Watershed reforms...

The steady progress of the monsoons ought to refocus policy attention on India's deeply stressed water economy . There are fast rising demands on water resources generally, together with poorly governed supply systems, with the result that overall balances are precarious. What is worse, there's increasingly reckless mining of groundwater, and aquifer depletion is concentrated in many of the most populated and economically significant areas. Now, we have a highly seasonal pattern of rainfall — about half the precipitation falls in just 15 days. And yet our water storage infrastructure is woefully inadequate, barely enough for 30 days of rainfall, compared to 900 days in the major river basins abroad. Hence the vital need to shore up rainwater harvesting and tank irrigation, and have in place a proactive policy for sustainable water usage. In tandem, the way ahead is to augment public irrigation and water supply services with participatory management , transparency and reasonable user charges. Yet the notion that supply-side solutions would take care of the problem may not gel with the facts and ground realities.

Consider, for instance, the fact of excessive groundwater drawal and rapidly falling water tables. Over the last two decades, as much as 84% of total addition to the net irrigated area has been groundwater linked. Also, groundwater now provides for over 70% of the irrigated area and about 80% of domestic needs. Already, as many as 15% of aquifers are in a critical condition, and the mavens say the figure would rise to 60% over the next two decades without remedial policy action. Hence the pressing need for dramatic transformation in the way water services are provided for households, agriculture and industry. The policy emphasis must be on entitlements, sustainability and accountability, including provision of water supply by cooperatives and via public-private partnerships. In parallel , we do need to refurbish the large stock of dilapidated water infrastructure and also boost investment for surface water supplies. Groundwater extraction needs to be linked to recharge. The growing crisis in the water sector needs a groundswell of policy initiatives.