Policy measures to address the problems of groundwater depletion

Abstract

Water, one of the 5 elements essential for the survival of mankind, is under siege. Overexploitation, over-extraction, pollution, dumping untreated sewage and effluents etc are a common sight in India. Pollution of freshwater sources has reached levels where water from entire rivers and lakes has been termed unfit for any kind of domestic or industrial use. Overexploitation of groundwater has pushed water tables so low that cities have started running out of water. The current water policy needs to undergo an urgent makeover to keep pace with the modern demands and protect the nation from future shocks of water scarcity. Water management, and especially Groundwater management has been plagued with numerous administrative and legal loopholes and challenges which have been exploited by the citizens for their needs. With no regulator set in place to monitor and manage the resource, people have dug up borewells across the country and have drained the resource thin. There are over 10 million straws (borewells) across the country that are sucking the resource from the belly of our planet, with no legal ramifications if the resource gets contaminated or overused by one single entity. Hence there is a strong need to not only save and conserve our surface water which will in turn help in filling up our aquifers, but also to look into aspects of direct recharging of groundwater, changing the crop patterns, reducing the power subsidy to farmers, increase the use modern technology like drip irrigation, promoting treatment and reuse of wastewater and lastly, to set up mechanisms to generate monthly water bills according to the usage of the citizens. Though there will be barriers when a change of such magnitude is put forth, the initiatives from which the inspiration has been taken have showcased immense potential to do more good than harm. Eg – Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan or the Canal Solar Power Project.