Sustainabi

lity and
Developm
ent
Water Crisis and its
Impact on the
Economy

Shuma Banik , V001950

 Table of Content

1. Issue

2. Problem Statement

3. Context

4. Literature

5. Analysis

6. Findings

7. Recommendation

8. References
 The Issue

At present, India is going through ground water drought. Depletion of ground water is causing water

scarcity which is affecting the food security, health and the livelihoods of its population. This is

affecting the economy of the state by restricting the growth.

 Problem Statement

The ideal: Appropriate ground water level to make it accessible to everyone

The reality: Intense pumping of ground water leading to depletion of ground water level which is

affecting the Indian Economy

The consequences: Capping the aquifers will lead to efficient usage of ground water which in turn

will be helpful in replenishing the ground water level.

 Context

In order to understand the dynamics of water in India and its effect on the economics of this

country, this research paper is conducted with respect to water conditions and its economic

consequences.

Water being one of the most important sources, there are complicated channels through which

water effects economic growth. The purpose of this report is to provide information on the

depletion of ground water, its consequences and the ways to curb the effects. The paper gives a

detailed review on water resource, scarcity, economic growth and identifies the viable solutions with

an addition to the aspect of denominator thinking to curb the consequences. It deals with

agricultural water consumption, corporate consumptions through excessive water pumping. Finally

it discusses the depletion of ground water and its impact on the economy of the nation.

Water and the economy are appropriately correlated. The daily minimum requirement for every

human on is 20-50 liters of clean water which is free from any form of contamination and is

consumable according to standards. Surface availability of fresh water per person has been reduced

to 60% between 1950 and 2000 abruptly which shows the problem that we are heading towards.

While family unit use of water is essential to endure and carry on with a sound life, water

accessibility with the end goal of horticultural utilization is additionally significant. This implies

agrarian use, use by enormous enterprises to create products and other vocation openings like

domesticated animals cultivating, fishing, foresting, agriculture, and so on. Almost all occupations

and business openings are identified with water. This is directly identified with work and different

variables of social equity and development. Interest for water is relied upon to develop by 400 % for

assembling purposes which is unnerving. Be that as it may, globalization, environmental change and

over the top siphoning of ground water for various modern purposes and agrarian uses has

prompted the ground water dry season in India. This expansion sought after of ground water will
continue expanding step by step. The main key to battle this emergency is embracing practical

methods for water use and change in water arrangements the country over. Institutional

intercessions are required and are the most feasible way to deal with arrangement with it.

Water accessibility has a lot of socio political connotations attached to it. Be it about caste or gender.

In India, water is still a luxury for Dalits and low caste communities where they have specific timings

to get water from the common pool of water resource. There are times when they are even

debarred of water access and result in violence and other mal practices.
 Literature

Groundwater is the biggest wellspring of usable, new water on the planet. In numerous pieces of the

world, particularly where surface water supplies are not accessible, local, farming, and mechanical

water needs must be met by utilizing the water underneath the ground.

Groundwater consumption is fundamentally brought about by supported groundwater siphoning.

The negative impacts of groundwater consumption are as follows:

Lowering of the Water Table

Excessive unregulated pumping of ground water can lower the groundwater table which makes it

difficult to fetch cause groundwater.

Increased Costs

As a result of extreme lowering of the water table, water has to be pumped further in order to reach

the table. This leads to lack of ground water which makes the pumping difficult.

Reduced Surface Water Supplies

Groundwater and surface water are correlated. As a result of over use of ground water, the lakes,

streams and other water bodies also lose out on their water resource.

Land Subsidence

Land subsidence is the result of lack of water below the ground which means excessive water

pumping has a role to play in this regard. This leads to soil collapse and other natural degradations

Water Quality Concerns

Excessive use and unregulated pumping can lead to movement of saline water to the inland which

may lead to salt water contamination which affects the water supply.

Groundwater Decline and Depletion

When ground water is pumped at faster rate than the rate at which it is recharged, it leads to drying

up of wells which is a regular phenomenon during droughts.

