India water crisis :India’s total annual groundwater recharge saw a slight decline in 2024 due to increased extraction, driven significantly by states like Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. The rise in ‘critical’ and ‘over-exploited’ units highlights growing water scarcity concerns, despite some localized improvements.
India, a nation grappling with escalating groundwater depletion, faces an urgent crisis fueled by the water demands of paddy cultivation. The Central Ground Water Board’s 2024 assessment, released by the Jal Shakti Ministry, highlights a worrying trend—a marginal decline in the nation’s annual groundwater recharge. The issue is most severe in northwest India, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh, where high rates of groundwater extraction have become unsustainable.
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Paddy: A Thirsty Crop in a Water-Scarce Nation
The extensive cultivation of paddy, a crop notorious for its high water consumption, has been identified as a major contributor to India’s groundwater crisis. Producing a single kilogram of rice can consume over 5,000 liters of water, far surpassing the requirements of pulses or oilseeds, which use only 500 to 600 liters per kilogram.
States like Punjab and Haryana have embraced paddy farming, often at the expense of crop diversity. Historically, Punjab’s agricultural landscape included oilseeds and pulses. However, supportive water and electricity policies have incentivized paddy cultivation, turning the state into a paddy-dominated region. This shift has not only depleted groundwater but has also led to soil degradation and long-term health risks for farming communities.
The consequences of water over-extraction extend far beyond the agricultural sector. The ecological balance of the affected regions is under threat. As groundwater levels plummet, rivers, wetlands, and aquifers are increasingly strained, raising alarm about the long-term sustainability of farming and local ecosystems.
The vicious cycle of paddy farming is evident in regions like Punjab, where groundwater is pumped at unsustainable rates to support the crop’s high water needs. The diminishing water levels are compounded by policies that, while aimed at boosting crop yields, fail to address their ecological ramifications.
Policy Interventions: Haryana’s Crop Diversification Program
Haryana has taken a proactive step to address this crisis through a crop diversification program introduced in 2020. The initiative restricts paddy cultivation in water-scarce blocks and encourages farmers to grow less water-intensive crops like maize. While this policy represents a significant effort to reduce groundwater overuse, its success hinges on farmer participation and the program’s ability to provide long-term economic and ecological benefits.
Experts caution that such measures must be accompanied by incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices and infrastructure to support alternative crops. Without these, efforts to reduce paddy cultivation may struggle to achieve meaningful results.
India’s water crisis is a stark reminder of the need for systemic change in agricultural practices. While paddy has been a staple of India’s Green Revolution, its environmental cost is becoming increasingly untenable. Transitioning to sustainable farming practices, promoting crop diversification, and improving water-use efficiency are critical steps toward safeguarding the nation’s water resources.
The question remains: how can India balance the needs of food security with the imperatives of environmental sustainability? Addressing this dilemma will require coordinated action from policymakers, farmers, and communities. Only through collective effort can India chart a path to a water-secure future.
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