According to the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India is expected to experience above-normal rainfall during the upcoming southwest monsoon season from June to September. This is great news after an eight-year hiatus for him. The last time India experienced decent rain was in 2016. The country’s dependence on the monsoon can be judged from the fact that about 70-90% of the annual precipitation falls in the four months from June to September.
A normal monsoon has a direct impact on the country’s economy. Even rainfall is critical for 61% of India’s farmers, who depend on the monsoon for agriculture. A positive monsoon boosts agricultural production, which boosts the country’s economy and strengthens food security.
Overuse of groundwater
Over the past few decades, declining resources have led to overuse of groundwater. According to India’s Central Ground Water Board, 18% of India’s groundwater assessment units are overexploited or in critical condition, meaning the rate of water extraction is higher than the rate of aquifer recharge.
Since the 1960s, and especially since the Green Revolution, overuse of groundwater for agriculture has increased. To meet the requirements, a largely unmanaged groundwater irrigation economy is booming in rural areas. The increased availability of wells and free or subsidized electricity has given farmers the freedom to pump groundwater, leading to overexploitation of the resource.
This practice raises concerns considering that around 75% of the annual groundwater recharge takes place during the southwest monsoon. Changing monsoon patterns due to climate change could disrupt these charging cycles, resulting in more crop failures.
Bangalore’s big problem
IMD’s latest monsoon forecast comes as good news not only for farmers but also for the hundreds of thousands of people in India’s cities who are battling water-related crises. Bengaluru is the most likely among them these days. Here are his two main water sources. Cauvery water meets his 60% of the city’s water needs and the rest is met by wells managed by the Bengaluru Water Authority.
Two large lakes in the city, Valsoor and Bellandur, have remained dry for the past four years due to sediment removal operations. One of the main reasons for the groundwater crisis in Bangalore is the delay in their rejuvenation.
“Above-normal monsoon is good news for cities as both local lakes will fill up and groundwater resources will be recharged. It brings benefits,” says S. Vishwanath. Vishwanath, a trustee of Biome Environment Trust, was one of the first to start a rainwater harvesting campaign in the city, way back in the 1990s. “We must pay attention to the catchment areas of the Cauvery basin, especially the forest areas of Wayanad, Coorg and Hassan, and ensure that there is no felling of trees, no land conversion, no sand mining and no discharge of industrial effluents into rivers. It’s a river.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which has been under heavy criticism for water shortages in the city, has come up with a strategy to conserve water by reducing supply to large customers. Officials expect this to save around 60 million liters of water per day (MLD). “Reductions of 10-20% are manageable if large commercial facilities, residential complexes and industries adopt simple water-saving measures such as installing aerators and restricting the flow of tap water,” BWSSB Chairman Ram said. “This can save up to 30% of water usage.” Prasat Manohar. “Many large facilities already have sewage treatment plants and we have advised them to use treated water for various purposes such as flushing and gardening. In order to do so, the treated water will be delivered to households through pipes,” he added.
The crisis is not just in one city.
Not only Bengaluru, but most major cities in India are also suffering from water shortages. India’s financial capital, Mumbai, is in crisis. The water resources of the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai have declined to 37.9%, the lowest in the last three years. Reports say that insufficient rainfall has caused the lake to dry up much faster this year.
Delhi too faces a shortage of drinking water every summer. Groundwater has been depleted and the Yamuna River, the source of at least 60% of the water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board, has become irreversibly contaminated.
Chennai has been notorious for its water problems for several years now. Supply is completely dependent on annual rainfall. As in other cities, large-scale urbanization and industrialization have led to extreme weather events, causing floods and droughts. On June 19, 2019, just four years after heavy rain-induced floods in 2015, Chennai became one of the first major cities in the world to face water shortages, with the state government asking for 10 million liters of water. was forced to transport. Give water to the people every day.
Most of the city’s rainwater is released into the ocean rather than being used to store depleted groundwater. “All citizens must participate in rainwater harvesting. Otherwise, even a bountiful monsoon will be wasted,” Vishwanath said.
Economics of water tankers
Today, water crisis has become an almost permanent feature of India’s urban centers, extending far beyond the summer months. To address supply shortages, municipal enterprises and citizens have had to rely on water tankers, which have become an integral part of the unorganized urban water supply chain. According to estimates, more than 1,500 water vessels owned by around 500 vendors ply every day across the length and breadth of Bangalore, supplying water to various localities, social complexes and businesses. But this is an unregulated economy, and these tankers pump water from a variety of sources, including lakes, farmland, private homes, storm drains, and even dangerous and contaminated wells near burial sites. Naturally, the risk of diseases such as cholera, jaundice, and E. coli infections increases many times.
India needs a national law to regulate groundwater and manage freshwater resources. With central and state governments fulfilling their responsibilities to provide efficient governance, a strong civil governance framework has become the need of the hour. Over-reliance on the monsoon should now be a thing of the past.
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the author’s personal opinions.
