India’s storm: Monsoon deficit & groundwater extraction

The mid-2018 news cycle saw many reports on the water crisis faced in Shimla. There was shock and consternation at Shimla’s predicament.

Shimla has been facing a water crunch for the past few years, but this year the crisis peaked. The reasons for this debilitating water shortage included tourism-fed rampant construction, deforestation, leaky water supply infrastructure and an 80 per cent deficit in monsoons.

According to skymetweather.com, 2018 saw the quickest withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon and the delayed arrival of the Southeast Monsoon.

The rain gods have not been kind to India. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), there was a 9.4 per cent deficit in monsoons this year and 13 of the last 15 years have seen deficient monsoons.

This shortfall in monsoons is creating a vicious cycle of increased groundwater extraction and its non-replenishment. As per Central Ground Water Board, as of 2013 the country has developed 62 per cent of its groundwater resources, which stood at 58 per cent in 2004.

The Envi-Stats-2018, paints a grimmer picture. States like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan have developed their groundwater to more than 100 per cent and 85 per cent of the area in states of Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, Puducherry and Uttar Pradesh have witnessed a fall in water tables. The maximum fall has been in Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal and Rajasthan.

There has been a decrease in per capita water availability, from 5,178 m3 in 1951 to 1,544 m3 in 2011. It is projected to decrease to 1,174 m3 by 2051.

Interestingly, the diktats of modern lifestyle necessitates larger water footprints. For example, according to the Levi Strauss website, “A pair of 501 jeans uses 3,781 litre of water in its full life cycle — from growing cotton, through manufacturing, consumer care at home and end of life disposal.”

Nearly 1,140 litre of water are required to produce a litre of apple juice.

Population is the obvious reason given for the decrease in water availability. But population must include increased water usage by other users.

For example, a World Bank report projects water consumption by industries to increase to 228 billion cubic metre by 2025 from the 67 billion cubic metre in 1999.

Thermal power plants consume 87.87 per cent of water in this sector.

A 2017 report from the Central Ground Water Board titled ‘Dynamic Ground Resources of India says, “Groundwater has steadily emerged as the backbone of India’s agriculture and drinking water security. Contribution of groundwater is nearly 62 per cent in irrigation, 85 per cent in rural water supply and 45 per cent in urban water supply.’

The Envi-Stats 2018 states, “monsoon rain is the major source of groundwater recharge, contributing about 67 per cent of the total annual replenishable resource…’. With the ongoing deficit in monsoons the country is on the cusp of disaster. This dependence on groundwater is not only caused by a paucity of monsoons. We, as a society, are polluting our water bodies. Nearly 70 per cent of the country’s water is contaminated, as per a recently released NITI Aayog report.

The report adds that India is ranked 120 out of 122 countries in the water quality index. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, 275 of the 445 rivers it monitors are polluted. The challenge India faces on the water front is manifold — leaking infrastructure, pollution of water sources, unbridled groundwater extraction, no proper policy or governance on water resources (including groundwater) and climate change.

To this, add the morass of 600 million Indians facing high to extreme water stress and the 75 per cent of households without drinking water on premises, warns NITI Aayog. In such circumstances, it should come as no surprise that India is already a water stressed country. It is therefore par-for-the-course that there are seven major inter-state water disputes raging in the country. NITI Aayog warns that 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater by 2020 affecting 100 million people.

It is important to remember that 2,00,000 deaths in India are linked to water contamination. Water-related sickness and untimely deaths are a familial tragedy with far-ranging socioeconomic consequences.

But the issue of water is not only restricted to supply of potable water. Groundwater extraction requires pumps that operate on fuel or electricity increasing demand for both. India’s agriculture, and therefore food security and industry is water dependent. NITI Aayog estimates that under BAU, by 2050, 6 per cent of the country’s GDP will be lost due this water crisis.

All is not lost and much can be done to pull the nation back from the brink. Improving water supply infrastructure, switching off or switching to renewable energy, installing rainwater harvesting systems, changing agricultural and industrial practices to reduce water dependency, and pollution prevention will keep thirst at bay.

(Author has worked in the development sector)