Hyderabad: India has been at the least position on a global index of rainwater harvester, with storage of just 8% of the water. On the other hand, underground water is naturally being utilized without any foresee, thereby ending up with almost nill reserves of underground water in India.
Around six weeks ago, the central government has come up with a unique scheme of saving natural reserves of water under the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ scheme. This scheme has been drawn up in accordance with the support of respective state governments of 256 districts and 1592 blocks. The government has at the same time, announced a promise of conserving and making available of safe drinking water to all the concerned areas.
The Modi government has embarked on a new 'Atal BhuJal Yojana'; in seven states in honour of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the occasion of his birth anniversary, which has codified guidelines for local organizations under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
About 8,300 in 78 districts in Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, UP and Karnataka are going to be benefitted under this scheme which is budgeted at an amount of Rs.6000 crores, for the purpose of improving the groundwater in the said villages in a period of five years. Half of the amount will be credited against the loan taken from the World Bank, while the rest shall be granted to the states in the form of central-aid, under the scheme.
While the Center says the list has been drawn up on the basis of the respective state's interest and preparedness - response of Punjab State is creating a perception that data collection is not complete and up to the mark, as claimed to be, by the centre.
Chief Minister of the state, Captain Amarinder Singh, questioned as to why Punjab, which has lost groundwater in the remaining twenty districts except for Pathankot and Muktsar, is not included in the 'Atal Bhujal Yojana'.
As such, if more areas are added to the scheme, the scheme will not be implementable unless the cost is increased appropriately. In fact, Prime Minister Modi's assertion that every village should not only strive to protect their natural and groundwater reserves but also try to minimize the utilization of water resource in respect to cultivating crops that need less water is applicable to the whole country, in the current scenario.
Rajendra Singh, who is known as 'Water Man of India' estimates that 72 % of the country's groundwater reserves have been exhausted as of now. In spite of being aware of the NASA assessment four years ago, India had lost groundwater to more than double the capacity of the largest reservoir in the United States, Mead Lake, the irresponsible wastage of the groundwater reserves has not even decreased by an iota.
Since the independence of the country, per capita water availability of groundwater is 6,042 cubic meters; Today it is less than a quarter of the availability and is on the way to a further decline. The source of the problem and the extent of the crisis are public secrets! And still, nobody cares to concentrate on the solution.
The pollution control system in the country has been brought out many decades ago, without any success!! Despite the Comptroller Auditor General's report that prevention of the loss and reclamation of the water is not sufficiently catered to, it was of no help in conserving the natural resources.
As a result, the pressure on the groundwater has intensified and the reserves in 160 districts have become saline, and the 230 districts have been affected with a fluoridated demon. Despite the fact that at the state-level, water-conservation is consciously carried out under various scheme-names such as – ‘Mission Kakatiya’ (Telangana), ‘Neeru-Chettu’ (AP), ‘Chief Minister Jal Swabhiman Abhiyan’ (Rajasthan) and ‘Suzalam Sufalam Yojana’ (Gujarat), the lack of a cohesive integrated effort at the national level is a major drawback.
Hence, only a joint effort of the central and state governments in an equal partnership can prove to be a new innovative path for the nation to save groundwater reserves. Quality water reserves and supply to the citizens, nation-wide, is not an easy thing.
The Center's analysis of the gap between irrigation water demand and availability of the same is expected to rise to 43%, as evidenced by the Jal Jeevan Mission, which estimates the cost of providing water to 14 crore rural households in five years at Rs 3,60,000 crore. It is quite uncertain of attaining the same, in view of the current scenario, even if the Center and the states are to share the expenditure equally.
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About three and a half years ago, the Mihir Shah Committee suggested that the Central Water Body and the Central Groundwater System should be reorganized to meet the contemporary needs. While Prime Minister Modi appealed to the farmers in areas where groundwater is being vanished to cooperate and formulate water budgets for the cultivation of cooperative crops, it is also imperative that the government oversees and provides guidance and technical know-how to the respective farmers, for achieving the same.
Australia, South Africa, and the UK have initiated proactive steps in saving and preventing the exhaustion of the groundwater reserves. China has made sure that around 12 million caregivers are obligated with the responsibility of overseeing that no water body in the nation gets contaminated.
Some countries are also working on various innovative methods in the construction of highways and roads, such that the rainwater is not wasted and is harvested properly. If the national culture is established where the maximum benefit from every drop of water is gained, the crop yields also will increase.
As is said that drop by drop makes an ocean, so does the annual water troubles of the nation get washed away. The central government guidelines issued five months ago that municipalities should monitor groundwater extraction and also replenishing the same. If only these guidelines are practised to the fullest, there is no question that the spirit 'Atal Bhujal Yojana'; shall permeate across the country.