Ground water is one of the most valuable resources across the globe where water bodies like lakes,

rivers and other supplies form the basis of life for people and other living. Across the globe, it is the

supply of drinking water for people across the globe and almost more than 80 % of the rural

population is dependent on this form of water source for all the agricultural use. Ground water

depletion, ,most commonly used terminology to denote the overuse of water and its effects leads to

all the pertinent water crisis. This means that not only agriculture and industries are effected but

forms of life and their existence is also effected. Be it fauna and flora or the human kind. The

sustainability of these resources comes in the way of existence of million others. In India, in the most

recent newsletters and magazines, Chennai ground water depletion has grabbed all the eye balls.

This is not a simple one day affairs. Years of abuse and exploitation has resulted to this disaster and

we are a party to that.

Excessive pumping of ground water can increase the water foot print, diminish the existing aquifers

and decrease our water bank amount.

Water that is stored in the ground is well relatable to money in the bank. If we keep on debiting only

and pay very less heed to debiting, this will always create crisis. This leads to account-supply

problem. Similarly, when water is pumped from the underground , i.e discharged is higher than

recharge, it leads to overuse and there is a account-supply problem that arises. This leads to

decrease in volume of water storage and the depletion takes place which is nothing more than a

negative sustained ground water pumping. Negative effects of ground water pumping are :

 Wells dry up

 Water scarcity in streams and lakes

 Water quality is decorated

 Pumping cost is increased

  Land is subsidence

Some of the serious problems related to ground water depletion are:

If ground water is pumped at faster rate than it can be recharged, it leads to negative effects on

effects of the environment and people.

LOWERING OF THE WATER TABLE

Pumping removes water storage from the aquifers which declines throughout the plateaus and

regions

One of the most degrading effects of ground water is that of water table degradation.

The most severe consequence of excessive groundwater pumping is that the water table, below

which the ground is saturated with water, can be lowered. For water to be withdrawn from the

ground, water must be pumped from a well that reaches below the water table. If groundwater

levels decline too far, then the well owner might have to deepen the well, drill a new well, or, at

least, attempt to lower the pump. Also, as water levels decline, the rate of water the well can yield

may decline.

REDUCTION OF WATER IN STREAMS AND LAKES

There is more of an interaction between the water in lakes and rivers and groundwater than most

people think. Some, and often a great deal, of the water flowing in rivers comes from seepage of

groundwater into the streambed. Groundwater has to be pumped from the well for water to be

drawn which leads to ground water depletion.

Groundwater pumping can alter how water moves between an aquifer and a stream, lake, or

wetland by either intercepting groundwater flow that discharges into the surface-water body under

natural conditions, or by increasing the rate of water movement from the surface-water body into

an aquifer. A related effect of groundwater pumping is the lowering of groundwater levels below the
depth that streamside or wetland vegetation needs to survive. The overall effect is a loss of riparian

vegetation and wildlife habitat.

LAND SUBSIDENCE

Land subsidence is the reason behind the of support beneath the ground. When the water is taken

out of the soil suddenly the water might stop reacting to the phenomenon which indicates the

collapse of ground water. This depends completely on the aquifers, the soil that is beneath, etc. Land

sebsidence is a result of human activity which is caused by removal of thw ater specially

uncontroolable and unregulated and in excess.

INCREASED COSTS FOR THE USER

With increase in the depth, it requires greater pull to lift the water. This condition definitely requires

more energy to drive the water to the level from which it can be pumed. Hence this becomes a

costly and monetary extensive process as a whole

DETERIORATION OF WATER QUALITY

All of the water in the underground is not fresh water which mean that there is salinity at the ground

water level. Deep ground water and the water below the oceans are all saline.

“In fact, an estimated 3.1 million cubic miles (12.9 cubic kilometers) of saline groundwater exists

compared to about 2.6 million cubic miles (10.5 million cubic kilometers) of fresh groundwater

(Gleick, P. H., 1996: Water resources. In Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, ed. by S. H.

Schneider, Oxford University Press, New York, vol. 2, pp. 817-823).”

One of the biggest threats to the fresh ground water is the mixing up of saline water into it. Salinity

of the ground water may create intrusion passage into the other water forms and create salinity

which makes it non-consumable unless it is desalinized which requires high level of technical
intervention and systemic involvement in the process. This is a form of contamination which is often

missed out.
 Analysis

Water is a global crisis in the making

According to the United Nations, global demand for water is expected to increase nearly one third by

2050 while pollution of rivers, lakes, oceans, urbanization, and over-extraction of groundwater will

continue to take a toll in its supply. WHO estimates that water scarcity affects 1 out of every 4

people globally, and developing countries are most affected by water related disasters.

