A third of India’s districts, and 33 crore people, are affected by severe drought. With increasing food needs, the pressure on fresh water will only increase (“‘Time for a National Water Commission’,” Aug.19). We have seen how a scarcity of water across States has led to crop failure, mass forced migration, suicides and the closing down of industry. Awareness creation among communities is a prerequisite for water conservation. The planting of water-intensive sugarcane and paddy in dry regions and the indiscriminate use of groundwater for irrigation should be regulated. There is a need for more surface-based irrigation. With rapid urbanisation and shrinking open land, replenishment of groundwater is much slower than its consumption. Therefore, the percentage of groundwater recharged needs to be doubled.
Gagan Pratap Singh,
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
