India's Water Future in a Changing Climate

✍ Scribed by Kuppannan Palanisami, Udaya Sekhar Nagothu

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 317
• Series: Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book comprehensively addresses the most challenging water issues in India in a changing climate for the first time and suggests potential solutions. It has been observed that over the past two decades, water usage has significantly increased in India due to population growth, economic development and an increase in multiple uses of water, including irrigation, hydropower, industries, domestic consumption, fisheries, eco-system needs and the environment. India’s water future is mainly influenced by rising food demand to feed the increasing population, emerging climate change impacts on agriculture and the water sector, the increasing cost of interventions, poor cost recovery, the low level of technology adoption and weak water policy.

Artificial recharge of the groundwater aquifers, improved water use efficiency and the groundwater–energy–agriculture nexus are important for the future of India’s water planning and are well addressed in this book. Also covered are climate-smart practices, wastewater reuse methods, and digital water and agriculture tools. The book further analyses improved irrigation modernization plans and explores the potential for micro-irrigation expansion including canal and tank irrigation systems in the country.

Overall, this book is one of the first of its kind to present India’s future water and irrigation issues with field-based solutions, providing lessons learnt from successful national and international case studies. The volume is a useful resource for a wide range of readers including policy makers, planners, donors, implementing agencies and researchers in the water sector.

