Ambitious move

The challenges before the Jal Shakti ministry are huge

As the chosen one for the newly-minted Jal Shakti Ministry, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has one of the toughest jobs in the second edition of the Narendra Modi government. Apart from the responsibility of rolling out the government’s ambitious plans to provide piped water connections — the nal se jal scheme — to every household in India by 2024, Mr Shekhawat will also have to address international and inter-state water disputes and the Namami Gange project — the flagship initiative to clean the river Ganga, its tributaries and sub-tributaries. This is in line with the BJP’s election manifesto, which promises to address water-related issues in the country in an integrated manner.

The idea behind the creation of the ministry is salutary because it has the potential of bringing about a transformational change. A NITI Aayog report in 2018 noted that around 600 million people in India face high-to-extreme water stress. Around 75 per cent of the households do not have drinking water on their premises, 84 per cent rural households do not get piped water, and 200,000 die every year because of inadequate access to safe water. With 70 per cent of the water contaminated, India holds the dubious position of 120th among 122 countries on the water quality index.

Around 21 cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, are set to run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting an estimated 100 million people. By 2020, India will be formally categorised as a “water-stressed” country, where per capita availability of water is less than 1,000 cubic metres. And by 2030, water demand is expected to be twice the available supply and the country could lose up to 6 per cent of its gross domestic product.

One of the main reasons for this crisis is that India’s river systems are suffering badly from water scarcity. Take the example of the river Yamuna — the largest tributary of the river Ganga in North India. The river was once described as the lifeline of Delhi. But today, it has become one of the dirtiest rivers in the country. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the water quality of the Yamuna is fit only for recreation and industrial cooling, completely ruling out the possibility for underwater life.

Agriculture is another issue. India has 18 per cent of the world’s population with 4 per cent of the world’s fresh water. Of this, 80 per cent is used in agriculture. India’s farmers prefer water-guzzling crops like rice, cotton, wheat and sugarcane. Rice, an important export crop, consumes as much as 3,500 litres of water for a kilogram of grain. But convincing farmers to cultivate other crops would be a tough job.

India’s annual rainfall is mostly received between July and September. In the absence of storage procedure, lack of adequate infrastructure, and inappropriate water management, around 20 per cent of the water is used. An exclusive water ministry at the Centre also has to face more than just the water challenge. Infrastructure, which is critical to the distribution of piped water, is in a shambles in rural India. It needs to be rebuilt along modern lines. Besides, water is a state subject, and in most states, lakes and ponds have been altered for urbanisation and industrialisation. The water mafias, real estate lobby and even farmers will loathe any Central intervention. The only way the Centre can intervene is through inter-state rivers if Parliament legislates it in the public interest.