Drying up: What Urban India needs to fix its water problem
Reduced river flows and falling water tables have made the summer harsher in several parts of the country. In Karnataka, the season began early, in March, when the drought, which carried over from last year, created and aggravated a water crisis in the state’s capital, Bengaluru. In Delhi, the scorching temperatures have led to a similar emergency, reigniting an old dispute over water allocation to the capital. Last month, the Delhi government moved the Supreme Court, seeking an increased share of the Yamuna’s waters. In response, on June 6, the Court asked Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs of water. It also directed Haryana to facilitate the flow of this water to the NCR. However, Delhi government has complained that the neighbouring state is not complying with the directive, while Haryana contends that water is “getting evaporated” in transit. With the world warming up, the country needs a long-term policy to obviate such conflicts and make sure people do not suffer water shortages.
The Narendra Modi government has accorded importance to providing tap water connections, but the health of aquifers continues to be neglected. The country has historically tried to address water deficits by focusing on supply-side parameters. In line with such an approach, the Centre has asked states to prepare inventories of water bodies as a first step towards preventing the encroachment of these aquifers. Much more needs to be done to tackle long-standing shortfalls. There is very little coordination between departments that deal with surface and groundwater, irrigation resources and drinking water. The few water-sharing arrangements between riverine states come apart during shortage seasons. And plans to harvest rainwater remain largely on paper, despite floods and dry spells alternating with worrying regularity in most parts of the country.
In recent years, programmes such as the Sahi Fasal Campaign, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and Atal Bhujal Yojana have taken early steps to encourage efficient use of water in agriculture. Optimal use of irrigation resources is essential. However, demand-side management of water resources also requires analyses of practices at the household and industrial levels. Currently, the data on per capita water availability for different users is sketchy. Emergencies, such as the latest shortage in Delhi, usually precipitate knee-jerk responses such as imposing fines for wasting water, when the need is to incentivise water conservation, reuse, and recycling. With climate vagaries imperiling the country’s already-stressed aquifers, the new government should hit the ground running.