Water in India - an Overview I
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
WWaatteerr iinn IInnddiiaa DDiimmeennssiioonnss ooff CCrriissiiss An Overview of the Water Related Problems in India DDrr.. AArruunn KKuummaarr SSiinngghh KKeeppaa‐‐IInnddiiaa GGrroouupp && Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 2299,, RRaajjppuurr RRooaadd,, NNeeww DDeellhhii‐‐111100005544 1 CONTENTS Preface Part I – Water Management Chapter 1 Dams & Irrigation Dams 1.1 The Rationale of Dam Building 1.2 The Global Picture 1.3 The Financial and Economic Performance of Dams 1.4 The Indian Scene 1.5 The Socio‐Environmental Impacts of Large Dams 1.6 The Contribution of Large Dams to Indian Agriculture 1.7 Acute Need for a Fresh Approach Irrigation 1.8 Distribution of Arable Land 1.9 The Economics of Irrigation 1.10 Politics of Grain-storage and Distribution Chapter 2 Groundwater 2.1 Groundwater Situation in India 2.2 Vast Groundwater Potential in India-Burma-Nepal 2.3 Groundwater Potential in India 2.4 Acute Need for a National Legislation 2.5 Over-exploitation of Groundwater in Rajasthan 2.6 Methods of Groundwater Prospecting 2.7 Bhakhra Dam versus Groundwater in Punjab 2.8 WB-Punjab Water Resource Management Project 2.9 Underground Reservoir - An Innovative Concept 2.10 Draft Bill on Groundwater by Union of India 2.11 Groundwater Potential in special Areas 2.12 Impacts of Over-exploitation of Groundwater 2.13 Nitrate Pollution in India’s Groundwater Chapter 3 Watershed Development 3.1 Watershed Development & Concept 3.2 Official Indian Guidelines for Watershed Management 3.3 Revised Official Guidelines for Watershed Development 3.4 People’s Approach to Water Crisis 2 3.5 Governmental Efforts for Watershed Development 3.6 Ecosystems of India and Watershed 3.7 International Recognition of Traditional Water Harvesting Practices 3.8 The Small versus Large Storage of Water Chapter 4 Water Laws & Rights 4.1 The Natural Rights 4.2 Group Rights versus Individual Rights 4.3 Positive Rights versus Negative Rights 4.4 The Rights of the People 4.5 Rights of the State Part II – Water Related Calamities Chapter 5 Droughts 5.1 Types of Drought 5.2 Governmental Programme for Drought 5.3 Drought‐prone Areas 5.4 The Socio‐economic Significance of Droughts 5.5 Drought in Rajasthan & Gujarat (1999‐2001) 5.6 A Strategy for Drought Proofing India 5.7 Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Areas Chapter 6 Floods 6.1 Genesis of Floods 6.2 Floods – Some Considerations 6.3 Official Policies – A Complete Collapse 6.4 Flooding and Deforestation Relationship Embankment 6.5 The Kosi Embankment Project 6.6 Bangladesh’s Flood Action Programme Chapter 7 Water Linked Diseases 7.1 Water‐Health Inter‐Phase 7.2 Classification of Water Related Diseases 7.3 Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) 3 7.4 Some Common Globally Water Related Diseases 7.5 Water‐Linked Diseases – Selected Case Studies Chapter 8 Water Pollution Chapter 9 Wastelands 9.1 Land Resources in India – An Introduction 9.2 Categories of Wastelands 9.3 Distribution of Wasteland 9.4 The Official Approach to Wasteland Treatment 9.5 An Assessment of the Wasteland Atlas of India 9.6 The Environmental Atlas of India 9.7 Economic Consequences of Land Degradation Chapter 10 Water Reservoir-induced Seismicity (RIS) 10.1 Mechanism of RIS 10.2 Distinguishing Between RIS &Normal Seismicity 10.3 RIS – Some Considerations & Misconceptions 10.4 UNESCO – SPAWLR Working Group 10.5 Global Status of RIS 10.6 Status of RIS in India Part III – Water: Regional & Global Issues - Overview Chapter 11 Eco-degradation & Water in the Himalayas 11.1 The Himalayan Mountain Ranges ‐ An Introduction 11.2 Glacial Melting in Himalayas and Consequences 11.3 Deforestation in the Himalayas - General 11.3 A. Deforestation & Water Crisis in Nepal 11.3 B. Deforestation in India 11.3 C. Deforestation and Water scarcity in Pakistan 11.3 D. Deforestation in Bangladesh 11.3 D. i. Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh 11.3 D. ii. Environmental Refugees ‐ the Chakmas 11.3 E. Deforestation and Water in Bhutan 4 11.3 F. Water in Sri Lanka 11.3 G. Water in Maldives Chapter 12 Water-related Disputes in South Asia 12.1 Water-related Conflicts in South Asia 12.1 A India-Bangladesh 12.1 B India-Nepal 12.1 C India-Pakistan 12.1 D India-Bhutan 12.1 E India-Bangladesh-China 12.2 A Rational Water Policy for South Asia Chapter 13 Trade in Water - The water Mongers 13.1 The Global Scenario of Trade in Water 13.2 The Water Multinationals 13.3 The Role of the World Bank & European Banks 13.4 The Role of the World Trade Organisation 13.5 Changing Official Policy in India 13.6 Water Trade in India 13.7 World Bank's SWAJAL Project in U.P. 13.8 Drinking Water: A Fundamental Right – Supreme Court Chapter 14 Role of Eco-degradation in Extinction of Earlier Civilizations 14.1 The Indus Valley