✦ Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Authors
1 Agriculture and Irrigation in India—Trends and Turning Points
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Agriculture Sector in India
1.3 Changing Dynamics of Irrigated Agriculture in India
1.4 Irrigation Sector in India
1.5 India’s Future Water Demand and Supply
1.6 Water Future of India—A Digression
1.7 Outline of the Book
References
2 Water Future—Drivers of Changing Climate and Impacts
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Drivers of Change
2.3 Climate Change and Climate Change Scenarios for Indian Sub-continent
2.4 Climate Change and Surface Water Supplies
2.5 Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture
2.6 National Missions and National Action Plan on Climate Change
2.7 Climate Change and Water—The Way Forward
References
3 Stabilizing the Canal Irrigation
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Status of the Gap Between Irrigation Potential Created and Utilized
3.3 Costs of the IPC and IPU
3.4 Bridging the IPC–IPU Gap
3.5 Performance of the Canal Irrigation Projects
3.6 Interstate Water Sharing and Disputes
3.7 Prioritizing Canal Modernization
3.8 Support for Irrigation Modernization Program (SIMP)
3.9 Irrigation Modernization Plans (IMPs)
3.10 Assessing and Monitoring Scheme Performance
3.11 Improving Future of Canal Irrigation—The Way Forward
References
4 Sustaining Groundwater Irrigation
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Status of Groundwater Development
4.3 Climate Change and Groundwater
4.4 Groundwater Development and Externalities
4.5 Groundwater–Energy Nexus
4.6 Watershed Development Programmes and Groundwater Recharge
4.7 Groundwater Management Options/Initiatives
4.7.1 Emerging Challenges in Groundwater Development and Management
4.8 Groundwater Development and Management—The Way Forward
References
5 Reviving Tank Irrigation
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Why Tank Systems Should Be Revived?
5.3 Performance of the Tanks
5.4 Status of Tank Irrigation Across Regions in India
5.5 Declining Tank Performance: Causes and Concerns
5.6 Tank Rehabilitation and Modernization
5.7 Cost of Tank Rehabilitation and Modernization Programmes
5.8 Relooking Tank Modernization: Changing Dynamics
5.9 Tank Modernization—Time-Tested Measures
5.10 Emerging Hotspots—Key Questions and Policy Suggestions
5.11 Future of Tank Modernization—Ways and Means
5.12 Reviving Tank Irrigation—The Way Forward
References
6 Maximizing Wastewater Reuse
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Importance of Wastewater Reuse in India
6.3 Benefits of Wastewater Reuse
6.4 Current Stage of Wastewater Generation and Treatment in India
6.5 Costs of Wastewater Treatment
6.6 Waste Water Reuse—Case Studies Across India
6.7 Government Initiatives on Wastewater Reuse
6.8 Implementable PPP Models for Wastewater Reuse in India
6.9 Comparison of Cost of Water and Investment Options
6.10 Challenges and Potentials for Wastewater Reuse in India
6.11 Wastewater Reuse in India—The Way Forward
References
7 Enhancing Water Productivity and Climate-Smart Technologies
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Current Status
7.3 Climate-Smart Technologies
7.4 Technology Adoption and Crop Yield
7.5 Performance of the Technologies
7.6 Adoption Level of Technologies—Main Streaming and Up-Scaling
7.7 Constraints in Adopting the Technologies
7.8 Future Scenarios of Technology Adoption
7.9 Strategies to Enhance Productivity Per Unit of Water
7.10 Digital Agriculture, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), and Transformative Investment
7.11 Enhancing Productivity Per Unit of Water—The Way Forward
References
8 Re-Estimating the Crop Water Requirement (CWR)
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Key Challenges and Options in Estimating Crop Water Requirement
8.3 Approaches in Crop Water Requirement Estimation
8.4 Need for a Scientific Approach to CWR Estimation
8.5 Data and Methodology
8.6 Major Observations
8.7 Crop Water Requirements—The Way Forward
References
9 Up-Scaling Micro Irrigation
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Current State of Micro-irrigation in India
9.3 Benefits of Micro Irrigation
9.4 Adoption of MI by Different Farmers
9.5 Farmers’ Suggestions for Better Adoption of MI Systems
9.6 MI and Subsidy
9.7 The Subsidy Syndrome
9.8 Gujarat Green Revolution Company Ltd (GGRC)
9.9 MI Expansion—Challenges and Expectations
9.10 Conclusions and the Way Forward
Annexure 1: Introduction of Micro Irrigation in the Canal Commands—A Sample Worksheet
Water Realization for Irrigation System
Existing Irrigation Method
Cropping Pattern
Proposed Cropping Pattern Under Changed Irrigation Method
Worksheet
Water Use with Proposed Irrigation Method
Irrigation Methods
Farmers’ Preference for Micro Irrigation in the Command
Agricultural and Non-agricultural Benefits
Cost of Conversion to Micro Irrigation Technique
Case Study
Sluice (1R) of Veruvedampalayam Distributary of Parambikulam Main Canal
References
10 Expanding Hill Water Management
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Hill Agriculture
10.3 Need for Water Management Technologies for Hills
10.4 Factors Influencing Water Resources Investment and Management in Hills
10.5 Climate Change and Hill Agriculture
10.6 Exploring Water Management Options for the Hills
10.7 Hill Water Management—Case Studies Across India
10.8 Need for Strengthening Water Management in Hills
10.9 Challenges in the Design and Implementation of Water Management Options in Hilly Regions
10.10 Government Programmes in Hill Water Management
10.11 Future Options and the Way Forward
References
11 Reworking on Cost Sharing and Irrigation Subsidies
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Major Irrigation Projects Covered
11.3 Methods of Calculating Project Benefits
11.4 Allocation of Costs
11.5 Calculation of Irrigation Subsidies
11.6 Calculation of the O&M Cost Components
11.7 Reworking O&M Cost—The Way Forward
References
12 Learning from Success Stories and Best Practices in Water Management
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The SIMP Approach for Canal Modernization
12.3 Current Best Practices in Irrigation Management—National Success Cases
12.4 Success Cases of Private Sector Participation
12.5 Current Best Practices in Irrigation—International Success Cases
12.6 Application of Advanced Methods/Tools
12.7 Success Stores and the Way Forward
References
13 Strengthening Institutions, Policies, and Governance
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Water Legislation in India
13.3 Missions and Programmes
13.4 Policies
13.4.1 Agricultural Policies
13.5 Water Governance
13.6 Emerging Challenges and Conflicts in Water Governance
13.7 Conclusions and the Way Forward
References
14 India’s Water Future—A Way Forward
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Need for Water-Related Interventions
14.3 Major Issues and Possible Interventions
14.4 Inter-Linkage Between Investment (Development), Management, and Governance Phases
14.5 Matrix of Interventions
14.6 Implementation of Interventions—River Basin Focus
14.7 India’s Water Future—Bridging the Gap
14.8 Counting What Matters Next
References