From deluge to a trickle: Are we prepared?

Crisis, crisis, crisis! The looming water shortage strikes fear in the heart of every urban dweller and a recent report by the NITI Aayog only underlines those worries. According to the report, India is suffering from its worst ever water crisis. Over two-thirds of rural Karnataka does not have access to drinking water and the state continues to suffer from drought despite ample rainfall. Experts, who all decry the option of inter-linking rivers, say there is no reason yet to panic and that the water shortage can be mitigated with practices like rain-water harvesting and groundwater recharge. 

If the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog report is to be believed, India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and millions of lives are under threat. The report notes that more than two -thirds of rural Karnataka does not have access to drinking water and despite the state being properly rain-fed, it continues to suffer from drought.

The report estimates that by 2030, the water demand will double the supply , leading to severe water scarcity and eventually to around a  6 per cent loss in the country’s GDP.

The list prepared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s think tank too warns that over 21 cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru will lose groundwater by 2021.

Having made its alarming forecast, NITI Aayog has developed a Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) for effective water management in Indian states in the face of the growing crisis.

It lists cities on the basis of  Water Index Scores for the financial year 2016-17, giving Gujarat the highest of 76 per cent  and Karnataka fourth place with 56 per cent, an improvement over its ranking of fifth place in 2015-16 , considering its improving water resource management practices.  

The CWMI says that in terms of irrigation, Karnataka utilises approximately 94 per cent of the potential created by its 107 major and minor irrigation projects.  But it suggests the state needs to improve its groundwater rejuvenation as only six per cent of the critical and over exploited wells have risen in level.

Unwilling to accept the doomsday predictions, however, water experts believe the state may be able to overcome its water crisis by focusing more on rain water harvesting and groundwater recharge.

Noting that in some districts  there is over- exploitation of ground water, Mr S Vishwanath, member,  Knowledge Commission (Water)  says its very important how the state manages its demand for water. “We need to look at the cropping pattern and adopt methods amenable to a particular region and opt for drip irrigation for water intensive crops like sugarcane.  Also, the price of water should be changed for high- end users,” he suggests.

 Mr Ram Prasad, co-founder and convenor of Friends of Lakes agrees there is a problem of water scarcity, but believes the solution cannot be costly. The activist, who doesn’t think inter-linking of rivers is the solution, points out that there has not been a proper study  on the interlinking of the rivers Krishna and Godavari.

“The adaptability of aquatic animals should also be kept in mind as they may not adapt to the rising salinity of the water following the inter-linking of rivers,” he adds.