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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India's neglected groundwater crisis -Ashwin MB

India's neglected groundwater crisis -Ashwin MB

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published Published on Nov 1, 2018   modified Modified on Nov 1, 2018
-Livemint.com

Systematic analysis of groundwater conservation methods must be conducted to forestall the water crisis

India’s over-exploitation of groundwater is contributing to—as stated by NITI Aayog—“the worst water crisis in its history”.

Groundwater is one of the most important water sources in India accounting for 63% of all irrigation water and over 80% of the rural and urban domestic water supplies. In fact, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Water Development Report states that India is the largest extractor of groundwater in the world. Fifty-four percent of India’s groundwater wells have declined over the past seven years, and 21 major cities are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020. Thus, India faces a dual challenge: to regulate the growing demand for groundwater while replenishing its sources.

Subsidies on electricity are thought to play a central role in the Indian groundwater crisis. The vast majority of groundwater pumps are unmetered, and if charged, are billed at a flat, non-volumetric, and highly subsidized tariff . This flat rate is responsible, at least in part, for inefficient usage and excessive withdrawal of groundwater.

In addition, the government encourages farmers to produce water-intensive crops like rice and sugarcane through increased minimum support prices (MSP).

Research indicates that although MSP has led to assured incomes, it has also led to groundwater depletion, income inequality and unsustainable agriculture. On the supply side, performance of state governments has not been satisfactory, with the NITI Aayog Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report stating that the majority of states have scored less than 50% in the source augmentation of groundwater resource index .

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Livemint.com, 31 October, 2018, https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/h2Rim5gC7OIiiFk4PvxlWK/Opinion--Indias-neglected-groundwater-crisis.html


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