Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: According to the United Nations ‘World Water Development Report, 2022’, India extracts more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II: India needs to extract more third quarter of the world’s groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world’s population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
(c) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
(d) Statement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
16. Ans: c
Explanation:
The distribution of water on the Earth’s surface is extremely uneven. Only 3% of water on the surface is fresh; the remaining 97% resides in the ocean. Of freshwater, 69% resides in glaciers, 30% underground, and less than 1% is located in lakes, rivers, and swamps.
The United Nations released the 2022 edition of the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR), which focuses on groundwater, aiming to make “the invisible visible.” According to the report, 99% of the Earth’s running freshwater is groundwater. Among other things, the report highlights the overexploitation of this precious resource and why proper management is the need of the hour.
Country comparison of groundwater-sourced irrigation
Countries with the largest area under irrigation include China (73 Mha), India (70 Mha), the USA (27 Mha) and Pakistan (20 Mha). The proportion of total groundwater abstraction used for irrigation varies significantly in these countries. India, as the largest groundwater user globally, at an estimated 251 km³ per year abstracted, uses 89% of its groundwater abstraction for irrigation. China is relatively less reliant on groundwater, with an estimated 54% of total groundwater abstraction going into irrigation on average
The United Nations ‘World Water Development Report, 2022’, notes that India is the largest groundwater user globally with an estimated withdrawal of 251 km³ per year through an estimated 20 million wells and tube wells. This accounts for almost 26% of the groundwater extracted globally.
Hence, statement 1 is correct.
About 89% of groundwater is used in India for irrigation. In India, 60% of the electricity used in the water sector is for groundwater abstraction.
India’s water crisis can be largely traced to the expansion of groundwater irrigation, a trajectory set on course by India’s food and electricity policy since the late 1970s.
The food policy guaranteeing cheap food to consumers dictates the need to keep input prices low, including the level of electricity tariffs for pumping groundwater.
Reduced electricity tariffs or free electricity to agriculture, as exist in many Indian states, coupled with assured state or government procurement of crops, encourage farmers to grow water-intensive crops, such as sugarcane, including in semi-arid regions with low natural recharge. This is responsible for unprecedented groundwater depletion in large parts of India
Groundwater overwithdrawal in India can be traced to a lack of coherence between water, energy and food policies. Hence, solutions to India’s groundwater problems should be positioned within a broader water–energy– food nexus context.
Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
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