Water is a critical input into agriculture in nearly all its aspects having a determining effect on the eventual yield. Good seeds and fertilizers fail to achieve their full potential if plants are not optimally watered. Adequate availability of water is important for animal husbandry as well. Fisheries are, of course, directly dependent on water resources. India accounts for about 17% of the world’s population but only 4% of the world fresh water resources. Distribution of these water resources across the vast expanse of the country is also uneven. The increasing demands on water resources by India’s burgeoning population and diminishing quality of existing water resources because of pollution and the additional requirements of serving India’s spiraling industrial and agricultural growth have led to a situation where the consumption of water is rapidly increasing while the supply of fresh water remains more or less constant. Surveys conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) showed most of urban cities are water deficient. Nearly 40% of water demand in urban India is met by ground water. As a result ground water tables in most cities are falling at alarming rate of 2-3 meters per year.1 Water scarcity has many negative impacts on the environment, including lakes, rivers, wetlands, and other fresh water resources. Additionally, water overuse can cause water shortage, often occurs in areas of irrigation agriculture, and harms the environment in several ways including increased salinity, nutrient pollution, and the degradation and loss of flood plains and wetlands. Furthermore, water shortage makes flow management in the rehabilitation of urban streams problematic. Owing to poor water resource management system and climate change India faces a persistent water shortage. As per OECD environmental outlook 2050, India would face severe water constrains by 2050. Indian agriculture accounts for 90% water use due to fast track ground water depletion and poor irrigation systems.
Key words: Water , Agriculture , India , Challenges , Action
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