Opinion | India’s neglected groundwater crisis
6 years, 4 months ago

Opinion | India’s neglected groundwater crisis

Live Mint  

India’s over-exploitation of groundwater is contributing to—as stated by NITI Aayog—“the worst water crisis in its history”. In fact, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Water Development Report states that India is the largest extractor of groundwater in the world. An analysis of panel data across 370 districts in India found that a reduction in electricity subsidy was correlated with a decrease in groundwater extraction. Researchers will estimate the impact of this cash transfer intervention on farmers’ power use, with the ultimate goal being to reduce groundwater extraction. In line with this, the central government in its 12th five-year plan proposed a policy of participatory groundwater management, which involves a collaborative approach among government departments, researchers, NGOs and community members.

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History of this topic

Shrinking water reserves: A crisis beneath our feet
1 day, 5 hours ago

Shrinking water reserves: A crisis beneath our feet

Hindustan Times  

Every year, World Water Day that falls on March 22 serves as a stark reminder of the global water crisis, with 220 crore people still lacking access to safe water. While surface water availability often dominates discussions, an equally pressing issue lurks underground — the rapid depletion of groundwater reserves. In Haryana, where agriculture forms the backbone of the economy …

Groundwater, the invisible gift
5 days, 15 hours ago

Groundwater, the invisible gift

The Hindu  

Groundwater is a crucial but often overlooked resource that sustains India’s agriculture, industries, and drinking water supply. Conversely, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu face severe water stress due to low rainfall, hard rock aquifers, and slow recharge rates. Threats India’s groundwater is under increasing pressure due to over-extraction, contamination, and climate change, making sustainable management crucial for long-term water security. Artificial …

A sugar-coated catastrophe: Groundwater crisis in Uttar Pradesh
1 month, 1 week ago

A sugar-coated catastrophe: Groundwater crisis in Uttar Pradesh

Live Mint  

In just 10 years, India has become the second largest exporter of sugar from the fourth largest, but this dominance has come at a high cost: rapid groundwater depletion. Water woes Despite the groundwater crisis, Uttar Pradesh alone has accounted for half of India’s sugar production over the last decade. While Uttar Pradesh’s groundwater recharge capacity remained unchanged, sugarcane production …

India’s urban groundwater crisis is worsening: Here’s what to do
2 months ago

India’s urban groundwater crisis is worsening: Here’s what to do

Live Mint  

The Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 published by the Central Ground Water Board has sparked widespread concern, shining a spotlight on the invisible yet indispensable groundwater resources that sustain nearly half the world’s urban population. Groundwater is a major source of urban water supply worldwide and aquifer storage is a key means to achieving water-supply security. To tackle the escalating …

India must act right away against an emerging scarcity of fresh water
3 months, 3 weeks ago

India must act right away against an emerging scarcity of fresh water

Live Mint  

In recent articles, I have often referred to three ongoing technological revolutions that will fundamentally transform the way we live: the energy transformation from fossil fuels to renewables, the artificial intelligence revolution and the biotechnological revolution. Large parts of the world are already water stressed and it is estimated that by 2030, demand for fresh water will exceed sustainable supply …

Reviving shallow aquifers: Part of the solution to India's urban water crisis
6 months ago

Reviving shallow aquifers: Part of the solution to India's urban water crisis

Hindustan Times  

In India, groundwater plays a critical role in meeting urban water demands. The dug wells and step wells, still standing today, are reminders of a time when water scarcity was addressed by harnessing rainwater to recharge shallow aquifers. This initiative aimed to raise awareness among city officials and communities about the importance of shallow aquifers and demonstrate effective recharge structures …

Amid rain deficit, rise in agriculture power usage costs state additional ₹1,125 crore
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Amid rain deficit, rise in agriculture power usage costs state additional ₹1,125 crore

