Water resources in India are substantial reserves, just like land. A key use of water in India is for irrigational purposes. Through irrigation, it has been possible to extend the rough area under cultivation and raise agricultural output. In addition, water is required in huge quantities for industrial and domestic consumption.
Unlike land, availability of water resources in India differs with place and time. Since India is a monsoon land, the majority of rainfall is restricted to a brief period of three to four months. As such, a large part of the country is scarce in surface water supply for a larger part of the year. Even regions like Meghalaya and Konkan receiving heavy rainfall, suffer from water insufficiency during dry months. Due to asymmetrical distribution of rainfall, the country faces plight of flood and drought in some part of the country every year.
Ground water resources in India are profuse only in the northern and coastal plains. In other parts of the land, supply is exceedingly inadequate. In reality, in specific places ground water is obtained from a depth of more than 15 metres. So far as safe drinking water resources in India are concerned, it has not yet been possible to supply it to every village. In many parts, people have to trudge for more than a kilometer to fetch water. Therefore, in most parts of the country, availability of water for agricultural and other purposes is insufficient and unbalanced. It is thus urgently needed to chalk out the use of accessible water. A keen look at the national water budget can assist in this regard.
Taking into account the average yearly rainfall of 50 cm for the whole country and its totality area, it has been discovered that total water resources in India are of the order of 167 million hectare-metres. It has further been calculated that only 66 million hectare-metres of water resources in India can be employed for irrigation. Keeping in mind the confines of financial and technological resources, it has been chalked that water will be used in a synchronised manner, totally by 2010 A.D.
Before the kickoff of the planning era, i.e. in 1951, only 9.7 million hectare-metres of water resources in India was used for irrigational purposes. By 1973, as much as 18.4 million hectare-meter of water was being used for irrigation. If the land area is adopted as a unit, the position could be put forward in a little different manner. In 1951 only 22.6 million hectares of land was under irrigation. By 1984-85, land under irrigation nearly increased threefold to 67.5 million hectares. By 1990 another 13 million hectares were brought under irrigation, carrying the total to 81 million hectares. This may be judged against the whole potentiality of 113 million hectares by 2010 A.D. This is the gross sown area and not the net sown area, because the former is bound to be bigger than the latter.
At present 28% of the net sown area is under irrigational use, i.e. 45 million hectares, although the gross irrigated area is approximately 80 million hectares. However, not more than 50% of the net sown area will eventually be brought under irrigation. This approximated potential embraces even ground water resources that are replenished every year by customary rainfall. These exploitable ground water resources in India are reckoned to be roughly 40 million hectare-metres. From this, only 1/4th i.e. 10 million hectare-metres are being employed at present. The remaining 30 million hectare-metres are in the pipeline for utilisation. This is an overview of the country`s potency and developed water resources in India. The water resources in India are prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset. Best possible development and efficient utilisation of water resources in India, therefore, assumes great significance.
The Ministry of Water Resources lays down policies and programmes for development and regulation of the water resources in India. It includes sectoral planning, coordination, policy guidelines, technical examination and techno-economic appraisal of projects, providing Central assistance to specific projects, facilitation of external assistance and assistance in the resolution of inter-state water disputes, policy formulation, planning and guidance in respect of minor irrigation, command area development and development of ground water resources in India and others.
