THE CONTEXT: The theme for World Food Day of 2023 is ‘Water is Life, Water is Food’ which indicates calls for urgent action in managing water wisely. Sustainable water management is critical to address impending food and nutrition security threats.
STATUS OF WATER IN INDIA
- While India is home to almost 18% of the world’s population, it has only 4% of global freshwater resources.
- According to a report by the NITI Aayog, a large number of Indians face high to extreme water stress. India’s dependence on an increasingly erratic monsoon for its water requirements increases this challenge.
- 70% of our sources are contaminated and our major rivers are dying because of pollution.
- India also relies heavily on groundwater resources, which account for more than half of all irrigated land and serve 20 million tube wells. India has become the world’s largest extractor of groundwater, accounting for 25 per cent of the world.
- Excessive usage of water for agriculture and related activities has resulted into overexploitation of water resources. One possible solution is the adoption of climate smart agriculture.
CERTAIN STEPS TAKEN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
- The UN’s food agencies work closely with the Government of India and State governments on innovations such as Solar 4 Resilience, Secure Fishing, and the revival of millets for renewable energy promotion, food security and nutrition.
- The FAO, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, is piloting a crop forecasting framework and model incorporating climate, soil characteristics and market information. It will provide aid to rainfed farmers in making informed decisions, contributing to food security.
- The FAO also supports the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems and climate-smart agriculture practices to improve water-use efficiency. It supported the farmer water school programme in Uttar Pradesh, which helped smallholder farmers.
- International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supports Indian States in leveraging the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme. IFAD has enshrined climate change adaptation in its core strategies. It set ambitious targets in terms of leveraging climate financing to mitigate climate change by addressing the adverse impacts of agriculture and helping farmers to adapt to the increasing volatility of weather conditions.
ISSUES
- Increasing climate extremes: Availability or a lack of water has become even more critical with increasing climate extremes. Countries face severe challenges such as drought, floods, unseasonal rains and prolonged dry spells. In every scenario, climate change without adequate adaptation measures reduces crop yields and lowers the nutritional quality of produce.
- Affects food security: Water availability affects every aspect of human life, especially food and nutrition security. For instance, about 60% of India’s net sown area is rainfed, contributing to 40% of the total food production.
- Fragile ecosystems: Decades of poor water management, misuse and pollution, and the climate crisis have degraded freshwater supplies and ecosystems. It has added to the vulnerability of small-scale producers to climate shocks and land degradation in some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. About 40% of the planet’s total land area is degraded, leaving farmers with less productive land.
THE WAY FORWARD
- Water use efficiency: There is a need to increase water usage efficiency with the use of Sprinklers and drip irrigation techniques. Also, in regions where there is deficit rainfall, implementation of dryland agricultural techniques could help for water use efficiency.
- Political commitment and investment: To achieve global food and nutrition security, political commitment is needed for concrete investment. There is a need for policies and investments to promote innovative technologies that allow farmers to increase their productivity and adapt to climate change.
- Focus on traditional water-storing structures: There is a need to focus on traditional water-storing structures to minimize the wastage for water-efficient irrigation. There should be a focus on the reuse of water to prevent water loss and reduce the pollution of rivers.
THE CONCLUSION
With climate change and population growth leading to increased water use, new solutions have to be conceived for better urban water management. It is essential that holistic and systemic solutions are implemented to solve water issues.
PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS:
Q.1 “The ideal solution to depleting groundwater resources in India is a water harvesting system”. How can it be made effective in urban areas? (2018)
Q.2 What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (2019)
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
Q.1 Sustainable management of water is a necessity of the present to prevent water scarcity in the future. Analyse in the context of current water crisis and suggest measures to address it.
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