Hindustan Times  

The Punjab government is facing a staggering financial burden because of the scanty monsoon rainfall during the critical paddy transplantation season, driving a significant surge in agriculture power consumption. This sharp rise in power usage has added an extra ₹1,125 crore to the state government’s subsidy bill as the government provides free electricity to approximately 14 lakh agriculture tubewells across …

150 million rural homes connected to tap water supply, West Bengal, Rajasthan lag
7 months, 3 weeks ago

150 million rural homes connected to tap water supply, West Bengal, Rajasthan lag

Live Mint  

New Delhi: About 150 million of the country's 193 million rural households are connected to tap water supply, according to data from the Union ministry of jal shakti. "At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 32.3 million rural households were reported to have tap water connections. Thus, as on 25.07.2024, out of 193.2 million rural households in the …

Study says north India lost 450 cubic km of groundwater in 2 decades. What does it mean?
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Study says north India lost 450 cubic km of groundwater in 2 decades. What does it mean?

Hindustan Times  

In two decades, northern India has lost around 450 cubic kilometres of groundwater, with the depletion rate only to be much faster due to climate change, according to a new study. The author predicts an 6-20 per cent increase in irrigation demands with the monsoons set to be drier by 10-15 per cent and winters warmer by 1-5 degrees Celsius. …

Explained: How worsening water crisis can hurt India's economy
9 months ago

Explained: How worsening water crisis can hurt India's economy

India Today  

India's worsening water crisis poses a significant threat to the country's economic stability, Moody's Ratings has warned. Impact of water crisis on Indian economy Moody’s explains that the escalating water shortage, driven by high consumption amid rapid economic growth and frequent natural disasters, can "exacerbate volatility in India's growth." According to the Ministry of Water Resources, India's average annual water …

No long-term solutions implemented by AAP govt. to address water crisis, says BJP
9 months, 1 week ago

No long-term solutions implemented by AAP govt. to address water crisis, says BJP

The Hindu  

The BJP’s Delhi unit lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party government over the ongoing water crisis in the Capital on Thursday, stating that for the ten years the party has been in power, it has failed to implement any long-term solutions, including its promise of free water. AAP countered the allegations in a statement, saying they have undertaken several …

Delhi water crisis: Water for them is brick fights, financial burden, daily battle
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Delhi water crisis: Water for them is brick fights, financial burden, daily battle

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: In Kusumpur Pahadi’s Block E, the fight for water isn’t just a necessity; it’s a daily battle for survival. The words of Bhagwati Ghadiya from Kusumpur echo the sentiments of many: the two-hour window to access the pump is a fleeting opportunity, and failure to seize it means sacrificing the ability to perform essential tasks of the day.As …

India must prioritize the needs of its thirsty cities before the rest
11 months, 3 weeks ago

India must prioritize the needs of its thirsty cities before the rest

Live Mint  

At the time Egypt’s pyramids were being constructed, one of the cradles of global civilization emerged the Indus Valley around the borders of Pakistan and India. Tech professionals are leaving India’s IT hub of Bengaluru amid an intensifying drought that has gripped the city as it sweats through another torrid pre-monsoon season, The Deccan Herald reported this month. In neighbouring …

India’s Bengaluru is fast running out of water, and a long, scorching summer still looms
1 year ago

India’s Bengaluru is fast running out of water, and a long, scorching summer still looms

Associated Press  

BENGALURU, India — Bhavani Mani Muthuvel and her family of nine have around five 20-liter buckets worth of water for the week for cooking, cleaning and household chores. A resident of Ambedkar Nagar, a low-income settlement in the shadows of the lavish headquarters of multiple global software companies in Bengaluru’s Whitefield neighborhood, Muthuvel is normally reliant on piped water, sourced …

Bengaluru water crisis | The parched IT capital of India
1 year ago

Bengaluru water crisis | The parched IT capital of India

The Hindu  

Sharfunnisa, 70, a resident of Varthur in south-eastern Bengaluru, has been struggling to arrange for water for her family’s daily needs. Households in Bengaluru, dependent on water supply from the Cauvery river or water tankers, are preparing for the situation to worsen as the city stares at a severe summer. Today, the underground water table in the village has depleted …

