GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Source: DTE
Direction: The article highlights the groundwater situation across the world and in India and efforts to conserve groundwater.
Context: The importance of groundwater protection and techniques for its sustainable use will be highlighted during the United Nations-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022 in Paris, France.
Groundwater:
- Water seeps through rocks and soil and is stored beneath the ground. Aquifers are the rocks in which groundwater is stored.
- This untapped resource accounts for only 0.62% of the total water and 30% of freshwater accessible on the planet.
- It is a vital resource that provides almost half of drinking water, 40% of water for irrigation and a third of water required for the industry worldwide.
- The role of groundwater in human development becomes bigger in the face of water scarcity affecting about 2.7 billion people around the world.
Background:
- Groundwater management is imperative to meet the UN-mandated SDG 6 of providing clean water and sanitation for all.
- The UN World Water Development Report (UN WWDR 2022) titled ‘Groundwater: Making the invisible visible’ describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world.
About the United Nations-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022:
- Organised by: UN-Water, UNESCO and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre.
- Objective:
- To raise awareness on groundwater conservation and to highlight the opportunities and challenges of groundwater management.
- To mark the completion of the “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” campaign run by UN-Water throughout 2022.
- Main themes of the discussions: The 5 pillars of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework – data and information, capacity development, innovation, finance and governance.
About the “Groundwater: Making the invisible visible” campaign: It highlighted the role of groundwater in alleviating poverty, food and water insecurity and other socio-economic development hurdles.
Groundwater situation in India:
- Groundwater is India’s most used water resource, accounting for a quarter of total global groundwater extraction.
- According to the 2021 CAG report, groundwater extraction in India has exceeded the recharge rate, threatening 80% of potable water over the next two decades.
Legal/constitutional framework in India:
- The archaic Indian Easement Act, 1882: Does not establish groundwater ownership and rights clearly
- The fundamental right to water is recognised under Article 21 (right to life) of the Indian constitution.
- Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is empowered by the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to frame groundwater policies and programs.
- Supreme Court: ‘Public trust doctrine’ – Making groundwater a matter of private ownership would be unfair.
Challenges ahead: Climate change impacts pose a significant danger to equitable, healthy, and pollution-free groundwater access.
Steps taken by the Indian government:
- Atal Bhujal Yojana is a groundwater management scheme launched in 2019.
- Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) (2019):It was launched in 256 water-stressed districts in the country to improve water availability including groundwater conditions in these areas.
- Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
Q. Discuss the Status of Groundwater Depletion in the country and account for the associated problems and suggest measures on the lines of groundwater extraction norms that have been notified recently. (250 words)