India is geographically located near the equator and this is the reason which makes India extremely

vulnerable to climate change related disasters like flooding and droughts. India is the one to suffer

climate change the most of all the countries. India’s growing population, will add additional demand

for water in the future. The total available amount of supply of water in the country is about 650

BCM. India’s current demand of water stands at 634 BCM which is almost close to the quantum of

water available. This makes the situation worse.

De

India’s water demand is approximated to rise by 20% over the next few years which is a result of

urbanization,

Demand for water is expected to increase by 20% over the next decade due to rapid urbanization,

industrialization and a growing population 1. At the same time, climate change and pollution will

continue to impact supply of water by reducing the utilizable quantity of water available –

precipitating a water crisis that the country can ill afford.

1
According to the Water Resource Group, India’s demand for water will double to 1498 BCM by 2030,

while supply will decline to 744 BCM due to over extraction. This means we will have only half the

supply of water for our needs by 2030.

What drives India’s insatiable demand?

Of the current demand for water, irrigation requirements account for 89%, followed by household at

7% and industrial use at 4% water use trends across different uses from 1990 projected upto 2025

indicate that agriculture will continue to dominate and increase in water use over the years.

Agriculture - the largest consumer of water: India’s dominant portfolio of water intensive crops

coupled with low water use efficiency and unregulated groundwater extraction are key reasons that

account for agriculture’s lion share of water demand.

Water Intensive Crops: India’s crop basket is dominated by rice and wheat. 52.5% of India’s 141.4

million hectares of cultivated area is accounted for by rice and wheat . Farmers produce these highly

water intensive crops for a secure income promoted by government price systems. This has led to a

massive extraction of groundwater for irrigation. Studies show that cutting down on the share of

wheat and rice to other water responsible crops like millets and maize would increase availability of

groundwater as they use 45% less water to produce, while providing nutrition rich alternatives to

consumers .

Inefficiency: Irrigation efficiency refers to the amount of water actually consumed by the plant, to

the amount of water supplied. India has a low irrigation water use efficiency at 30% and 55% for

surface and groundwater respectively, which means that most crops consume only half of the water
supplied while the rest is wasted . This is mainly because of use of inefficient methods of irrigation

such as flood irrigation and cultivation of crops foreign to a geographical region.

Distorted water incentives: Some Indian states provide subsidized electricity to farmers for pumping

water out of wells for irrigation. This has led to unregulated, over extraction of groundwater, leading

to a depletion of groundwater resources. Tube wells and wells were the source for 65% of irrigation

needs in 2011 . The number of wells increased from 114 lakhs in 1986-87 to 197 lakhs in 2006-06 .

Growing industrial demand: While industry accounts for 4% of water use in India; it’s use of water

and water management practices need significant improvement. As the industrial sector’s

contribution

Low industrial water productivity: Pollution and usage of excess water for industrial activities are the

key reasons for the sector’s inefficient use of water. India ranks lower than its global counterparts in

water productivity i.e. water used per unit of production (see graphic below). Low productivity

occurs when industries do not invest in recycling or reusing water and do not meter consumption.

Improving water productivity is a key area to work on as the supply of water will continue to be

limited and constrained.

Industrial Pollution: When industrial waste is dumped without treatment; it pollutes and further

declines the supply of usable water . According to CSE (2004) in India, every litre of wastewater

discharged from industries further pollutes 5-6 litres of usable water. This exponentially reduces the

available supply of clean water for other uses.

Industrial Water Price: The water cess paid to governments for industrial water use is not entirely

commensurate with its cost. Pricing is not currently used as a mechanism to promote efficient usage
of water, account for the negative externalities of business, or the marginal cost of extracting

another unit of water. Low prices have been a large factor in encouraging the increasing unregulated

demand for water.

Domestic demand of a large, growing population: Water for drinking, sanitation and other domestic

purposes currently accounts for 7% of total demand and is expected to increase 40% by 2030.