By 2080, India could lose groundwater by 3 times the current rate: Study
1 year, 6 months ago

By 2080, India could lose groundwater by 3 times the current rate: Study

The Hindu  

The rate of groundwater depletion could triple by 2080, if Indian farmers continued to draw groundwater at the current rate, which could threaten the country's food and water security, according to a new study. The study analysed recent changes in withdrawal rates due to warming by looking at historical data on groundwater levels, climate and crop water stress to estimate …

Addressing India's Agri-Water Crisis
1 year, 6 months ago

Addressing India's Agri-Water Crisis

Hindustan Times  

For years, experts have been urging people to understand that the fast-depleting status of groundwater is not beneficial for conventional agriculture. With over 600 million farmers collectively contributing to 10% of the global agricultural yield, India’s farmers tend to disproportionately use groundwater and lack awareness about its actual levels. For a country as big as India, with only 4% of …

Appliances may be graded for water efficiency on lines of star ratings for power consumption
1 year, 7 months ago

Appliances may be graded for water efficiency on lines of star ratings for power consumption

Hindustan Times  

Similar to the now ubiquitous sticker on appliances that carry a “star rating” to indicate energy efficiency, a variety of equipment could soon ship with similar star-ratings for water-use efficiency, helping consumers make a more environmentally friendly choice. A panel formed by the Centre to curb wastage of water across sectors has recommended to the Jal Shakti ministry a National …

Source Sustainability a priority for drinking water supply in rural India
1 year, 9 months ago

Source Sustainability a priority for drinking water supply in rural India

Deccan Chronicle  

India is on a phenomenal trajectory to ensure access to safe drinking water for all its citizens. Ensuring sustainability of groundwater sources Regulatory measures and policy priorities on groundwater recharge- Prioritising source sustainability for drinking water is one of the essential priority. The nation-wide campaign “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” focusing on saving and conserving rainwater with the theme …

Explained: 50 Years From Now, What Will Be Impact of Climate Change on India?
2 years, 1 month ago

Explained: 50 Years From Now, What Will Be Impact of Climate Change on India?

The Quint  

This is expected to widen the gap between extremely dry days and days with increased precipitation, further affecting access to clean water, as noted in a 2013 report commissioned by the World Bank Group from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics. While some studies state that glacial melt will lead to increased run-off and more water …

India’s groundwater governance is in better shape
2 years, 2 months ago

India’s groundwater governance is in better shape

The Hindu  

Data show that India, with nearly 18% of the world’s population, occupies about 2.4% of the total geographical area and consumes 4% of total water resources. Groundwater is the backbone of India’s agriculture and drinking water security in rural and urban areas, meeting nearly 80% of the country’s drinking water and two-thirds of its irrigation needs. The fact that the …

Water should essentially be part of the development goal - News18
2 years, 3 months ago

Water should essentially be part of the development goal - News18

News 18  

Water shortage is a serious issue that is being faced in several metropolitan cities in India. In India, the initiative by NITI Aayog of bringing out a Composite Water Management Index was a step in this direction wherein the relevance of a comprehensive and integrated national dataset for water was created; this may in the long run improve the performance …

Preserving the precious: The Hindu Editorial on ground water use
2 years, 4 months ago

Preserving the precious: The Hindu Editorial on ground water use

The Hindu  

The Ministry of Water Resources recently made public a report that gives a snapshot of India’s groundwater situation. On the surface, there is good news: the total annual groundwater recharge — defined as the groundwater stored — for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic metres out of which the quantity extracted was 239.16 bcm. A similar assessment in 2020 …

