Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Assessing Global Water Megatrends pp 187–209Cite as

Future Water Management: Myths in Indian Agriculture

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Water Resources Development and Management ((WRDM))

Abstract

Water management in India in the coming years will have to take an entirely different trajectory from what was followed since Independence, if recent trends are any indication. At the national level, the trends are: rising per capita incomes and improving living standards; rapid urbanisation and higher population growth rates in large cities; fast changing structure of the national economy; changing consumption pattern, with increasing preference for high calorie food—milk and milk products, and meat ; fast improving transportation , and information and communication networks in rural areas ; ageing population , and rising rural farm wages. These trends would create new water management needs and priorities for the future. Along with technological, institutional and policy interventions for water demand management , large water projects would be an integral part of the future solution. But, a section of the civil society argues that ‘viable alternatives’ to large water projects exist by propagating certain myths . This chapter makes an objective assessment of these ‘alternatives’ and shows how they fail to meet the future ‘water management needs’ by confronting these myths. Accordingly, the trends that are most likely to emerge in future in the water management sector are deciphered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Alexandratos N, Bruinsma J (2012) World agriculture towards 2030/2050: the 2012 revision. ESA Working Paper No. 12–03, Agricultural Development Economics Division, FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, RG, Willardson, LS, Frederiksen, H (1998) Water use definitions and their use for assessing the impacts of water conservation. In: de Jager JM, Vermes LP, Rageb R (eds) Proceedings ICID workshop on sustainable irrigation in areas of water scarcity and drought, Oxford, England, September 11–12, pp 72–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Amarasinghe U, Sharma BR, Aloysius N, Scott C, Smakhtin V, de Fraiture C, Sinha AK, Shukla AK (2004) Spatial variation in water supply and demand across river basins of India. IWMI Research Report 83, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Amarasinghe U, Shah T, McCornick P (2008) Seeking calm waters: exploring policy options for India’s water future. Nat Resour Forum 32(4):305–315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amede T, Tarawali S, Peden D (2011) Improving water productivity in crop livestock system of drought-prone regions: editorial comment. Exploratory Agric 47(S1):1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amerasinghe P, Bhardwaj RM, Scott CA, Jella K, Marshall F (2013) Urban wastewater and agricultural reuse challenges in India. IWMI Research Report 147, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Anantha KH (2009) Downward dividends of groundwater irrigation in hard rock areas of southern peninsular India. Working Paper # 225, The Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore

    Google Scholar 

  • Biswas AK, Tortajada C (2001) Development and large dams: a global perspective. Int J Water Resour Dev 17(1):9–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas AK, Tortajada C (2009) Changing global water management landscape. In: Biswas AK, Tortajada C, Izquierdo R (eds) Water management in 2020 and beyond. Springer, Berlin, pp 1–34

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas AK, Tortajada C (2017) Cooperation on shared waters. Kathmandu Post, 16 Jan 2017

    Google Scholar 

  • Biswas AK, Tortajada C, Saklani U (2017) Running on empty: how water might dissolve the Indian Union if it can’t resolve river disputes. Times of India, 16 Jan 2017

    Google Scholar 

  • Chand R, Kumar P, Kumar S (2012) Total factor productivity and returns to public investment on agricultural research in India. Agric Econ Res Rev 25(2):181–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Dharmadhikary S (2005) Unravelling Bhakra: assessing the temple of resurgent India. Manthan Abhiyan Kendra, Badwani

    Google Scholar 

  • Droogers P, Seckler D, Makin I (2001) Estimating the potential of rain-fed agriculture. Working Paper 20, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastwood R, Lipton M, Newell A (2010) Farm size. In: Handbook of agricultural economics, vol 4. University of Sussex, p 3323

    Google Scholar 

  • Evenson, Robert E, Carl E. Pray, Mark W. Rosegrant (1999) Agricultural Research and Productivity Growth in India, Research Report 109, International Food Policy Research Institute

