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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Prepare for a water-scarce future -Kota Sriraj
-The Pioneer


India's water distribution and consumption systems must be sustainable, drought-proofed, and adapted to climate change. Then the country can move from ‘drought-relief' status to a position where it has relief from droughts

The Indian Meteorological Department is still unsure of the timing and the intensity of El Niño, further raising the grim prospect of insufficient monsoons and an imminent drought poised to affect many parts of the country. According to data from the Indian Space Research Organisation, India experienced 42 severe droughts in two centuries. The 1979 drought cut food grain production by 20 per cent; another, in 1987, damaged 58.6 million hectares of cultivated land, affecting 285 million people.

Seventy per cent of Indian population lives in rural areas, while 58 per cent rely solely on agriculture for a living. The 355 million people who fall below the poverty line depend primarily on rain-fed agriculture for subsistence. Given this scenario, it is crucial to protect agriculture that provides the all-important food security to the country.

Three major droughts between 2002 and 2012 have had serious economic ramifications in the country. According to a 2013 World Bank report, the 2012 drought shaved off half a percentage point from the India's Gross Domestic Product. Successful planning and implementation of measure to control the impact of drought will help negate economic damage - this is the first sign of a drought-proof country. As erratic monsoons amid deteriorating climatic conditions become the norm, drought resilience is no longer enough; measures to drought-proof the country are needed.

India's ability to tackle drought has stagnated at the ‘drought management' level. A major reason for this is inefficient water management. In the last decade, the Union Government could not increase its ability to mitigate drought conditions by adopting simple measures such as building rural ponds and tanks to improve the efficiency of water use.

It was also in this period that State Government initiatives surged ahead in innovating and drought-proofing large areas. Notable amongst them was the Sardar Patel Participatory Water Conservation Scheme in Gujarat to build thousands of check dams that harness rainwater. Soon other States followed suit with Andhra Pradesh launching the Neeru Meeru water conservation programme and Madhya Pradesh Government introducing the Ek Panch Ek Talab (one panchayat, one tank) programme.

Still, India's water security status is dismal. Well-funded institutions such as the National Rainfed Area Authority and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act have been unable to revamp and revive the watershed management programme or repair, renovate and restore water bodies. Building of tanks, ponds and check dams across the country has been relegated to the back burner. The new Government at the Centre has taken the welcome step of making these institutions accountable for their responsibilities and achievement of their objectives. This will help restore confidence in facing a future that will be characterised more water shortages.

The Government must also focus on consolidating agriculture as it is the first point of impact in the case of a severe drought. Agricultural methods such as multi-cropping, organic soil additives and the use of traditional seeds, buffered by grain banks, need to be encouraged and replicated nationwide. This will help the frontline farmers, besides ensuring national food sovereignty. The farmers, especially those holding small tracts of land, must be educated on how to maximise yield and revenue by resorting to multi-cropping and having priority access to customised services for farm insurance and credit. In fact, a World Bank report states that the rural poor in India have little access to farm credit. This scenario needs to change in order to better equip the agricultural sector to deal with the vagaries of nature.

Urban water resource rejuvenation needs to be a major priority area for the Government in order to fend off drought implications. Developed countries worldwide have redefined their water infrastructure to meet the constraints of a water-scarce future. Sydney is envisioning a second water-distribution network that will provide water for purposes other than drinking. This parallel system will tap into new sources like salty water, purified by waste heat from power plants, as well as existing sources, such as recycled wastewater and rainwater, which are typically flushed into local water bodies as waste. In order to achieve this, India must reduce the amount of suspended solids in water by 50 per cent and the amount of nutrients in storm water that is dumped into local water bodies by 15 per cent.

As water scarcity looms large over the horizon, it is imperative that the India's water availability level is sustainable, drought-proofed, and adapted to climate change. This will enable us to move from ‘drought-relief' status to a position where we can have relief from droughts.