India’s growing water crisis, the seen and the unseen
2 years, 6 months ago

India’s growing water crisis, the seen and the unseen

The Hindu  

The UNESCO United Nations World Water Development Report of 2022 has encapsulated global concern over the sharp rise in freshwater withdrawal from streams, lakes, aquifers and human-made reservoirs, impending water stress and also water scarcity being experienced in different parts of the world. The Global Drought Risk and Water Stress map shows that major parts of India, particularly west, central …

India at 75 | Stepping back from an ecological abyss
2 years, 7 months ago

India at 75 | Stepping back from an ecological abyss

The Hindu  

Growing up in the 1970s and the early 1980s, many of us who were passionate about environmental issues were inspired by these and other movements. Ironically, a component of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is new coal mining in central India, displacing already self-reliant Adivasi communities and rendering them dependent on government and corporations. Indeed, India’s crafts …

Making groundwater visible
2 years, 11 months ago

Making groundwater visible

The Hindu  

The theme of this year’s World Water Day was ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible’. Extraction value According to the Central Ground Water Board, the annual groundwater withdrawal is considered to be safe when the extraction rate is limited to below 70% of the annual replenishable recharge. There is also a need to work out local-level plans covering water resources in …

Groundwater: India is on the right preservation path
3 years ago

Groundwater: India is on the right preservation path

Hindustan Times  

India has 16% of the world’s population, but only 4% of its freshwater resources. This can help prepare, implement, and monitor the efficacy of various management interventions, which, in turn, can help achieve drinking water security, improved irrigation facilities and sustainability in water resources development. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project on the Godavari in Telangana is the world’s largest and …

Finding a way out of India’s deepening water stress
3 years, 4 months ago

Finding a way out of India’s deepening water stress

The Hindu  

The complexity and scale of the water crisis in India calls for a locus specific response, that can galvanise and integrate the ongoing work of different Ministries and Departments through new configurations. In urban areas, 50%-60% of the water supply is drawn from groundwater sources, whereas the remaining is sourced from surface water resources such as rivers, often located afar, …

Climate crisis: India now confronts a drought
3 years, 7 months ago

Climate crisis: India now confronts a drought

Hindustan Times  

Drought-like conditions are setting in over most parts of Gujarat, west Rajasthan and some districts of Odisha that have recorded significant rain deficiency during the monsoon, according to Standard Precipitation Index data for August maintained by the India Meteorological Department. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which was released earlier this month, has warned that the South Asian …

Govt. comes under attack for removal of drip irrigation subsidy
3 years, 8 months ago

Govt. comes under attack for removal of drip irrigation subsidy

The Hindu  

The State government has come under attack for removing subsidy on drip irrigation, sprinklers, farm mechanisation, and agri processing as well as value addition, when the global focus is on these to make agriculture a sustainable activity. “It is shocking to see that Karnataka has removed the drip irrigation subsidy at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised …

Punjab, Haryana witness alarming dip in groundwater level: Study
3 years, 8 months ago

Punjab, Haryana witness alarming dip in groundwater level: Study

India TV News  

Groundwater level in northwest India has dipped to alarming levels, especially in Punjab and Haryana, according to a new study. The research paper published by IIT Kanpur has used more than 4,000 groundwater well data from northwest India to demonstrate that groundwater levels in the states of Punjab and Haryana have fallen to alarming levels in the last four-five decades. …

Reallocating water for India’s growth
3 years, 8 months ago

Reallocating water for India’s growth

Hindustan Times  

Water is a critical resource for social and economic growth. Given increased water demand and growing shortages, India will need to reallocate water away from water-intensive sectors to those with higher water productivity to support future economic growth. To understand and achieve a higher allocative efficiency of water use in the Indian economy, we used the stochastic frontier analysis model …

Lockdown gives birth to acute water crisis in Rajasthan's Bikaner, locals left running from pillar to post
3 years, 10 months ago

Lockdown gives birth to acute water crisis in Rajasthan's Bikaner, locals left running from pillar to post

