BHARAT……..”The Development Dilemma” ( India Challenge Series - 2 ) Water Scarcity in India: Capturing a Wasted Wealth https://youtu.be/qewJRjbHmFs  India’s water paradox is stark: a country crisscrossed by mighty rivers still struggles with scarcity. The chapter argues that a large share of freshwater flows unused into the sea, constraining agriculture, industry, urban growth, and ecosystems. Despite historical legacies and numerous modern schemes, governance gaps and inefficiencies keep the crisis alive. The proposed “all-time solution” is to capture and store more river water before it reaches the oceans-paired with efficient use and community stewardship. Historical Foundations • Mughal era: Emperors invested in canals (Nahr-i-Bihisht, Shah Nahr), stepwells (AgrasenkiBaoli), urban water systems, gardens with sophisticated hydraulics, and reservoirs-demonstrating early integrated water management. • British era: Large irrigation works like the Ganga Canal, Sirhind Canal, Periyar Project, Mettur Dam, Sutlej Valley Project, and Nira Canal expanded agricultural capacity, though primarily oriented toward cash crops. Magnitude of the Problem • Around 40% of India’s freshwater potential is estimated to go untapped annually, draining into the sea. • Major river systems contribute vast freshwater volumes to the Indian Ocean: the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system alone discharges roughly 1,350 km³/ year; others like the Indus, Godavari, and Krishna add significantly. • Seasonal variability, monsoon dependence, snowmelt, and uneven infrastructure amplify waste and insecurity. Economic and Environmental Impacts • Agriculture: Insufficient irrigation coverage depresses yields, farmer incomes, and food security. • Industry: Water shortages raise costs and constrain growth, including power generation. • Urban areas: Rapid urbanization collides with weak supply and storage systems, causing recurrent city-wide crises. • Environment:
Altered flows and pollution harm aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, reducing
ecosystem services. • Governance reforms: Pricing, regulation, and equitable allocation; stricter anti-pollution enforcement. • Infrastructure: More reservoirs, rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, rainwater harvesting at scale, and modernized distribution. • Technology: Drip/sprinkler irrigation, precision farming, recycling, and remote sensing/data analytics. • Public participation: Community-led planning, awareness, and stewardship to ensure maintenance and behavioral change. Government Initiatives: Progress and Gaps • Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Focuses on rainwater harvesting, watershed work, and afforestation (“Catch the Rain”). Millions of saplings planted, hundreds of thousands of structures created/renovated; impact promising but needs stronger data, maintenance, and long-term planning. • National Water Mission: Targets 20% efficiency gains via regulation and incentives; some improvements reported, especially in agriculture, but implementation and data gaps persist. • PM KrishiSinchayee Yojana: Expands irrigation through AIBP, HKKP, and “Per Drop More Crop.” Notable expansion in micro-irrigation and project completions, yet delays, uneven adoption, and underutilized funds remain challenges. • Rainwater Harvesting: Mandates in several states (e.g., Tamil Nadu, Delhi) with millions of structures built and documented groundwater gains; however, maintenance lapses and uneven implementation reduce effectiveness. • Atal BhujalYojana: Community-based groundwater management in seven states, with water security plans, improved monitoring, and localized groundwater recovery. Behavioral shifts like crop pattern change are limited; data quality and initial delays noted. • National River Conservation Plan: Sewage interception, treatment, and riverfront work across many towns; some capacity added, but only a fraction of urban sewage is treated, and industrial pollution and funding/coordination issues limit outcomes. • National River Linking Project: Aims to balance regional water availability via inter-basin transfers (Ken-Betwa, Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada). Progress is partial; full implementation remains distant. Key figures who shaped water management From Rajendra Chola’s Grand Anicut and Mughal waterworks to British engineers like Arthur Cotton and Indian stalwarts such as Sir Ganga Ram and M. Visvesvaraya, India’s water legacy includes nation-building dam projects under Nehru, policy advances under Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, and contemporary initiatives under Narendra Modi. Civil society leaders like Rajendra Singh demonstrate the power of community-led river rejuvenation. Conclusion • Despite a dense patchwork of schemes, bureaucratic inertia, coordination failures, maintenance gaps, and vested interests impede optimal water use. • The chapter contends that systematically capturing river water before it reaches the sea-through storage, recharge, and distribution along river corridors-could largely resolve India’s water crisis and unlock massive economic gains, without perpetual spending on fragmented programs. • Achieving this requires integrated planning across basins, modern efficiency measures (especially in agriculture), robust institutions, transparent data, and citizen participation. India does not lack water; it lacks the systems to store, move, and use it wisely. By combining river-basin-scale storage and recharge, precision agriculture, pollution control, and community stewardship-and by ensuring schemes are maintained and governed well-the country can convert “wasted” freshwater into resilience, prosperity, and ecological recovery. ----------------------------------------------------
About The Article
This article is the extract of one of the chapter of the best-selling book on
Indian Macro-Economics, titled.... Bharat........” The Development Dilemma"
authored by CA Anil Kumar Jain.
“This book is a must-read for every aware and enlightened citizen. It presents an in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by an emerging India and offers innovative suggestions and practical solutions to overcome them, paving the way for our nation to attain the esteemed position of Vishwaguru in the near future.” The book is available at Amazon, Flipkart, Google Play Books and Ahimsa Foundation (WhatsApp Your Request - 9810046108).
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