{"id":18114,"date":"2023-10-16T19:00:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T13:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/?p=18114"},"modified":"2023-10-16T19:00:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T13:30:41","slug":"the-world-needs-to-stop-taking-water-for-granted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/16-10-2023\/the-world-needs-to-stop-taking-water-for-granted","title":{"rendered":"The world needs to stop taking water for granted"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Government policies &amp; interventions, GS3\/ Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In Context<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The theme for World Food Day (October 16th) of 2023 \u2014 <strong>\u2018Water is Life, Water is Food\u2019<\/strong> \u2014 calls for urgent action in managing water wisely.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Water availability &amp; significance<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Water availability affects every aspect of human life, especially food and nutrition security.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For instance, about 60% of India\u2019s net sown area is rainfed, contributing to 40% of the total food production.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, rainfed agriculture depends directly on water availability. <strong>Rain and soil moisture<\/strong> variations can severely affect food and nutrition security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate change &amp; criticality of water resources:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Government of India has assessed the impact of climate change in 2050 and 2080 using climate projections and crop simulation models.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rice: <\/strong>Without adaptation measures, rainfed rice yields in India are projected to reduce by 20% in 2050, and by 47% in 2080 scenarios, while irrigated rice yields are projected to decline by 3.5% in 2050 and 5% in 2080 scenarios.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wheat: <\/strong>Wheat yields are projected to decrease by 19.3% in 2050 and 40% in 2080.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maize:<\/strong> Kharif maize yields could decline by 18% and 23% by 2050 &amp; 2080 respectively.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In every scenario, climate change without adequate adaptation measures reduces crop yields and lowers the nutritional quality of produce.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UN\u2019s stress on management of water resources:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With less than seven years left to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the <strong>Food and Agriculture Organization<\/strong> of the United Nations (FAO), the<strong> International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)<\/strong> and the <strong>United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)<\/strong> \u2014 the UN\u2019s food agencies \u2014 lay stress on the need to adopt innovative and collaborative approaches for improved management, conservation and availability of scarce water resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Issues &amp; challenges<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Overall:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Decades of poor water management, misuse and pollution, and the climate crisis have degraded freshwater supplies and ecosystems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This has added to the vulnerability of small-scale producers to climate shocks and land degradation in some of the world\u2019s most fragile ecosystems.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agriculture:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Irrigated agriculture accounts for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This sometimes has <strong>lasting damaging effects<\/strong> on the sustainability of significant ecosystems, such as<strong> seasonal rivers and deep aquifers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About<strong> 40% of the planet\u2019s total land area is degraded<\/strong>, leaving farmers with less productive land.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Small-scale farmers<\/strong>, who make up more than 80% of farmers globally, are <strong>especially affected<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They often lack access to finance, technology and irrigation to maintain a level of production that can sustain their livelihoods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Variable weather events:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Countries have been facing severe challenges such as<strong> drought, floods, unseasonal rains and prolonged dry spells<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extreme weather events and variability in water availability are severely affecting agricultural production,<strong> changing agro-ecological conditions<\/strong> and shifting growing seasons.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changes in rainfall and higher temperatures also<strong> affect crop productivity<\/strong>, <strong>reducing food availability<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Suggestions<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>&nbsp;Adapt to climate change:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is an urgent need to<strong> adapt to climate change<\/strong> by promoting <strong>technologies <\/strong>and practices that make<strong> rainfed production more resilient <\/strong>and <strong>sustainable<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sustainable water management is critical to address the impending food and nutrition security threats.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Irrigation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Irrigation can be an effective measure to make agriculture more resilient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In most cases it enables farmers to transform their livelihoods by growing, consuming and selling high-value crops such as nutritious fruits and vegetables.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Micro-irrigation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Micro-irrigation <strong>(drip and sprinkler)<\/strong>, which can save about 50 percent of water in the cultivation of different crops, should be promoted in the over-exploited blocks to reduce the exploitation of groundwater.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monitoring:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The exploitation and sale of groundwater by large corporations should be monitored on a continuous basis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rainwater harvesting:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both Central and State governments must take continuous steps to store rainwater in all possible ways to increase recharge.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rainwater harvesting system must be made mandatory in every household, particularly in big cities where groundwater has been declining alarmingly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Awareness:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People from all walks of life must continue to be made aware of water literacy and on the hazardous effects of rapidly declining groundwater.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">United Nations\u2019s Initiatives in India<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soil and water conservation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The World Food Programme (WFP) supports soil and water conservation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It involves building or fixing of irrigation canals, dams, ponds, and dykes, as well as flood barriers through food assistance in exchange for labour.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Micro-irrigation infrastructure:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supports Indian States in leveraging the<strong> Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme (MGNREGA)<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through safeguards during design and planning and encouraging participatory institutional development, IFAD ensures that micro-irrigation infrastructure is environmentally and socially sustainable and financially viable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate-smart agriculture:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supports the<strong> sustainable transformation of agrifood systems <\/strong>and <strong>climate-smart agriculture practices <\/strong>to improve water-use efficiency.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Crop forecasting framework:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The FAO, in <strong>Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra<\/strong>, is piloting a<strong> crop forecasting framework<\/strong> and model incorporating climate (weather), soil characteristics and market information to aid rainfed farmers in making informed decisions contributing to food security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Way ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To achieve global food and nutrition security, <strong>political commitment is needed<\/strong> as much as concrete investment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>needed policies and investments must:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promote innovative and proven technologies that allow farmers to increase their productivity, adapt to climate change and become more resilient to shocks;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote environmentally and socially sustainable and financially viable irrigation and water management strategies;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce their climate footprint of agricultural production, as well as bio-hazards and environmental pollution;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bring sanitation and drinking water supplies closer to rural households;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adopt efficient food and water recycling strategies and strengthen institutional arrangements and capacity for sustainable and equitable water regulations, management, access and ownership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Daily Mains Question<\/strong><br><\/span><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Sustainable water management is critical to address impending food and nutrition security threats. Analyse.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/16_10_The-world-needs-to-stop-taking-water-for-granted.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus: GS2\/ Government policies &amp; interventions, GS3\/ Resources In Context Water availability &amp; significance Issues &amp; challenges Suggestions United Nations\u2019s Initiatives in India Way ahead Daily Mains Question[Q] Sustainable water management is critical to address impending food and nutrition security threats. Analyse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18114"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18118,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18114\/revisions\/18118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}