Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

REVIEW OF WATER CRISIS AND MANAGEMENTAL SCOPE IN INDIA

S. Sharma, A. Kanaujia, S. Banerjee and S. Malik

Abstract

The Indian monsoon has shown sweeping changes over the last 20 years. The number of rainy days and the amount of rainfall has declined. Declining ground water levels and lack of adequate water resources to meet demands affects every state. The scarcity of water directly affects the food and energy crisis. The situation of water crisis has become even worse due to the gross neglect of the traditional water culture of India. Heavy water intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane are cultivated in north-western parts of the country particularly in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Owing to explosive population growth, the biggest impact is on groundwater in terms of its indiscriminate exploitation. Lack of awareness and poor infrastructure towards water conservation is the foremost driver behind the water wastage problem. The water bodies are vital for sustenance to Indian agriculture and have been playing important role in the overall management of water resources. Rainwater harvesting is considered an ideal solution to tackle water problems where there is inadequate groundwater supply or where surface resources are not sufficient. Designing and constructing a good rural rainwater storage system has become an urgent task for water resources revitalization. Ayurvet Research Foundation (ARF) since its inception has been working on “Water Conservation” Technologies and strongly advocate their adoption to address water crises.