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While rain remains a tiny respite, India's groundwater crisis in need of major management: Report

The report sites a Nature article on groundwater levels

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With the farmer protests that hit the nation in the past few weeks, a new report that has highlighted by science journal Nature has said that the national groundwater crisis that has been fuelled by intense pumping needs urgent management.

According to satellite data between 2002 and 2012 that was accessed by the magazine, India is undergoing severe depletion as measured by satellite data between 2002 and 2016, mainly due to intense extraction using water pumps for crop irrigation, a report by Mongabay added..

In the article that analyses global analysis on freshwater availability, northern and eastern India emerged as major hotspots of groundwater depletion mainly because of overexploitation for irrigation although eastern regions also faced low rainfall, while the central and southern regions showed stability owing to water policy changes and increased rainfall.

Recently Shimla, too, witnessed a massive water crisis. The reckless felling of trees, unplanned and illegal constructions have reduced the queen of hills to a concrete jungle and drying up of water sources have plunged Shimla into severe water crisis.

People lining on streets for water tankers has become a common sight. As the Himachal capital grapples with the acute water shortage, residents and environmentalists are now urging the tourists to stay away from Shimla.  

In India the problem begins at the village or the city levels. Most slums across big cities in India are non-notified, which means they do not have a regulated power supply or water supply.

In an earlier interview with DNA, Anshu Sharma, the co-founder of SEEDS said that water problems a groundwater scarcity emerges from three root causes. Firstly, unplanned or poorly planned urban development, with exponentially rising water demand and slower and ad-hoc increase in water supply.

Secondly, low regional analysis while investing in urban growth, leading to mismatch in catchment capacity and urban demand.

Finally, climate variability - both due to cyclic climatic patterns and long term climate change, raising risks of periods of too much water and too little.

“We have not carried out or come across any statistical survey, but from exchanges with communities where we work I can say that the average Indian is grossly unaware of the imminent water crisis that most Indian cities (and villages) will face in the coming times.  Common perception is limited to local authorities supplying water in pipelines, and it arriving at the taps at home or in the community.  Where this water is sourced from, what are the gaps, and what it takes to clean and transport this water is something that most of us are blind to.  These aspects need to be understood in order for us to adequately value this critical resource that we so often take for granted,” he had said in the interview.

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