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkenmark M (2004) Towards integrated catchment management: opening the paradigm locks between hydrology, ecology and policy making. Int J Water Resour Dev 20(3):275–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) (2009) State of world food insecurity. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganesh-Kumar A, Gulati A, Cummings R Jr (2007) Food grains policy and management in India: responding to today’s challenges and opportunities. Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai and International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Glendenning CJ, Vervoort RW (2011) Hydrological impacts of rainwater harvesting (RWH) in a case study catchment: the Arvari river, Rajasthan, India: Part 2 catchment-scale impacts. Agric Water Manag 98(4):715–730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GOI (Government of India) (2012) Ground water year book 2011–2012. Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, Faridabad

    Google Scholar 

  • GOI (Government of India) (2014) Data book Compiled for Use of Planning Commission. Planning Commission, Govt. of India, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustavsson J, Cederberg C, Sonesson U, van Otterdijk R, Meybeck A (2011) Global food losses and food waste: extent causes and prevention. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Iyer RR (2008) Water: a critique of three basic concepts. Econ Polit Wkly 43(1):15–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Iyer RR (2011) National water policy: an alternative draft for consideration. Econ Polit Wkly 46(26 & 27):201–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemper KE (2007) Instruments and institutions for groundwater management. In Giordano M, Villholth KG (eds) The agricultural groundwater revolution: Opportunities and threats to development. CAB International Publishing, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny JF, Barber NL, Hutson SS, Linsey KS, Lovelace JK, Maupin MA (2009) Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005. US Geological Survey, Reston

    Google Scholar 

  • KPMG (2016) India Economic Survey 2015–2016. Tax Flash News, KPMG, 26 Feb 2016

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD (2003) Food security and sustainable agriculture in India: the water management challenge. Working Paper 60, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD (2007) Groundwater management in India: physical, institutional and policy alternatives. Sage Publications, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD (2010) Managing water in river basins: hydrology, economics, and institutions. Oxford University Press, New Delhi

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD (2014a) Thirsty cities: how Indian cities can meet their water needs. Oxford University Press, New Delhi

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD (2014b) Changes in water productivity in agriculture with particular reference to south Asia: past and the future. International Water Management Institute, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Singh OP (2005) Virtual water trade in global food and water policy making: is there a need for rethinking? Water Resour Manage 19(6):759–789

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, van Dam JC (2013) Drivers of change in agricultural water productivity and its improvement at basin scale in developing economies. Water Int 38(3):312–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Ghosh S, Patel A, Singh OP, Ravindranath R (2006) Rainwater harvesting in India: some critical issues for basin planning and research. Land Use Water Resour Res 6(1):1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Malla AK, Tripathy S (2008a) Economic value of water in agriculture: comparative analysis of a water-scarce and a water-rich region in India. Water Int 33(2):214–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Patel A, Ravindranath R, Singh OP (2008b) Chasing a mirage: water harvesting and artificial recharge in naturally water-scarce regions. Econ Polit Wkly 43(35):61–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Singh OP, Samad M, Turral H, Purohit C (2008b) Water saving and yield enhancing micro-irrigation technologies in India: when do they become best bet technologies? In: Abstracts of the 7th Annual Partners’ Meet of IWMI-Tata water policy research program on managing water in the face of growing scarcity, inequity and declining returns: exploring fresh approaches, International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad, 2–4 Apr 2008

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Sivamohan MVK, Narayanamoorthy A (2012) The food security challenge of the food-land-water nexus. Food Secur J 4(4):539–556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar MD, Reddy VR, Narayanamoorthy A, Bassi N, James AJ (2013) Rainfed areas: poor definition and flawed solutions. Int J Water Resour Dev. doi:10.1080/07900627.2017.1278680

  • Kumar MD, Bassi N, Sivamohan MVK, Venkatachalam L (2014) Breaking the agrarian crisis in eastern India. In: Kumar MD, Bassi N, Narayanamoorthy A, Sivamohan MVK (eds) Water, energy and food security nexus: lessons from India for development. Routledge, London, UK, pp 143–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Kundu A (2006) Estimating urban population and its size class distribution at regional level in the context of demand for water: methodological issues. Draft prepared for the IWMI-CPWF project on Strategic Analysis of National River Linking Project of India

