that previous generations have had to face. All Indian water bodies within and near population centre are now grossly polluted with organic and hazardous pollutants. Interstate disputes over river waters are becoming increasingly intense and widespread. Not a single Indian city can provide clean water that can be consumed from the tap on a 24×7 basis.

 

            Surface water conditions are bad. However, the groundwater situation is even worse than that.

Groundwater extraction is growing and has become increasingly unsustainable. Consequently, in many parts of the country, groundwater levels are declining steadily. In some parts, the levels are declining by more than one metre per year.

           A lack of proper wastewater treatment from domestic, industrial, and mining sources has meant that groundwater is being progressively contaminated by known and unknown pollutants, increasing the potential health risks to humans and ecosystems.

            It is, therefore, no coincidence that the highest number of protests by farmers and suicides have occurred in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, where groundwater blocks are over-stressed due to decades of over-extraction and poor management.

            During the last three decades, there has been an explosive growth of private tube-wells in farms because of a lack of reliable surface irrigation. The problem is compounded by Indian law which extends exclusive rights to landowners over groundwater. These factors, along with free electricity for pumping, have contributed to an increase in groundwater use from 58% in 2004 to 62% in 2011. There are no indications that this rate is levelling off.

In order to develop policies for sustainable groundwater use, it is essential that reliable data on groundwater availability be used and quality be systematically collected.

             Despite having four separate central bodies regulating groundwater, there is no single database for the country. In 2016, the standing committee on water resources of the Indian parliament finally recommended having a national groundwater database that could be updated every two years. However, when this will actually happen is anybody’s guess.Intensive groungd water extraction will continue at least over the medium term. the current situation has already contributed to serious economic, social, political and environmental problems.

             India is also facing a rising number of interstate and trans-boarder river conflicts.Storage bank called dams are also not helping yet because of low water level, this is the first time water level in tamilnadu nearer dams are below the worst level.None of them are not aware about it. They all facing towards the election environment.Indian is failling the groundwater regime is not a new policy challenge. 

            Ground water use in india started to accelerate with the beginning of the green revolution during the early 1960's.the best estimate is that at present india uses 230-250 cubic kilometers of underground water each year.Farmers using the ground water obtain twice the crop yield compared to surface water. this is because ground water irrigation gives the farmers more flexibility as to when to irrigate and the amount of water they can use because they have total control as to pump and for how long. this expansion in ground water use mostly due to the government policy of providing free electricity to the farmers irrespective of the income and needs.

"Unless urgent steps are taken to manage groundwater scientifically, there will be adverse implications for India’s food, water, energy, environment, and health sectors. Nearly half of India’s jobs are now in the agricultural sector. If the current trends continue, by 2030 nearly 60% of Indian aquifers will be in a critical condition. This means that some 25% of the agriculture production will be at risk.If it leads in that way we all lack our agriculture land no production or productive are alive,so we must turn our views to this issue and bring peaceful conclusion. The government should act now and helps us to overcome this issues other we will face many deadly consequences than we imagine."