Civilisation 14.2 The Roman Civilisation 14.3 The Greek Civilisation Chapter 15 What Needs to be Done? 15.1 Growing Concerns Over Deteriorating Global Environment – A Summary 15.2 International Dimensions - Greening of WTO-WB- IMF & Corporate Liability 15.3 National Dimensions - Measures to be Taken Up 15.4 Local Level - Community Empowerment through Their Rights over Natural Resources 15.5 Developing Water Ethics 15.6 Need for a Global Struggle for Fresh Water 5 TABLES Table 1.1 State-wise Distribution of Large Dams Table 1.2 Dams Being Built with Foreign Assistance Table 1.3 Water Resource Potential in India - River Basin-wise Table 1.4 Plan-wise Financial Expenditure on Irrigation Table 1.5 Irrigation Potential Created and Utilised Table 1.6 Lag between NIA (Net Irrigated Area) and NSA (Net Sown Area) Table 2.1 Groundwater Potential in India – River Basin-wise Table 2.2 Groundwater Potential in India – State-wise Table 2.3 Groundwater Balance in Punjab (1988) Table 2.4 Groundwater Balance in Punjab (1989) Table 2.5 District‐wise groundwater balance (hectare meters) in Punjab Table 2.6 Overexploitation of Groundwater in Punjab - Block-wise Table 2.7 Distribution of waterlogged areas in different districts of Punjab Table 2.8 Various Perennial Canal Systems in the Punjab Table 2.9 State-wise Development of Gross Areas Irrigated from Groundwater Table 2.10 Groundwater Structures (Cumulative Upto March 1994) in India Table 2.11 Changes in groundwater availability and land quality at the district level Table 2.12 Fertiliser Consumption in India Table 2.13 Pesticide Consumption in India Table 2.14 Fertiliser Usage and Groundwater Nitrate Levels (1990-92 data) Table 3.1 The Effect of Size of Catchments on the Quantity of Water Harvested Table 3.2 The Effect of the Size of Catchments on the Quantity of Water Harvested During Drought Table 5.1 List of Drought-prone Districts in India Table 5.2 Groundwater Potential in Drought-prone Districts in India Table 5.3 A History of Droughts in India Table 5.4 Funds Released by the Union Government under the Drought-prone Areas Programme Table 5.5 Extent of Scarcity in Rajasthan – 1999-2000 Drought Table 5.6 Estimated Value of Crop Loss Incurred in Rajasthan – Kharif 1999 Table 5.7 Scarcity Affected Villages in Gujarat – 1999-2000 Table 5.8 District-wise Exploitation of Underground Water in Gujarat - 1999 Table 5.9 Estimated Loss in Agricultural Production in Gujarat - Rabi 1999-2000 Table 5.10 Estimated Loss in Agricultural Production in Gujarat – Kharif 1999-2000 Table 5.11 Land area needed per village in different states of India to capture rainwater to meet its domestic water (drinking+cooking) needs (in heactares) Table 6.1 Damages due to Floods in India Table 6.2 Worst Floods during 1966-94 Table 6.3 Area Protected by Embankments in Bihar till 1990 Table 7.1 Water-linked Diseases in Polluted Water Table 7.2 Major Mosquito species at Selected Dam & Irrigation Sites Table 8.1 Stream water quality criteria in India 6 Table 9.1 Wastelands in India - State-wise Table 9.2 Wastelands in India - Category-wise Table 9.3 Waterlogged Area in India Table 9.4 (Difference Types of) Extent of Degraded Lands in India Table 9.5 Waterlogged & Salt-affected Areas in India Table 9.6 Estimated Total Problem Area in India Table 9.7 Annual Costs (billions of rupees) of Soil Degradation in India Table 10.1 Distribution of RIS – Worldwide Table 10.2 Distribution of RIS - India Table 11.1 Glacial Melting Worldwide Table 11.2 Glacial Melting in the Himalayas Table 11.3 Global Average Temperature at Earth's Surface, 1950-99 and Atmospheric Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide, 1950-1998 Table 11.4 Forest Area and Deforestation Rates in South Asia Table 11.5 Major Land Degradation Problems in South Asia Table 11.6 Timber Logging Multinationals engaged in Myanmar Table 11.7 Present Status of Dams in Northeast States Table 11.8 State of Forest in Bhutan Table 11.9 Extent of Land and Water Resources in Sri Lanka Table 13.1 The ‘Big 10’ Water-Multinationals Table 13.2 A World Bank’s Water Supply Schemes in Nepal Table 13.2 B External Assistance for Water Supply & Sanitation in Nepal Table 14.1 Population Estimates for Selected Sites in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands, based on Statistics of Modern Settlements in West Pakistan FIGURES Figure 1 Diagrammatic Representation of the Water cycle Figure 2 A Schematic Diagram of Underground Reservoir Figure 6.1 'Floor Prone Areas' & 'Rainstorm Zones' in India Figure 10.2 Global Distribution of RIS Figure 10.3 Location of Water Reservoirs (Dams) in the Peninsular India Figure 10.4 Major Transverse Faults in the Peninsular India Figure 10.5 Relationship Between Reservoir Levels and Earthquake Frequency at Koyna 7 Introduction Water is an important brick in the life support system (land, water and air).