    Google Scholar 

  • Molle F, Mamanpoush A, Miranzadeh M (2004) Robbing Yadullah’s water to irrigate Saeid’s garden: hydrology and water rights in a village of central Iran. Research Report 80, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukherjee S, Shah Z, Kumar MD (2010) Sustaining urban water supplies in India: increasing role of large reservoirs. Water Resour Manage 24(10):2035–2055

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mukherji A, Shah T, Banerjee P (2012) Kick-starting a Second Green Revolution in Bengal. Econ Polit Wkly Commentary 47(18):27–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukherji A, Rawat S, Shah T (2013) Major Insights from India’s minor irrigation censuses: 1986–1987 to 2006–2007. Econ Polit Wkly Rev Rural Aff XLVIII (26 & 27):115–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Narayanamoorthy A (2015) Groundwater depletion and water extraction cost: some evidence from South India. Int J Water Resour Dev 31(4):604–617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NRAA (National Rain-fed Area Authority) (2011) Challenges of food security and its management. National Rain-fed Area Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Pathak H, Ladha JK, Aggarwal PK, Peng S, Das S, Singh Y, Singh B, Kamra SK, Mishra B, Sastri ASRAS, Aggarwal HP, Das DK, Gupta RK (2003) Trends of climatic potential and on-farm yields of rice and wheat in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Fields Crops Res 80(3):223–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phansalkar S, Verma S (2005) Mainstreaming the margins: water centric livelihood strategies for revitalizing tribal agriculture in central India. Books for Change, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Planning Commission (2014) Report of the Expert Group to Review the Methodologies for Measurement of Poverty. Planning Commission, Government of India, June 2015

    Google Scholar 

  • Punjabi M (2010) India: Increasing Demand Challenges the Dairy Sector. In: Morgan N (ed) Smallholder livestock development: lessons learned from Asia. Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray S, Bijarnia M (2006) Upstream Vs downstream: groundwater management and rainwater harvesting. Econ Polit Wkly 41(23):2375–2383

    Google Scholar 

  • Rockström J, Hatibu N, Oweis T, Wani SP (2007) Managing water in rain-fed agriculture. In: Molden D (ed) Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture. Earthscan, London and International Water Management Institute, Colombo, pp 315–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchis-Ibor C, Macian-Sorribes H, García-Mollá M, Pulido-Velazquez M (2015) Effects of drip irrigation on water consumption at basin scale (Mijares river, Spain). Paper presented at the 26th Euro-Mediterranean regional conference and workshops on ‘innovate to improve irrigation performances’, Montpellier, France, 12–15 Oct 2015

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasmal J (2015) Food price inflation in India: growing economy and Sluggish Agriculture. J Econ Finance Administrative Sci 20(38):30–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shah T (2009) Taming the anarchy: groundwater governance in Asia. Resources for Future, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah T, Gulati A, Sridhar G, Padhiary H, Jain RC (2009) Secret of Gujarat’s Agrarian Miracle after 2000. Econ Polit Wkly XLIV(53):45–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma KD (2011) Rain-fed agriculture could meet the challenges of food security in India. Curr Sci 100(11):1615–1616

    Google Scholar 

  • Todd DK, Mays LW (2005) Groundwater hydrology, 3rd edn. Wiley, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2009) World water development report 3: water in a changing world. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Wichelns D (2003) The role of public policies in motivating virtual water trade, with an example from Egypt. In: Hoekstra AY (ed) Proceedings of the international expert meeting on virtual water trade, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands, 2003

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2001) India: Power supply to agriculture, The World Bank, South Asia Region

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP), Hyderabad, India

    M. Dinesh Kumar

Authors
  1. M. Dinesh Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Dinesh Kumar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Asit K. Biswas

  2. Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Cecilia Tortajada

  3. Pictet Asset Management, Geneva, Switzerland

    Philippe Rohner

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Dinesh Kumar, M. (2018). Future Water Management: Myths in Indian Agriculture. In: Biswas, A., Tortajada, C., Rohner, P. (eds) Assessing Global Water Megatrends. Water Resources Development and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6695-5_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation