In the backdrop of NITI Aayog’s report on ground water, the ground realities of Tamil Nadu are analysed.
The central think tank, NITI Aayog, has come up with a report on ground water at the national level, which has created ripples across the states. As several state governments are under war-mode to share the scarce resource of water, the report has brought to light various realities.
Post-Independence India witnessed many water sharing disputes as the requirement for water increased owing to increasing population, food production and industrial utilities. Geographically, India has been an abundant country in terms of water resources. Several perennial rivers flow in the country especially Northern and North-East regions experience floods frequently by the overflowing rivers during monsoon season. On the contrary, states in Western, Central and Southern regions are a mix of wet and dry areas. Hence, the spatial distribution of the essential resource is volatile. What is to be remembered is that about 53 per cent of the Indian farming terrain is rain-fed.
“Niti Aayog’s report says that big cities including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi would witness the danger of depletion of groundwater in 2020. However, the report adds that in terms of ground water management, many states have taken serious action to mitigate the crisis.”
According to a UNESCO report released in 2012, India’s annual extraction of ground water is 251 cubic kilometers (cu km), which is equal to 26 times the storage level of Bhakra Dam of Punjab making it the world’s biggest consumer next to distanced extractors of the US and China with 112 cubic kilometers per annum.
Another ground water report by a government committee stated that 60 per cent of the irrigated area depends on ground water. It also stated that about 30 million groundwater structures are in the country and it is easier for a farmer to dig-up a well in one’s own land just by getting a licence. So, they are decentralised and difficult to get monitored for over-exploitation.
According to Magsaysay award winner and water conservationist Rajendra Singh, there was no licence system that prevailed a century ago in India, and water management was community-driven. After canal-based flood irrigation system came into being, water extraction has become acute as pointed out by other water experts as well.
The real cause behind the dip in the ground water level is the change of crops as many cash crops and plantation crops have replaced traditionally water conserving crops (dry crops) like Raagi in southern states and others across the country. Those water-intensive crops are suitable for flood irrigated areas alone, indicate experts. Though several states have essential Acts to contain the extraction of ground water indiscriminately, their poor enforcement is a cause for concern.
Several state governments have been advised to change the cropping pattern from water-intensive crops to water-saving one. Even new varieties of crops with less usage of water are suggested for farmers. India’s premier agricultural research institution Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) scientists have developed such varieties.
In addition, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has developed alternative dry and wet irrigation systems to boost production with less amount of water. Though India stands at the top in terms of area under paddy with high production, yield per hectare is half of the total yield achieved by not only the developed but also other developing compatriots. As land degradation pushes hard, yield per hectare is seriously affected. It leads to farmers pumping out more water from the already strained ground water resource.
To meet the demand for food items and keep the buffer stock for emergency occasions, net irrigated area in the country has to be increased for higher crop production. As against the net irrigated (wells plus tube wells) area of five lakh hectares in 1950-51 in Tamil Nadu, the figures increased to 54.2 lakh hectares in 2010-2011. Across India, this was 66.3 lakh hectares in 1950-51 but increased to 353.9 hectares in 2010-2011. Tamil Nadu just reflects the all-India trend where the figures stand out as five to 14.8 lakh hectares in the past seventy years. But this manifold increase is also a not a good sign.
“The government in Tamil Nadu brought in Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) in every residential structure to gather water for year-long usage. However, over a period of time, the process has stagnated.”
Even in the capital, Chennai, vast numbers of residential complexes do not possess RWH structures despite the fact that Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has made it mandatory to include RWH structures in blue print in order to get the construction approval.
State of water bodies in Tamil Nadu
The responsibility of maintaining water bodies once rested with local governments in Tamil Nadu. Later, it went to government authorities and PWD department in case of larger water bodies. No clear demarcation of water bodies often leads to lack of accountability. Very recently, the process of de-silting and developing such water bodies was initiated. Several tanks have been closed and converted for construction, industrial and other purposes with or without the state’s approval.
However, Niti Aayog’s report states that the state has performed well in sustaining the resource. Associate Professor of Madras Institute of Development Studies, Dr. K Sivasubramaniyan, says, “The water sources for well/tube irrigation must be either river or tank located in a particular locality. Once they reach their full capacity, they flourish the neighbourhood water sources abundantly.”
On conditions in urban water management, he points out, “Here in Tamil Nadu, rain fall is good. But the conditions of several tanks are in bad shape and only now, Government is taking steps to de-silt them. In cities, very few households have wells and other few constructed RWH system. Therefore, the claim to ‘good showing’ would create doubts in the minds of the public.”
