The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 22nd April 2024 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Preparing India for water stress, climate resilience

Why in News?

As the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts a hotter summer and longer heat waves from April to June, India must also prepare for water stress. The challenge is that we are programmed to consider acute stresses (heat, water, or extreme weather) as temporary, to be handled often as disaster relief. We must move from panic reactions when disaster strikes (like the water crisis in Bengaluru), to understand and respond to the chronic nature of risks we face. Moreover, climate action cannot be left to a few sectors or businesses. Nor can environmental sustainability be reduced to sapling plantation drives over a few days.

What is a Heat Wave?

• A heat wave is characterized by a condition where the air temperature reaches levels that can be extremely harmful to the human body upon exposure.
• Quantitatively, a heat wave is determined by specific temperature thresholds within a particular region, either in terms of the actual temperature recorded or its deviation from the normal expected temperature.

What is the criterion for declaring heat wave?

• Heat wave criteria differ based on the region:
  • For plains, a heat wave is acknowledged if the maximum temperature reaches 40°C or higher.
  • For hilly regions, a heat wave is noted if the maximum temperature hits 30°C or above.
• Classification according to Departure from Normal:
  • Mild Heat Wave: When the departure from normal is between 4.5°C to 6.4°C.
  • Severe Heat Wave: When the departure from normal exceeds 6.4°C.

Understanding the distinction between these classifications is crucial. For example, consider a scenario where a region experiences a prolonged period of scorching temperatures. If the departure from normal is within the range of 4.5°C to 6.4°C, it would be categorized as a Mild Heat Wave. However, if the departure exceeds 6.4°C, the situation escalates to a Severe Heat Wave, indicating extremely high temperatures beyond the usual range.

Heat Wave Classification

• Based on Actual Maximum Temperature
  • Heat Wave: When the actual maximum temperature is 45°C or higher.
  • Severe Heat Wave: When the actual maximum temperature is 47°C or higher.
• If above criteria are met:
  • If the criteria are met in at least 2 stations in a Meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days and declared on the second day.
  • For coastal areas: Heat wave may be described when the maximum temperature departure is 4.5°C or more from normal, provided the actual maximum temperature is 37°C or higher.

Favorable Conditions for Heat Waves

• Transportation / Prevalence of hot dry air over a region: This condition requires a region with warm dry air and a suitable flow pattern to transport hot air over the area.
• Absence of moisture in the upper atmosphere: When there is a lack of moisture in the upper atmosphere, it prevents the restriction of temperature rise.
• The sky should be practically cloudless: A clear sky allows for maximum insulation over the region, contributing to the development of heat waves.
• Large amplitude anti-cyclonic flow over the area: This condition involves significant anti-cyclonic flow over the region, which can intensify heat wave conditions.

Heat waves typically occur from March to June, with May being the peak month for heat waves in India. In rare cases, heat waves can even occur in July.

For example, when warm, dry air masses prevail over a region and there is little moisture in the atmosphere, the conditions become favorable for the development of heat waves. Additionally, clear skies allow the sun's radiation to reach the surface effectively, contributing to the rise in temperature.

What are the impacts of heat wave?

• Loss of human life
• Decreased work productivity
• Increased out of pocket health expenditure
• Agricultural crop losses
• Prone to heat-related illnesses such as heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, and sunburn

How to Mitigate Extreme Heat Wave Events?

