Water Security in India: UPSC Mains Notes
Why is Water Security in India in News?
- An early monsoon rainfall deficit exceeding 40% has renewed concerns over India’s worsening water security. Experts emphasised structural reforms instead of relying only on seasonal rainfall for long-term water resilience.
Need for Water Security in India
- Limited Resources: India possesses 4% of global freshwater while supporting nearly 18% of the world’s population.
- River Basin Stress: Eleven of India’s fifteen major river basins face persistent and long-term water stress.
- Water Scarcity: Per capita water availability has fallen below 1,000 cubic metres in Krishna and Cauvery basins.
- Urban Water Security: Growing cities require resilient water systems to withstand recurring seasonal water shortages.
- Agricultural Efficiency: Efficient irrigation can reduce freshwater losses caused by conventional flood irrigation practices.
- Groundwater Protection: Sustainable water management is essential to prevent excessive groundwater extraction and aquifer depletion.
- Circular Economy: Wastewater recycling can create a ₹3 lakh crore market and one lakh green jobs by 2047.
Challenges to Achieving Water Security in India
- Infrastructure Losses: Ageing pipelines and poor maintenance cause significant water losses during distribution.
- Untreated Wastewater: Inadequate treatment infrastructure contaminates rivers, lakes and other surface water sources.
- Groundwater Overuse: Unregulated groundwater extraction continues beyond safe natural recharge levels.
- Data Deficiency: Lack of basin-level and local climate data weakens efficient water planning and management.
- Low Micro Irrigation: Only 20% of irrigated farmland currently uses water-efficient micro-irrigation systems.
- Policy Distortions: Crop procurement systems continue encouraging cultivation of water-intensive crops.
- Limited Support: Existing micro-irrigation subsidies remain inaccessible for many marginal farmers.
Government Initiatives to Enhance Water Security
- Jal Jeevan Mission: Expands rural tap water infrastructure to provide safely managed drinking water to households.
- PMKSY: Promotes irrigation expansion while encouraging adoption of water-efficient micro-irrigation practices.
- Urban Challenge Fund: Supports urban water supply networks and storm drainage infrastructure through targeted financial assistance.
- Smart Metering: National smart metering experience provides an operational model for digital water management.
Way Forward for Building Water Security in India
- Smart Technologies: Deploy AI-enabled leakage detection and smart water meters to reduce distribution losses.
- Water Reuse: Promote treated wastewater for commercial and non-potable urban applications through circular water systems.
- Micro Irrigation: Redesign subsidy norms to improve affordability for marginal and small farmers.
- Climate Mapping: Expand local climate risk mapping to protect vulnerable infrastructure and water assets.
- Crop Diversification: Encourage low-water crops through faster insurance support under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
- Integrated Management: Shift towards efficient, data-driven and sustainable water allocation instead of expanding water supply alone.
Source: The Hindu
