Water - Left or Drained (Paani Milega Kya) ?

Author :- S.R. (ToughCake_IN)

INDIA - What's come to your mind after hearing the word "India"? Maybe a lot of population with cattle on the roads or stranded markets in many cities with lots of farmlands. 

What will be your reaction if I say you are wrong and you are imagining the wrong country with the name India? Maybe you'll hesitate in believing this but actually, this is going to be true in upcoming years due to lots of factors which are going to affect it in big time.

As you know for maintaining farmland, there is a need for a proper environment, proper soil, and lots of water. Without water, expecting life and farming is impossible and you know for supplying water to farmlands we mostly use tube-wells.

"Groundwater" which is mandatory for maintaining huge farmlands alive is depleting at a higher pace than expected. India as a country is going to suffer hugely in the upcoming days for potable water if current measures on groundwaters remain unchecked. 

In India, there are 26 Crores farmers and agricultural laborers who're directly dependable on groundwater for their livelihood. Apart from monsoon, farming in India is fully dependent on groundwater which is causing a decrease in the level of groundwater at an alarming rate. According to few reports, In 2030 there will be a huge scarcity of water in the country's biggest cities and it will affect farming practices in the whole Nation. 

So there are lots of chances of getting farmlands to disappear while your next imagination for country "India". People aren't aware of it and the government isn't looking too much serious for this problem and this will leave the biggest proportion of the population of the globe without potable water.

According to reports of CGWB, The stage of groundwater development for the country as a whole is 58%. The stage of groundwater development means water used by a state in a specific period as compared to water recharged by natural means in that state. The current status of groundwater development is high in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UT of Daman & Diu, and Pondicherry, where the Stage of Ground Water Development is more than 100%, which implies that in these states the average annual groundwater consumption is more than average annual groundwater recharge. In the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh the average stage of groundwater development is 70% and above. In the rest of the states / UT's the stage of groundwater, development is below 70%.

The state of Delhi is very concerning due to its significant position in National Economy and development while Punjab and Haryana are the two biggest agricultural state and their contribution in the agricultural field is tremendous but data isn't looking great for them either. They are also facing the same issue of low recharge of groundwater due to their massive demand for groundwater for agriculture.

When the whole country will suffer from potable water then how proper supply can be maintained for farming? This will be very hard if we do not take any action now. 

To minimizing excessive use of water in farming, we need to adopt smart technologies for irrigation like a drip irrigation system. By using smart and latest technology, sensors can be placed in farmlands for checking moisture and the need for water. Weather-based controllers also referred to as evapotranspiration (ET) controllers, use local weather data to adjust irrigation schedules and this kind of technology can make a huge difference as compared to today's usage of groundwater. 

For sustaining major challenges, we need to upgrade our self according to sustainable latest technology & solutions for maintaining huge farming and expectations of huge farmlands when you listen to the word "India". 

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