NCIWRD estimates that drinking water needs alone will account for 111 BCM of water demanded in

India by 2050. In addition, water is required for other household and livestock drinking needs.

A World Bank report estimates that 80% of domestic water in India is sourced from groundwater. A

growing population with increasing commitments by government to provide safe drinking water and

Women bear the burden of the crisis

In India, mostly women are in charge of the house hold which means that they are the water

managers of the house. They are the ones who have to walk miles to get few gallons of water. There

are times when they travel with their children on the lap because there is no one to take care of

them back at homes. This leads to early drop out of women from school because as soon as they

attain the age of maturity they are sent off to get water for homes and families. This is definitely one

of the biggest blocks in girl child education in India. This is snatching children and women of their

rights to pursue education or to take up a job. Which hugely effects the economic condition of the

family as a whole. They tend to travel kilometers at 40 degree C that too for a numer of times in

order to fetch water which almost eats up most of their time. This does not only hamper their

education and living but also their health. Due to lack of toilet facilities, they tend to develop

reproductive health problems and leads to a lot of damage mentally and physically. Coming back
home, they get to work on daily chores and involve in grueling monotonous daily ritual of house hold

work. They even are responsible to look after the farms which add to their extra work.

This is the reality of millions of women in drought parts of India which extends from Rajasthan to

Western Ghats to the north eastern regions of the country. Women are assigned the roles of water

managers and alongside collectors. It is estimated that 163m Indians still don’t have access to clean,

running water. Until this problem is addressed and fixed, Indian women will continue to suffer which

will continue impacting the economy of the country because of women dropping out from schools

and not taking up job opportunities. The state has to take up active role in this regard to solve this

problem of crisis and not depend on the environment and situation to fix itself naturally.

Women tend to give up most of their time to making water available for the family which burdens

them the most.

A woman’s burden

Even when women are menstruating, they are made to fetch water from the resources that are far

away. This makes their lives extremely difficult. Due to placement of ground water under extreme

pressure, un sustainable consumption and over reliance on has led to the situation that we are in

right now.

Unsafe drinking water has led to water borne diseases which are causing diseases and its out stead is

killing people and also spreading diseases. The most contributing factor to this is globalization and

increase of factories. The factory spills are so huge that it has become impossible to get away with

this evil. It is affecting all, especially the women. Most of the men migrate to cities for work and it is

the women who are left behind with all the work and family. When children fall sick, it comes on to

the women ad they are the ones who suffer the most.

Apart from rural women, urban women also pay a price to it. Long queues of women with colourful

plastic water pots are one of the most common affairs in Indian slums or middle class colonies. Such
images highlights problems of water scarcity in the cities and the problems of long waits women

have to go through for the water tankers that deliver it in cities.

Slum women in urban areas face the water scarcity where in areas there are no fixed timing of

delivery of water, even mid night water supply is taken as normal. This means that women are

required to be wake in the middle of the night to fetch water for themselves and their families.

According to Dasra report 23 % women drop out from school due to lack of water and sanitation. All

are the implications and ripple effects of water crisis faced by women but nation as a whole.

Right to education, which is a fundamental right under 21A of Indian Constitution is denied to

women at most when they go to fetch water. The policies to create a equal society fails when

women are denied of this right and this effects the family income and psychology of women in the

family and other family members.

Getting water is a tiresome job specially in the areas where there are prevalent heat waves. Women

are at a risk of not only physical discomfort but also sexual abuse. This is worsened when there is no

sanitation and other facilities available for women.

Water has a related caste connotation to it. In villages, water bodies are accessible to women and

men of upper caste and people from low caste communities are required to pay price for using the

water bodies.

According to law and order, India is democratic nation where something as basic as water should be

accessible to everyone irrespective of whichever class or community one belongs to.

In order to curb the problem, the central government has come up with schemes and policies like

National Rural Drinking Water Mission. Human rights have also been reserved on water which was
only recognized in 2002 under General Comment 15 of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights (CESCR).

