The impact of declining Groundwater levels on Agricultural Yield in India: An Opinion

 

Amidst the recent pandemic crisis, a report published in a newspaper on the 20 % reduction in the winter cropping due to depleting groundwater resources caught my attention. It has been reported, that 13 % of the villages in India may lose 68 % of their cropped area by 2025 as the groundwater table is going down. Moreover, in some parts of India, water-intensive crops such as sugarcane, paddy, cotton, soybean etc. are cultivated in regions that receive comparatively less annual rainfall or/and have a critically low groundwater table. The rest of the amount is either supplemented by irrigation water or depletes the groundwater table. The Green Revolution that led to a boom in India’s agricultural system subsequently reported a decline in productivity. The uncontrolled usage of high-yield varieties, excessive inputs of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and greater water use caused environmentally unsustainable farm practices. In the wake of the looming threat of climate change and erratic rainfall, it has leveled off the growth in yields. The impact and promise of the Green Revolution are somewhat disappearing.

As the population of India is going to increase in the next decades, it becomes imperative to address the situation. An innovative system based on environmentally sustainable knowledge needs to be brought to awareness and practice.

Switching to less water-intensive croppings, adoption of water-saving techniques, supply of enough irrigation infrastructure, water conservation strategies for instance rainwater harvesting, monitoring the cultivation of water-intensive crops in arid/semi-arid regions, more efficient utilization of the water at the farm levels can plausibly solve the situation.