Opinion UN report on groundwater extraction: Every drop counts

A report published, last week, by United Nations University has warned that 27 of the 31 aquifers in the country are depleting faster than they can be replenished. The alarm bells have been ringing for at least a decade. In 2016, the Mihir Shah Committee argued that there is little “understanding of river systems or their interconnections with the health of catchment areas or groundwater”. Several other reports, including those commissioned by the Niti Aayog and the Central Water Commission, have underlined the poor state of the country’s aquifers. Conversations in the wake of these studies pushed the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to initiate the Atal Bhujal Yojana in 78 water-stressed districts. The programme, which commenced in 2020, aims to bring about behavioural changes at the community level in seven states. It’s a welcome initiative and Ministry data does show that groundwater extraction for irrigation, domestic and industrial uses came down by about 6 billion cubic metres in 2022 from 2020. However, the gravity of the crisis is such that much more is required from the Centre and the states.

India pumps up the most groundwater globally — more than China and the US combined. According to the Central Ground Water Board, about 70 per cent of the water used in the country is from groundwater sources. The emphasis on the use of tubewells and borewells played an important role in ensuring food security. But as the Shah Committee pointed out, there has been little emphasis on institutional innovations in the water sector. The link between power subsidies and the falling water table in states such as Punjab has been long apparent. Yet, addressing demand-side management remains a complex problem. The UN report shows that 78 per cent of the wells in the state are overexploited.

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In recent years, researchers have joined the dots between groundwater extraction and the climate crisis. The problem could become acute in the country’s southwest, where aquifers of hard rock already impose limits on recharging. Hotter temperatures could leave less moisture to soak in the soil and replenish groundwater sources. In recent years, the Centre has been trying to promote less thirsty crops like millets and the use of efficient watering techniques. But because borewells and tubewells are covered structures, people don’t realise the gravity of the crisis till it’s too late. The use of technologies that allow people to monitor the water available in their borewells could be the first step to nudge them to manage aquifers responsibly. These could be the catalyst for bringing about behavioural changes.