According to the Economic Survey, “Out-of-school kids cost India up to 0.30% in GDP growth”

In India, total number of out of school children are 56 million.In India, 4.86 per cent of primary

school students, 28.62 per cent of secondary schools and 42.8 per cent of upper secondary school

students drop out from school even before completing targeted education which is huge. Among the

other countries it is only Bangladesh and Vietnam who beat India in this rank. Only Bangladesh and

Vietnam beat India on this score. As the number suggests, this is huge among millions of factors

contributing to this, one of the biggest factors of girls dropping out from school is because of water.

Be it lack of water in schools which makes it difficult for them to attend schools during menstruation

or be it fetching water from far off land every day. Everything plays a significant role in this.

According to World Bank, Asia is losing out on almost 2 % of its GDP due to dropping out of students

from the school However educating parents in this regard might help but basic infrastructure is very

important in order to bring out the best in this situation. If water is made available in schools,

women won’t drop out after hitting their menstruation cycle. They would happily come to school

and attend class and not fear health and other issues. A lot of work is being done by WASH and other

government organization through a number of policies but the scale of impact is missing.

As reports suggest, Economies struggle to reach its full potential because of drop outs because drop

out fail to contribute to the existing human resource development and in genera organized

development of the nation due to lack of knowledge and skill. So the basic and the most efficient

way to combat this by creating space for children to not drop out and remain in school. School and

education plays an important role in development of children and their growth which contributes to
better life, living and economic growth of the country. Because it is only when education is imparted

can they contribute to the sustaining economy of the country.

According to reports Asia is facing a lot of problems in attaining its full potential due to drop out and

if not checked immediately may lead to a huge drop in GDP as well as happiness index of the nations

concerned. Way of life has an impact on happiness index of the country and a decrease of both

should a huge concern to government and people.

According to Christof Ehrhart, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and

Responsibility Deutsche Post DHL Group “Asia Pacific region cannot rely on its rapid economic

growth to automatically improve social outcomes like school retention. Although India's economy is

growing at around 7 per cent per annum, nearly 20 per cent of its children exit school before

secondary level, while Indonesia, where economic growth has helped halves poverty levels since

1999, still sees 1 in 5 students drop out of school by lower secondary age.”

If the concerned private and public schools do not take up the responsibility, the economy will face a

lot of significant talent shortage in the economy which might require a lot of outsourcing from other

countries which may lead to other economic disaster. This can lessen the speed of growth and

development which will definitely impact the economy of the country and the make the economic

growth a far-fetched dream. Economic development across the nations requires a strong education

base of the citizens and history has always proven that sustainable growth can only be achieved if

and only if a country translates to higher education and development of innovation in the space of

education, infrastructure and required interventions. Countries with lower education and literacy

rates hit the new lows of GDP which has been proven time and again. Clutches of poverty

strengthens when there is no education because of lack of inability to get into the formal sectors of

economy which means diverting from the main stream economy.

Solutions lies in providing the basic amenities to the children which are unavailable and are forcing

them to drop out. Once this level of basic infrastructure is achieved, then awareness becomes easy.

It is then that the parents are convinced of the importance of their children’s education because the

basic requirements are met and then they are able to think of next level development.
 Findings

Agriculture uses the highest amount of water which is backed by industrial use and household uses.

Agriculture usage can be made more effective my transforming the system of usage like shifting to

drip irrigation or maintaining and conserving water by most traditional methods.

The solution cannot be individualistic instead it requires systemic intervention where regulations are

made by the government to pull certain about of ground water

 Recommendations

1. Desalinization: One of the man’s earliest forms of water treatment is desalinization of water.

It is still one of the most popular technologies which is specially adopted by Israel to combat

water problem of the country. Nowadays, artificially installed desalinization plants are used

to convert saline water into drinking water which is important in converting sea water to

normal drinking water. Desalinization is one of the most efficient and effective technology

which can solve the ongoing water crisis. Naturally, this process is as basic as hydraulic cycle

where sun supplies the energy for evaporation of water from sources such as lakes, oceans

and streams. This process can be replicated artificially using alternative technologies.

2. Capping ground water pumping: Capping the pumping of ground water through community

ownership and mobilization and by involving women leaders from across the agriculture

space domain can bring a lot of change. This can only be done if everyone in the community

has belongingness for the community and if not, that requires to be built for the greater

good.