India Today  

Parched earth, soaring temperatures as the summer months peak and lockdown due to the Covid pandemic have thrown life out of gear in the rural parts of Rajasthan that have been seeing an acute water shortage. The shortage of water has been flagged to the authorities several times, but due to lockdown, no one has come to fix the tube …

India’s deepening water crisis at the heart of farm protests
3 years, 10 months ago

India’s deepening water crisis at the heart of farm protests

Associated Press  

India — Every year, Swarn Singh sows rice in his fields, knowing that the thirsty crop is draining northern India’s Punjab of its groundwater. But Singh says he has no choice, adding, “We’d rather plant crops that need less water.” The 32-year-old farmer and school teacher lives in Ransih Kalan village in the state’s Moga district, where green fields surrounding …

The great Indian water challenge, in four charts
4 years ago

The great Indian water challenge, in four charts

Live Mint  

In August 2019, India set off on the ambitious goal to provide tap water connections to all rural families within five years. Even the poorest families in urban India are more likely to have a piped connection for their drinking water than the richest in rural India, shows a 2018 National Sample Survey. Even in urban India, four in ten …

4 crore rural households given water connections in last 1 and half years
4 years ago

4 crore rural households given water connections in last 1 and half years

Op India  

PM Narendra Modi’s ambitious scheme of providing piped water to every household in the country has started with a massive success, as it has exceeded its target so far since its launch in 2019. Out of 19.19 crore rural households in India, only 16.87% of households had tap water connections till August 15, 2019, since the time of independence. Concerned …

More flash droughts in India by end of century
4 years, 2 months ago

More flash droughts in India by end of century

The Hindu  

In 1979, India faced a severe flash drought, affecting about 40% of the country and taking a toll on agriculture. If we can meet the ‘Paris Agreement’ goals and limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C, the numbers and frequency of the projected flash droughts may go down,” says Vimal Mishra from the Civil Engineering and Earth Sciences …

Equity over efficiency in groundwater policy
4 years, 7 months ago

Equity over efficiency in groundwater policy

Live Mint  

Many Indian states limit groundwater use by supplying electricity to farmers only for certain hours every day. A new study finds that although this ration policy reduces the overall agricultural output, it is an equitable system that reaches all farmers alike. In a working paper published by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, Nicholas Ryan and Anand Sudarshan examine …

Time to discontinue free power for farmers
4 years, 9 months ago

Time to discontinue free power for farmers

The Hindu  

Exactly 15 years after Manmohan Singh, as Congress Prime Minister, openly spoke against the free power supply scheme for farmers, the Bharatiya Janata Party -led government at the Centre is attempting to do away with the much-abused scheme, which has been viewed by political parties as a major vote-catching policy measure. This time, the Centre has prescribed that the free …

India must not look at its water crisis in isolation
5 years, 4 months ago

India must not look at its water crisis in isolation

Hindustan Times  

This was a rough monsoon — a delayed start in many parts of India, and then a deluge — leading to both devastating droughts and floods, so much so that almost every other day, we read news about parched cities, and submerged villages. Much of India will face a grim water future, and what we do now will have an …

13 States, UTs improve their water management practices
5 years, 7 months ago

13 States, UTs improve their water management practices

The Hindu  

Thirteen of the 27 States and Union Territories have improved their water management practices from last year, an analysis by the NITI Aayog has revealed. Six States did worse than last year — with Delhi, which was evaluated for the first time this year garnering the lowest score — and three maintained their position from last year, according to the …

Which Indian city will run out of water first?
5 years, 7 months ago

Which Indian city will run out of water first?

