| August 12, 2006 | ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|
| Conserving a Precious Resource The establishment of the national level Advisory Council on Artificial Recharge of Groundwater will be welcomed by all concerned as a muchneeded initiative. Groundwater is a critical input for livelihoods of millions of people. It irrigates about 70 per cent of the cropped area and supplies 80 per cent of domestic water. Recent evidence, some of which was summarised by prime minister Manmohan Singh in his inaugural address last month to the council, has shown that the resource is under serious threat of overuse in many parts of the country. Three hundred and six districts have reported water level decline of over 4 metres during the past 20 years. In nearly one-third of the blocks in the country, groundwater reserves have been or are close to exploitation and this figure is likely to cross 60 per cent in another 25 years. Groundwater overuse and associated problems are particularly rampant in the agriculturally prosperous regions of Indo-Gangetic plains, hard rock areas of central and south India, coastal areas and the rapidly growing urban settlements. A major reason for this state of affairs has been the increase in the depth and density of groundwater extraction in post-green revolution agriculture, thanks to the astronomical increase in the number of wells and groundwater structures, particularly tubewells. In his speech, the prime minister called for “a massive, nationwide campaign for recharge” of groundwater. While this indeed must be the starting point, the focus on supply augmentation through recharge and regulation through licensing leaves out several important issues in groundwater management. Groundwater is an invisible, non-stationary, “fugitive” resource, which does not respect boundaries set by landholdings. Since overuse by one person would mean reduced availability for neighbours, groundwater extraction has genuine negative externalities. So, groundwater must be owned and managed as common property. Attention has to shift from a “development” mode to “management” mode in groundwater, where the primary issue addressed is the protection of the resource. The key to protection of the resource is an awareness of its location, availability and annual cycle. Groundwater is located in rock strata, which can hold and transmit water (“aquifers”). In a country of immense geological diversity like India, aquifers vary widely in terms of their water storage and transmission properties. For effective management of groundwater, the aquifers need to be mapped and studied in detail. There have been some attempts at mapping aquifers in states like Maharashtra but for the country as a whole, this idea is still new. Along with a scientific assessment of the total available resource in an aquifer, an intensive dialogue between all the users needs to begin. The needs of various users should be prioritised and the ecological services of groundwater should also figure in the list of priorities. The concerns of equity demand that drinking water for humans and animals and drought-proofing of agriculture are regarded as “basic” services and ensured to all users. Only then can we hope to avoid the tragic spectacles of drought-prone areas like Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district growing vast acres of sugar cane and “water parks” coexisting with a thriving tanker industry. Consumption over and above the basic service could be priced and water users’ associations and panchayat raj institutions should and can be fully empowered to collect user charges on the basis of the volume of actual consumption. Prohibiting construction of new tubewells and regulation of use of existing wells in water-scarce areas should be part of the mandate of these local institutions. They may also be equipped to handle “upstream” and “downstream” conflicts related to water distribution, which is fast emerging as a key challenge in the case of groundwater as well. While the role of legislation is to facilitate this process at a decentralised level, the state should play the vital watchdog function of ensuring overall protection of |
the resource from “large users”. We have many examples of large corporate houses entering the water sector and causing havoc.
We must break out of the paradigm of supply-side solutions. All our recharge efforts will come to nothing unless the enduses of water are carefully examined and closely regulated. Since over 80 per cent of groundwater use is in agriculture, our recharge efforts must be combined with attempts to raise the efficiency of use of applied water in agriculture. This would mean working out area-specific land use packages for optimal use of water through changes in cropping pattern and use of water-saving technologies. The agricultural research system has to gear up itself substantially to address this huge challenge. A similar effort has to go into development of water recycling and reuse technologies for regulation of end-uses by large industrial consumers.
Groundwater legislation since 1970 has failed to come up with an institutional structure capable of sustainable and equitable management of groundwater. This is an area where the new advisory council can play a key role. It could promote a host of micro-level experiments with new institutional forms and a mix of regulatory tools. It could provide several learning platforms to share this experience. The National Rainfed Area Authority, referred to by the prime minister in his address, could provide the overall framework and legal backing for such micro-level experimentation.
EPW
EPWEconomic and Political Weekly August 12, 2006
