प्रपत्र-7.2-जल-संपति एवं यथोचित आपूर्ति - एक अवलोकन

Abstract

Natural resources in India are aplenty, but the proper planning and management can determine their future. While 17% of the population of the world is in India but only 4% of the fresh water sources are in our country. Water is essential to increase our economic development and to raise the social strata of our citizens. it is worth to emphasize that, in the agriculture sector of our country, proper planning of water usage is much to be improved. For example, in the regions where there is scarcity of water, we find the crops like rice and wheat, which require water on a large scale. For growing one kilogram of rice, Punjab is using three times of water in comparison to Bihar and twice as much as of West Bengal and for this purpose 80% of the water is exploited from ground. Today, the Basmati rice, which is exported by India, is indirectly costing us equivalent to 10 million litres of water. There is a necessity to revive rivers, ponds, lakes, reservoirs and wells in a conventional manner. Along with exploiting ground water, we will also have to keep watch on its level and will have to separately assess the expenditure of water in agriculture through modern techniques. Along with lifting water from the bore well, how to recharge them again is an urgent issue. By adopting appropriate crops and by discouraging farming of cotton and sugarcane in water scarce areas, and in its place farming of other alternative crops like tomato, melon, various types of beans, which require less water, there is good scope for efficient farming. Our farmers are using three to five times more water to produce one crop compared to the farmers of China, Israel and America. When we talk about the yields of productivity as compared to the water used in the farming, our farmers are counted among the lowest in the world. One suggestion could be to encourage the farmers to grow crops, such as millets, various types of pulses and gram, which are high in protein and use less amount of water be given maximum price for this yield by using local distribution of all these rich protein cereal and pulses for mid-day meal in the schools.