Live Mint  

Every summer, residents in Indian cities brace themselves for the dreaded combination of extreme heat and water shortage. In 2015-16, according to data from the National Family Health Survey, 31% of urban households lacked access to piped water or public tap water—a proportion that has not decreased significantly for nearly two decades. There is no data on water levels in …

Inside India’s water crisis: Living with drought and dry taps
5 years, 8 months ago

Inside India’s water crisis: Living with drought and dry taps

Al Jazeera  

Villagers and farmers in Maharashtra’s Beed district are among those worst affected by ongoing severe water shortages. There’s no water for trees … it hasn’t rained,” says Sitabai Gaikwad, a school teacher in Ahir Wadgaon village. People who can’t manage to put their pipes in the tanker don’t have water that day,” Gaikwad says. Everyone’s worried about themselves because of …

Economic remedies for water crisis
5 years, 8 months ago

Economic remedies for water crisis

The Quint  

By Amit Kapoor While contemplating our natural resources, past conversations often centered around fossil fuels and them becoming scarce due to overuse. Water covers approximately 70 per cent of the earth, but only 2 per cent of it is fresh water of which 1.3 per cent is in the form of glaciers and polar ice caps. According to the Composite …

Deteriorating groundwater level force farmers in Delhi’s Mungeshpur to use toxic drain water for farming
5 years, 8 months ago

Deteriorating groundwater level force farmers in Delhi’s Mungeshpur to use toxic drain water for farming

Firstpost  

Farmers in Mungeshpur village in Delhi are using toxic water coming from drain for growing vegetables due to lack of groundwater for farming. New Delhi: Risking their lives, farmers in Mungeshpur village in Delhi are using toxic water coming from Mungeshpur drain, one of the longest in north-west Delhi and part of the Najafgarh basin, for growing vegetables due to …

You can ease India’s water woes and gain from it too
5 years, 8 months ago

You can ease India’s water woes and gain from it too

Live Mint  

For Chennai-based Harsha, 50, and Prabha Koda, 49, the inspiration to start utilizing rainwater didn’t come from a drought but flooding. “We have a five ‘R’s formula: Reduce wastage, reuse used water, recharge groundwater, respect water and recycle waste water. A rainwater harvesting system at Srinivasan’s residence One significant way that water is wasted is through overflows from overhead tanks. …

Decoding the Darjeeling Dilemma: Why There is Rain But No Water
5 years, 8 months ago

Decoding the Darjeeling Dilemma: Why There is Rain But No Water

News 18  

At the heart of Darjeeling’s thirst lie several questions. Why is it that Darjeeling, which is among the highest rainfall receiving regions in the country, has endured a water crisis for over three decades? The Eastern Himalayan Region, of which Darjeeling is a part, is one of the highest rainfall receiving region nationally and has among the highest per capita …

As Punjab's groundwater levels drop alarmingly, farmers confront desperate times ahead
5 years, 8 months ago

As Punjab's groundwater levels drop alarmingly, farmers confront desperate times ahead

Firstpost  

As water tables in Punjab fall, desperate farmers are digging deeper, getting trapped in debt and depleting aquifers. A dystopian future A recent draft report by the Central Ground Water Board, the central government’s groundwater monitoring agency, has warned of a dystopian future for Punjab. At the current rate of extraction of its underground water resources, Punjab will soon be …

As India stares at water crisis, FM Sitharaman promises water to all rural households by 2024
5 years, 8 months ago

As India stares at water crisis, FM Sitharaman promises water to all rural households by 2024

India Today  

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the Jal Shakti Ministry will work with all states to provide water to all rural households by 2024 under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission.' Jal Shakti Ministry Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman: This new Ministry will look at the mgmt of our water resources & water supply in an integrated & holistic manner and …

Water crisis in India: Changing cropping patterns, recharging ground reserves imperative to avert disaster
5 years, 8 months ago

Water crisis in India: Changing cropping patterns, recharging ground reserves imperative to avert disaster

Firstpost  

Of 91 major water reservoirs in the country, 11 have zero percent storage. Further, almost two-thirds of the country’s reservoirs have below normal levels On Sunday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned with his monthly radio broadcast, “Mann ki Baat,” he urged citizens to use water resources judiciously. NITI Aayog sounds warning bell The NITI Aayog ’s 2018 composite water …

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