Save water: We need a lot of blue to stay green

Agriculture has been the most important person of groundwater

Niraj Kumar & Sagarika Mishra

The covid-19 pandemic’s impression on the nation’s economic system has been colossal. However, Indian agriculture so far has resisted the onslaught. Although within the FY 2020-21, India’s GDP contracted by 7.7 p.c, together with unfavourable progress in trade and companies agriculture delivered a constructive enhance of three.4 p.c throughout the identical interval. Agriculture’s share in GDP has elevated to 19.9 p.c in FY 2020-21 from 17.8% in FY 2019-20. Agriculture has established itself to be essentially the most reliable financial exercise in the course of the testing instances and continues to be a potent means to maintain our economic system impelling even in the course of the post-pandemic days. Nonetheless, as we speak it must be backed by complementary insurance policies, high quality inputs, and agile markets to proceed as essentially the most reliable financial sector. Sadly, groundwater, essentially the most essential enter, is turning into scarce and, in flip, affecting agriculture alarmingly.

Based on a research, by 2025, agricultural productiveness is more likely to fall by 68 p.c in additional than one-third of India’s districts which are at present beneath water stress. Components of India have seen the colossal withdrawal of groundwater, which, sadly, can’t be replenished by nature. Based on a research, round 25% of groundwater depletion has occurred within the final 20 years. In some areas, it’s more likely to take 30 to 50 years to attain groundwater normalcy if we begin working as we speak and proceed with out dropping steam.

By the yr 2030, in India, water demand is anticipated to be greater than double of what could be accessible. Agriculture has been the most important person of groundwater. Out of 61.5 million hectares of the irrigated space, over 64% of the world is groundwater irrigated, consuming about 90 p.c of complete groundwater extracted. India has 17.7 p.c of the world’s inhabitants, accounts for 11.9 p.c of the world’s agricultural manufacturing, and makes use of 24 p.c of groundwater extracted globally.

Waiving off or subsidizing farmers’ electrical energy payments could appear a politically appropriate choice however not a sustainable choice in any respect. It isn’t solely economically quixotic however environmentally untenable additionally. It has resulted in unsustainable pumping and unscientific irrigation. The matter of reality is that groundwater pumping just isn’t the most cost effective, and it falls closely on farmers’ pockets. For instance, the price of one 200 toes deep borewell ranges between Rs. 25,000 to Rs.70,000, and if the water desk falls additional down, the irrigation value escalates. Most often, farmers want second drilling.

The potential of rainwater for Indian agriculture makes a compelling case for rainwater harvesting. Central Water Fee statistics reveal that 92% of the entire rainfall of 4000 billion cubic meters in India goes waste. That is, even though if appropriately managed, one hectare of land with simply 100 mm of rain (deserts of Western Rajasthan get common rainfall of greater than 300 mm) can harvest 1,000 cubic meters of water. Sensitizing farmers towards watershed administration, prudent use of water, and inspiring the adoption of scientific and micro-irrigation applied sciences, agricultural practices like crop rotation, cowl crops, and mulching could significantly scale back groundwater demand.

In India, 46 p.c of the entire cropped space is used for cultivating two water-gulping crops, specifically, rice and wheat. On common, about 5000 and 1500 liters of water is consumed to supply only one kg of rice and wheat, respectively. The central authorities’s choice to incentivize much less water-consuming crops by providing aggressive costs is a step in the best route. As an example, between 2010 and 2020, minimal help costs (MSP) of crops like Sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), and finger millet (ragi), with excessive dietary worth however needing much less water, have been elevated 2.98, 2.44, and three.41 instances respectively. As compared, throughout the identical interval, the MSPs of paddy and wheat elevated by 1.87 and 1.76 instances, respectively.

Sadly, the world sown beneath coarse nutri-cereals in rabi season fell by 7.9 p.c in 2020-21 from the earlier yr, however the respective areas beneath rice and wheat went up. This means that greater MSP alone is not going to work. The crop diversification scheme, deliberate with a number of incentives and extension help to the farmers and applied by the central authorities and lots of states, is a urgent precedence and ought to be applied with full earnest.

We are able to’t consider rising manufacturing or doubling farmers’ earnings when farmers’ fields are beneath water stress. Researches have proven that we are able to enhance crop manufacturing by 15 to 25 p.c by making certain correct irrigation. By 2030, we’ll want 343 MT (present yr’s estimated manufacturing is 303 MT) of meals grain to feed our rising inhabitants. Agriculture is turning into a non-remunerative and unsustainable livelihood possibility, and increasingly more farmers are keen to change over to another alternate options. Drying aquifers is among the major causes for a similar.

Water is prime to human survival on the earth, however this treasured useful resource is beneath risk. Ignoring it will amplify agrarian misery, which can flip right into a perpetual irreversible disaster. We are able to’t anticipate a doomsday situation the place the water diamond paradox would stop to exist. We have to handle, preserve, and protect every drop of water. It takes loads of blue to remain inexperienced. The duty could appear humongous, however we don’t have many choices left.

(Niraj Kumar and Sagarika Mishra are school members of Rural Administration at XIM College, Bhubaneswar. Views expressed are private.)