The per capita water availability in India is projected to decline to about 1,140 cubic metres per year in 2050 from 1,820 cubic metres per year recorded in 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated in a report released recently.
While the figures are not new, the IPCC has put out a warning specifically on the impact on freshwater sources for the world by culling all the scientific data it has earlier assessed. The warning comes at a time when the country is already recording a spate of water wars between different states.
The report points out that another study it had assessed had warned of an even earlier crisis — predicting that India could reach a state of water stress before 2025 when the availability would be below 1,000 cubic metres per capita. The fall in the per capita water supply would be the result of both climate change and increase in population.
With the winter rains predicted to fall, water storage levels in India could dip leading to greater water stress during the lean monsoon period. Combined with the fall in winter rains, the increasing intensity of rain would lead to a higher number of floods during monsoon which too could result in reduced groundwater recharge potential, the authors of the report have warned.
The consequences of global warming which would change the dynamics of the water cycle and could lead to changes even in the irrigated areas. The fluctuation in the irrigated land could be from minus 6% to plus 5% in the case of India by 2020.
The consequences of increased water scarcity as well as increased irrigation demand could lead to rather odd spin offs — uncontrolled water usage
By Nitin Sethi
The Economic Times
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें