Newsletter No. 63;
IRBMS
dominated by the Scheduled Tribes, Mishing or something goes wrong, such as a drought, at which
Miri community population, which is exactly 54% point people begin raving about groundwater,
of the total population. Agriculture is the main location, yield, salinity etc. Only when aquifer
occupation of the downstream inhabitants. depletion is already quite advanced we begin to see
(Contd...)
the tell-tale signs at drying up of wells, subsidence,
and dried-up wetlands clogged with dead trees and
dried-out bird carcasses.
Special Feature:-
Statistics about India’s groundwater depletion are
depressing . India accounts for 25% of the world’s
Water crisis is looming large in India with
drying Ground water condition
extracted groundwater, more than the next two
countries, China and the United States, combined.
The array of problems cuts across urban and rural
India’s groundwater depletion is a national crisis. areas and the scale is nationwide. A 2016 report by
India with 18% of world population and 4% of fresh the
water resources is facing more water crisis with restructuring the Central Water Commission and
every passing year. India is directionless in terms the Central Ground Water Board says that the
priorities related to water, without any proper growing dependence on groundwater has taken
National Water Policy and no clear direction about the form of unsustainable over-extraction, which is
the use of Groundwater. lowering the water table and adversely impacting
A large part of India’s fresh water now supplied by drinking water security.
groundwater now. Despite the common perception Severe water crisis already started witnessing by
of its abundance, groundwater is not inexhaustible. Gujarat this year. The state government, has
Its management is fraught with minefields greater announced a clampdown on water for irrigation
and more enigmatic than those of surface waters. and industries from March 15, and has decided
It is, after all, much easier to spot when a reservoir to rationalize drinking water supply to the major
is about to run dry than a subterranean aquifer. cities including Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and
Indian
parliamentary
committee
on
Vadodara among other municipal corporations.
For the most part, however, groundwater remains
out of sight, hidden beneath many metres of soil
and rock. We only remember it is there when
After green revolution, usage of groundwater
increases rapidly in India and day by day timely
availability of water become scarce. Over the years
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Integrated River Basin Management Society