• Increasing Green Cover: Enhancing greenery can help combat heat waves. Urban forests should be expanded to provide more cooling effect.
• Preserving Wetlands: Restoring and expanding wetlands is crucial for mitigating extreme heat events.
• Reviving Water Bodies: Restoring deteriorating ponds and lakes is essential to reduce heat impacts.
• Addressing Urban Heat Effect: Minimizing the urban heat island effect by using heat-reflective materials in construction can help.
• Enhancing Natural Landscapes: Adding more green spaces in urban areas can counteract heat effects.
• Improving Urban Building Standards: Upgrading construction materials to avoid heat absorption is crucial.
• Promoting Cleaner Cooking Fuels: Using cleaner fuels can reduce indoor pollution and subsequently lower urban heat levels.
• Boosting Natural Vegetation: Planting more greenery in streets with poor ventilation can help cool urban areas.
• Enhancing Public Transportation: Encouraging public transport usage can decrease pollution and mitigate extreme heat.
• Managing Landfills: Implementing waste segregation practices and efficient waste management can reduce methane emissions from landfills.
• Enhancing Forecasting Ability: Improving forecasting capabilities to predict heat impacts on food production is crucial for preparedness.

Water Stress In India

Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Index Report

According to Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Index Report, India is experiencing a very significant water challenge. 

• About three-fourth of the households in the country do not have drinking water at their premise. About 82% of rural households in India do not have individual piped water supply.
• With nearly 70% of water sources being contaminated, India is placed at 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index.
• Average per capita water availability, which is already low enough for India to be categorized as water stressed, is expected to reduce further by 2050, close to the official water scarcity threshold. 
• Estimates suggest ~INR 20,00,000 crores in investments are required to bridge the expected water supply gap by 2030.
• Almost around 2 lakh people die in India due to lack of access to drinking water. 21 Indian Cities are set to reach ground zero. 
• By 2030, India’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity and a ~6% loss in the country’s GDP.

Structural challenges in water management in India

• Limited water availability: India has 4% of world’s freshwater resources. While, we have 17% of world’s population & 17% of world’s livestock population.
• Monsoon dependence: Much of India’s precipitation is concentrated in the months of June, July, August & September (Monsoon months). This means that during the other months water needs must be fulfilled by storing water that comes down in monsoons season.

Other challenges in water management in India

• Climate change is expected to increase the complexity around water due to changing patterns, intensity of precipitation, changes in discharge of rivers.
• Crisis of water
  • Falling Groundwater levels: Groundwater accounts for 90% of India’s irrigation needs. Average depth at which groundwater is available has fallen from 7.5 metres in 1998 to 9.2 metres in 2018. In Punjab, groundwater level has fallen by more than 10 metres in this period, while in Madhya Pradesh this level has fallen by 5 meters.
  • Water quality concerns – More than half of the rivers in India are highly pollutant with numerous others at levels considered unsafe by modern standards. According to a World bank report, 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.
  • High unmet need for water: If the current pattern of demand continues, about half of the national demand for water will remain unmet by 2030.
• In-efficient water usage:
  • Water guzzling agriculture sector: Agriculture sector consumes most water in India. Water use efficiency is very low in India, with most farmers still practicing flood irrigation and planting water guzzling crops such as sugarcane and rice even in water stressed areas of Maharashtra and Punjab respectively. This unsustainable cropping trend has led to deepening of water crisis due to the following reasons:
    • Incentives such as free-power or subsidized power, which makes it very cheap to exploit groundwater resources endlessly.
    • Minimum support prices give assurance of income to farmers. MSPs are skewed towards Rice, Wheat and Sugarcane in India.
    • Open-ended procurement of these water intensive crops by state agencies.
  • India’s industrial water footprint is one of the highest in the world. 
  • Wastage of water in activities such as vehicle washing, flushing etc. in urban areas.
  • Cities lose a lot of water in the piping and supply leakages.
  • Export of virtual water: Despite water scarcity, India has turned into a virtual water exporter as India exports water-intensive crops such as rice, sugar etc.
• Supply side interventions no longer working:
  • The country is running out of sites for further construction of large dams. Also, water stored in dams fails to reach farmers. 
  • Water tables and groundwater quality are falling in many areas.
• Water governance: Water resource management is fragmented and inadequate. Water issue fall in the State list of the constitution. States often lack effective capacity and focus on water issues, especially poorer states. Also, at the Central level, water issues are broken between Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board, this stops in treating water issues in an integrated manner.
• Water user fees: Some states currently have fixed user charges for water (for ex. UP, Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh), but they are too nominal and inadequate compared to the expenditure incurred in providing the service. The water user fees are not revised regularly. Farmers not willing to pay the fee leads to steady deterioration of public irrigation infrastructure and impacts the quality of services.

