{"id":8340,"date":"2011-04-14T04:04:50","date_gmt":"2011-04-14T04:04:50","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-04-14T04:04:50","modified_gmt":"2011-04-14T04:04:50","slug":"India-s-Water-Crisis-Is-Already-Here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=8340","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Water Crisis Is Already Here"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past 60 years, per capita availability of water, an indicator of water scarcity, has plummeted 70% in India to 1,544 cubic meters per year. (This makes India \u201cwater stressed,\u201d a step before \u201cwater scarce,\u201d for which the cut-off point is 1,000 cubic meters per capita). On an annual basis, only 60% of India\u2019s available water, which largely comes from rainfall, can be put to \u201cbeneficial use.\u201d Better water storage could address this. While in India per capita water storage stands at 213 cubic meters, in the U.S. this figure is 1,960 and in Australia it is 4,700.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And the future is not looking promising either. Without policy intervention, it is estimated that by 2050, water demand per capita in India is predicted to grow 30% from what it is today. A lot of this has to do with climate change, a growing population and a booming economy. \u201cIt is evident that only the adoption of better governance practices and enhanced efficiency would reduce this demand,\u201d said Mr. Ansari.<\/p>\n

Mr. Khurshid\u2019s words on this were not very comforting. He started off by laying out what his department, the Ministry of Water Resources, is really responsible for. Water management, he said, was not part of it. This was up to state departments and municipalities, rather than to the central government, which just financed it. The conflict between periphery and center, and the lack of cooperation between states, he said, was a key reason for the country\u2019s poor record in water management.<\/p>\n

He hoped new legislation would enhance the central government\u2019s power in this area. Among other things, this may make it easier for water to be transferred from so-called \u201cwater surplus\u201d regions to \u201cdeficit\u201d ones, without individual states hoarding it for themselves. He also hinted that all sources of water\u2013including those found on private grounds\u2013may one day become public property. The key area of focus for policymakers will be agriculture: irrigation accounts for about 85% of the country\u2019s water consumption. This means cropping patterns may have to change, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SOURCE<\/a>
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