An invisible groundwater crisis needs greater visibility

Moreover, people are scattered across the globe and water is not available everywhere and every time it’s needed. Some densely populated areas face acute water scarcity, whereas some regions have more than they need. And, since climate change affects the availability of water, this has emerged as another tangle in an already complex issue.

India will face the brunt of climate change and water scarcity is a hard reality. A recent study found that by 2025, large parts of northwestern and south India will have critically low groundwater availability. Consequently, crop harvests could decline by 20% nationwide and 68% in the worst-hit regions, threatening the food security of millions. After all, agriculture accounts for 80% of the nation’s annual water demand, mostly from groundwater irrigation such as small wells and pumps. Even if groundwater is replaced by alternative methods, such as irrigation canals, farm harvests could still decline by 7% across the country and 24% in the worst-hit areas. Overdevelopment of our groundwater resources to meet increasing demand has reached a critical stage. And the recharging of this groundwater is simply not happening fast enough. The NITI Aayog has termed India’s over-exploitation of groundwater our “worst water crisis in history".

The government has realized the urgency to augment groundwater resources through suitable management interventions. Among other measures, artificial recharges have been accepted as a cost-effective method to augment groundwater in areas where overexploitation without recharging has resulted in undesirable environmental consequences. In the past four years, India has taken several steps on Jal Shakti Abhiyan, the National Water Mission, and water harvesting.

The Jal Jeevan Mission is working to ensure safely-managed piped water for all. It aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households. It has so far covered about 42% of about 190 million rural households. Jal Shakti is embarking on many groundwater recharging and micro-irrigation projects. This programme has five target interventions: water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse, and recharge of bore wells, watershed development, and intensive afforestation. River basins, catchments and watersheds are set to be utilized for water and soil conservation, which in turn will improve the hydrology of our river basins.

Many Indian states have made legislative changes to promote better water management. But we also need alternative service delivery approaches to provide clean water to our water-distressed communities. This requires a bottom-up approach, by empowering local communities to become active participants in managing groundwater.

The Atal Bhujal Yojana is a Central scheme to facilitate sustainable groundwater management with an outlay of ₹6,000 crore. The scheme emphasizes community participation and demand-side interventions for sustainable groundwater management in identified water-stressed areas in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Among other things, this scheme also envisages improved source sustainability for the Jal Jeevan Mission and the inculcation of community-level behavioural changes aimed at optimal water use.

Despite progress, providing safe drinking water to millions of rural residents remains a challenge. Over the past several years, the number of communities affected by water quality problems has risen and solutions are proving to be increasingly complex. Harmful substances such as arsenic, fluoride and even uranium have been found in the groundwater of some areas that far exceed the safety levels of the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, some socio-economic and cultural issues in rural India continue to dominate efforts at water management.

Given the limitations of state and central governments in terms of reach and funding, emphasis has been placed on the adoption of collaborative models. Public-private partnerships offer a framework for the proverbial last-mile link between the vision and intent of the government, the technical expertise and funding of the private sector, and the zeal of the non-profit sector.

One model involves decentralized ‘water ATMs’ that provide affordable and safe water to low-income communities and also serve as water knowledge resource centres working with local communities on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) sensitization. Non-profit workers and others are aiming to generate awareness on Wash, water conservation and the judicious use of water. Such community-led programmes help engage underserved communities that do not have access to proper Wash facilities.

In the 1960s, groundwater helped India overcome food shortages by playing an instrumental role in ushering in the Green Revolution. It is time again to work towards improved groundwater governance, which is critically needed, with popular support from affected communities, so that this precious natural resource remains available for future generations.

Poonam Sewak is vice-president, program & partnerships, Safe Water Network