Issues with Water Scarcity

• Social & political risks: Depleting access to clean water impacts food security and health and can cause social unrest and political instability.
• Threats to urbanization: Urban hubs are likely to witness severe water shortages in the future, which could risk urban growth in India and reduce quality of life for urban citizens.
• Risk to sustainable industrial activity: Water shortages can hamper industrial operations and other economic activity. As the water crisis worsens, production capacity utilization and new investments may both decline, threatening livelihoods of millions. Commodity prices could rise steeply due to production shortages.
• Energy shortage: 70% of India’s thermal power plants are likely to face high water stress by 2030, India’s energy mainstay.
• Environmental risk: The rich biodiversity of India faces a serious threat from activities undertaken for creating additional water sources. Climate change, temperature rise, human engineering of hydrological flows by dam construction and river diversion is already proving catastrophic for biodiversity.
• Desertification risk: ~30% of Indian land is impacted by desertification and land degradation, and this outcome is strongly linked to poor water management.

As per the National Commission for Integrated Water Resource Development, the water requirement by 2050 in high use scenario is likely to be 1,180 BCM, whereas the present-day availability is 695 BCM. 

Suggestions for sustainable water future

• Water Pricing
  • Effective pricing for water and power with subsidized water supply for basic water needs of drinking and household needs. (Jal Jeevan Mission)
  • Setting up water meters at all levels across the distribution network.
  • Independent regulatory authority should be established to determine water user fees in a rational and depoliticized fashion. 
• Promoting use of wastewater
  • High priority for recycle and reuse of water. For ex. Wastewater usage can be increased in Thermal power plants and industrial establishments and for irrigation. This will reduce India’s industrial water footprint. 
  • In urban areas, for all non-potable uses such as flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing, landscaping, horticulture etc. wastewater should be used.
• Increasing water use efficiency in Agriculture
  • For Agriculture: Greater marketing support for water-efficient crops in water-constrained areas along with crop diversification. Disincentivising the cultivation of water-intensive crops in states like Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana. Shifting these crops to water-rich eastern and north-eastern regions.
  • Focus on upkeep and maintenance of canal networks and lining them to reduce groundwater seepage. Also, solar power plants can be overlain canals to reduce evaporation along with generation of electricity. 
  • A general shift from price support to cash transfer to let the actual crop prices to be determined by market forces.
  • Use of technologies such as laser leveling, drip and micro irrigation systems etc. Promotion of organic farming, agroecology based farming systems and mulching etc. to preserve soil moisture. 
• Employing nature-based solutions for sustainable water
  • Rejuvenation of catchment areas needs to be incentivized through compensation for eco-system services, especially to vulnerable communities in the upstream, mountainous regions. 
  • Thrust on local rainwater harvesting to catch the rains where it falls when it falls.
  • Demarcation, notification, protection and revival of traditional local water bodies in both rural and urban areas.
  • Restoration of rivers with wet meadows (where they can meander)
  • Infrastructure solutions such as rain gardens and bio-swales
  • Wetlands constructed for bioremediation, urban parks, permeable pavements, sustainable natural drainage systems, green roofs and green walls.
• Water governance reforms
  • Need to break down the silos into which issues related to water is divided. A National Water Commission as advised by Mihir Shah Committee should be formed.
  • Bringing water from State list to concurrent list to develop a common national vision, greater attention and resources for water issues. 
  • Creation and empowerment of water user association and panchayats in taking up water issues and regulation. This will raise people’s awareness and participation in the management of water. 
  • More investment and private sector involvement is necessary for sustainable water scenario.