3. Shifting from rice and wheat to other crops which create less water foot print: Water

intensive crops should be reduced and appropriate crop rotation should be taken up which

can only change the water foot print of communities and villages and effect the water space

of the nation as a whole. Since the world is connected by aquifers, maintaining the bowl of

water and ensuring its fullness can only bring in a lot of change in water crisis in the

agriculture space.

4. Regulating subsidization of electricity for pumping: Government’s subsidizing electricity for

installing pumps and non-regulation of these pumps are coming a long way in the way of

creation of unwanted water crisis which can be treated with better regulation.

5. Regulating industrial water usage: Industries are creating a lot of damage to the ground

water and surface water by pollution which makes the water non-recyclable and also
 hampers the consumption level of the water. This leads to toxicity in the water resources

which travels far and wide causing a lot of damage to land and other water resources.

6. Responsibility of civil societies and private bodies : Civil societies and private bodies can

take up appropriate measure of involving technology and modern inventions by investing

more on scientific Research and development which can definitely lead to a better society

where water crisis is less and less of water foot print is created in the process.

7. Reduce Reuse and Recycle: Water is the form of natural resource which is running out and

requires instant intervention individually as well as systemically. If the water quality is kept

intact and is of consumable quality, it will become easy for the administrations to recycle the

water so that it becomes usable. By recycling water, water wastes can be reduced. However,

with the advent of globalization, there is over utilization of chemicals which makes the water

non-consumable and non-recyclable.

8. Not letting water run: Conserving water means conserving soil. In sloppy areas, due to water

run, it creates a lot of soil erosion which leads to further damage and water is not conserved

properly because it is washed off. In this case, changing the mindset and behavior of people

towards better conservation practices can be really helpful. This can be done through

schools because this requires a community level mindset shift and this is the only place

where each and every member of the community contributes.

9. Fixing the drip: Shifting to drip irrigation can be a meaningful way of transformation but it

requires a lot of technological advancement throughout which means investing on irrigation

technologies and equipment.

10. Incentivizing farmers: Framers can be incentivized to use less water and create less water

foot print. This can be in the form of giving water cards where they get on the basis if crop

rotations, using minimum water, farming less water intensive crops and coming up with new

and absolute varieties which create less water foot print.

11. Shifting from supply side to demand side management: Water management from supply

side to demand side may reduce the over exploitation of water.

12. Pulling I women farmers in the dialogue: Since women are the ones who are effected the

most in the process, including women can bring about system change where ownership can

be built. Women link communities and connect them to one another, so giving responsibility

of water to SHGs where women form different groups and take charge of water can change

the scenario.

13. Introducing crop rotation: There are certain crops like wheat and rice which are water heavy

and certain crops like millets which require less water. This is the task of the FPO s to create

a balance in demand and supply of certain crops which requires both consumer and

producer awareness. Suppose the consumers want only rice then it becomes difficult for the

farmers to yield something else because that won’t give him the required market. Now, if

the demand from the consumers side is such that it comes up with different types of crops

which are nutrition heavy then the farmers gets incentives in yielding those varieties of

crops.

14. Recharging Mindfully: Mindful recharge of ground water is highly recommended which

means taking good care of the aquifers beneath the communities. These aquifers should not

be empty and rainwater reservoirs should be built accordingly over time.

 References:

1. Nanoti, Nadan. “Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality - Safe Water Initiative - A

Presentation.” Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality - Safe Water Initiative - A

Presentation, Rama Mani, 2012, www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/surveillance-

drinking-water-quality-safe-water-initiative-presentation.

2. Margat, Jean, and Jac Van Gun. Groundwater around the World A Geographic

Synopsis. Groundwater around the World A Geographic Synopsis.

3. Rajshekar. Importance of Groundwater – A Presentation by ACWADAM. Importance

of Groundwater – A Presentation by ACWADAM.

4. Rajshekar. Importance of Groundwater – A Presentation by ACWADAM. Importance

of Groundwater – A Presentation by ACWADAM.

5. Suhag, Roopal. Overview of Ground Water in India. Overview of Ground Water in

India.

6. Suhag, Roopal. Overview of Ground Water in India. Overview of Ground Water in

India.

7. GROUND WATER QUALITY FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY . GROUND WATER

QUALITY FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY .