The Indian government has come out with a report on the impact of global warming across the country. It will soon be placed before the UN. The report predicts a 4degree Celsius rise in maximum temperature in some parts of Kutch and Rajasthan in the next 10 years. What does the Indian government propose doing to mitigate the effect of climate change? According to projections, global warming will lead to floods in the shorter term. In the longer term, it will cause water scarcity. Monsoons will be of shorter duration. That could be particularly alarming in view of the fact that 50% of the country’s agriculture depends on the monsoon. It is therefore urgently necessary to focus on water management. India is badly lagging in this regard.
What is important is the imbalance in irrigation patterns and techniques in India. Subsidies to cater to the vote bank aggravate the crisis. Water is over-pumped with the result that ground water levels go down. Our irrigation infrastructure is full of fault lines and the problem is intensifying over the years. So our agriculture is under a two- pronged attack. Crop yields are low and poor storage as well as inadequate transport facilities add to the difficulties. Hard times are ahead according to the report especially as 70% of our population subsists on agriculture. The population bulge is growing and far outstrips the increase in agricultural output. Water use can be rationalised through curtailment of subsidies and imposition of water charges accompanied by better irrigation facilities, setting up of more water treatment plants to recycle waste water, installation of desalination plants and recharging of ground water levels. If the government report is bleak, it is the government’s job to do something about it.
