The country is celebrating 7th India Water Week 2022 from 1-5th of November and the theme for this year is ‘water security for sustainable development with equity’. It is an opportunity for all stakeholders to raise awareness about the conservation of this precious natural resource. This is very important because water resources are receding fast and crises-like situations are being experienced in many parts of the world as well as in our country.
It may be surprising for many that around two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water in India. Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report 2018 of NITI Aayog indicates that about 600 million people may face water stress by 2030, which is around 40% of India’s projected population. Estimates further indicate that around 100 million people across the country are on the frontline of this crisis and 21 cities in the country are likely to run out of groundwater.
The crisis is going to get worse in the years ahead. India is an agrarian state where the economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. When it is said that agriculture is gambling with climate, it mainly takes the monsoon into account. The distribution and intensity of monsoon rains indicate the fate of Indian agriculture to a great extent as 51% of the net sown area in the country is rainfed. The uneven distribution and mishandling result in flood-like situation in some parts and droughts in other parts of the country. Both these situations impact agriculture sector the most.
The deficit in surface water resources pushes farmers to exploit underground water resources in many parts. The country is the largest groundwater user in the world with an estimated usage of around 251 cubic km/ year. As a consequence of tremendous pressure on ground water resources, around 54% of wells in the country are declining in level. Being the largest exploiter of ground water in the country, Punjab has suffered the highest decline in groundwater levels. The state known for its contribution during green revolution and in shaping the food scenario of the country is facing grim water resources scenario at present. Since around 73% of irrigation is from ground water in the state and area under rice-wheat sequence has the major share of it, the demand for irrigation water is very high. Figures in the Dynamic Ground Water Assessment indicate that the extraction of ground water far exceeds the replenishment. According to the assessment made in 2020, the extraction of ground water for all uses in the state is 33.85 BCM (billion cubic meter) while as the annual extractable ground water resources are 20.59 BCM. Thus a deficit of 13.26 BCM exists in the state.
Misuse of surface water and overexploitation of ground water is therefore turning out to be very serious challenge that must be taken head on. Studies also indicate serious water resources shrinking here in the Jammu & Kashmir UT as recession of glaciers and shrinking of water bodies continue unabated. The UT is also facing serious negative impact of human activities on climate and water resources. In this backdrop, our ground water resources seem to be a hope for future if handled properly.
According to the estimates, the total annual groundwater recharge in the UT is 4.68 BCM and the annual extractable groundwater resources are 4.22 BCM. However, the total current annual groundwater extraction is estimated to be around 0.89 BCM. Thus, situation is good with regard to ground water resources but to avert any crisis situation in future, we need to reduce the water wastage by putting in place efficient water supply system and strengthen the monitoring, so that ground water level must not drop in the future.
Beside agriculture, domestic needs are also pushing further the demands of water. According to the Standard Municipal Water Norms, per capita per day requirement of water is 150 liters. Out of this, an individual needs around 25 litter for meeting basic hygiene and food needs and rest goes to mopping and cleaning. This reflects the pressing demand of water with expanding population. Experts however believe that the situation can be reversed if we take timely measures. The Central Water Commission has estimated the annual requirement of water in the country to be around 3000 billion cubic meter. Country receives 4000 cubic meter rain annually, which indicates a positive balance of 1000 cubic meter. But again, week monsoon and mismanagement can turn the situation otherwise.
In this background we need to align all possible measure for attaining sustainability. Change in water use practices and conservation across the domestic, industrial and agriculture sectors is essential. Judicious use of ground water, recharging of aquifer, rain harvesting, improvement in water infrastructure and policy related to water distribution, treating water pollution, reviving water bodies and wetlands, increasing water use efficiency in all the sectors are some areas to focus on.
Kashmir’s fresh water springs, a precious gift bestowed by Almighty need more attention and their rejuvenation under Jal Shakti Abhiyan will be a great service to humanity. These springs play a great role in meeting the domestic water requirement for the people residing around. There still exists a huge gap between awareness and action especially when it comes to the water pollution both in surface and underground water resources. Leaching down of agrochemicals, dumping of polythene and other non-biodegradable wastes and so on still continue to pose threat to these resources.
Agriculture being the major consumer of water offers great opportunity for shaping the future water scenario by adopting technologies which help in conserving the water and increase water use efficiency. Around 70% of the water received from rivers and groundwater is used for irrigating crops which can be put to better use through water conservation techniques. According to the estimates made by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) irrigated rice receives 34-43% of total word irrigation water. In the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, especially in the Kashmir Division, rice is the staple food and a major shareholder of irrigation water. For producing one kilogram of rice, 2500 liter of water is required on an average. Thus, adoption of water conservation techniques in rice cultivation alone can help a lot in conserving water.
Reducing water conveyance losses through strong and clean channels or pipes, levelling of land, puddling, alternate drying and wetting and system of rice intensification (SRI) are some techniques to conserve water. SRI technique is repoted to save as much as 44% water requirement of rice cultivation. Mountain Research Center for Field Crops (MRCFC)-Khudwani has been working on resources conservation technologies under All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) including SRI and Direct Dry seeded rice. The technologies are being standardized to tackle any future challenges with regard to water availability for agriculture.
In other crops also, reducing conveyance losses, leveling of land and construction of strong bunds, technologies like mico-irrigation (drip/sprinkler) and mulching prove quite beneficial in saving water. Selection of crops and their varieties as per the availability of water resources and scheduling irrigation as per crop requirement during different growth stages is therefore very important to sustain food, fodder, fiber and fuel production in rural areas.
Advanced technologies like desalination unit that generates clear, clean drinking water without the need for filters or high-pressure pumps, may offer a solution to the water crisis, at least for portable water in future but that should not make us ignorant about our duties to conserve this precious natural resource.

Dr T. Mubarak is Chief Scientist Agronomy (MRCFC)-SKUAST-Kashmir; Dr N.R. Sofi is Associate Director Research (MRCFC)-SKUAST-Kashmir; and Dr Sarfaraz A. Wani is Director Research SKUAST-Kashmir. Email: [email protected]

Dr T. Mubarak, Dr N.R. Sofi and Dr. Sarfaraz A. Wani