India is facing one of the most severe water crises in its history. Rapid population growth, climate pressures, and heavy reliance on agriculture have intensified the challenge, making innovative and effective water governance a pressing necessity.
A water crisis refers to a situation where the availability, quality, or accessibility of freshwater falls critically short of the demand, leading to stress across agriculture, households, industries, and ecosystems. |
Water Crisis Situation in India
- Limited Resources vs High Demand: India possesses only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources while supporting 17% of the world’s population.
- High Water Stress: NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report highlights that nearly 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress, making it the worst water crisis in India’s history.
- Declining Per Capita Availability: India’s annual per capita water availability was 1,486 cubic meters in 2021—already below the global water stress threshold (1,700 cubic meters).
- It is projected to decline further to 1,341 cubic meters by 2025 and 1,140 cubic meters by 2050.
- Lack of Safe Drinking Water: 200,000 people die annually due to inadequate access to safe water.
- Nearly 75% of households lack safe drinking water, and by 2030, 40% of Indians may have no access at all.
- Groundwater Exploitation: India is the largest consumer of groundwater globally, using more than 25% of global reserves.
- Almost 70% of groundwater is contaminated, placing India 120th out of 122 countries on the Water Quality Index (World Bank).
Causes of the Water Crisis in India
- Demand–Supply Imbalance: By 2030, water demand is projected to be twice the available supply (NITI Aayog).
- India’s population is projected to peak in the early 2060s at about 1.7 billion
- Over-Extraction and Mismanagement:
- Groundwater use for Agriculture: According to FAO 90% of India’s freshwater resources is put to use in Agriculture, Indian Central Water Commission says it is 78%.
- Paddy cultivation in Punjab and Haryana has caused severe groundwater depletion.
- Urbanisation: It has worsened the crisis; for example, Bengaluru’s lakes reduced from 262 in 1961 to just around 80.
- Pollution: Water bodies are heavily polluted, such as Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru, which is unfit for use due to untreated sewage and industrial effluents.
- According to World Economic Forum, It’s estimated that around 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption.
- Encroachment: Wetlands and lakes are being destroyed for infrastructure projects, reducing natural storage. For example, in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru.
- Climate and Environmental Stress: Erratic monsoons, floods, and droughts triggered by climate change further strain water security.
- Infrastructure and Governance Gaps: Poor supply networks, outdated treatment plants, and high leakage lead to wastage.
- Fragmented water governance and politicised inter-state river disputes prevent effective management.
- Lack of Awareness among people: Many citizens still view water as a free resource, leading to low conservation efforts.
Impacts of the Water Crisis
- Agriculture and Food Security: Water scarcity means less water for agriculture production which in turn means less food available, threatening food security and nutrition
- Economic: Water shortages could cut India’s GDP by 6% by 2050 (World Bank).
- Social: Unsafe water causes malnutrition, disease, and high medical costs, especially for the poor.
- Ecological: Scarcity may threaten the ecosystem and biodiversity. For example, extinction of dependent flora and fauna.
- International Relations: Water scarcity can escalate tensions with neighbours
- For example, China’s dams on the Brahmaputra affecting India’s water flow; India Pakistan relations wrt Indus Water Treaty
This crisis makes the adoption of technology in water management a necessity, not a choice.
Key Initiatives and Use of Technology in Water Management and Conservation
a) Digital Mapping, Monitoring, and Data-Driven Planning
- Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain (2021)
- Implemented by the National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti
- Focus on enumeration, geo-tagging, and inventorization of water bodies using old revenue records, remote sensing data from National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping.
- Integration with National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) for district-level water conservation plans.6
- First Census of Water Bodies (2018–19): Database of 24.24 lakh water bodies published in 2023 (ponds, tanks, reservoirs, lakes, check dams, etc.).
- Jal Dharohar Portal (2023): GIS-based sub-portal under India- Water Resource Information System (India-WRIS) consolidating water body data for planning and awareness.
b) Groundwater Management
- India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES platform) (CGWB): A web-based application for standardized groundwater resource assessment.
- Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs): 5,260 devices for real-time monitoring.
- Aquifer Mapping: GIS + remote sensing for recharge zones and spatial analysis.
- Satellite Support:
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- GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) Platform for groundwater storage assessment.
- NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) for detecting groundwater changes at the macro level.
c) Irrigation and Agriculture
- Modernization of Command Area Development and Water Management (MCAD)Scheme (2025-26):
- Use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) /IoT-based systems for monitoring.
- Volumetric water use measurement, water-use efficiency (WUE) tracking.
- Engagement with startups, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)s, research institutes for water-saving innovations.
- Surface Minor Irrigation under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana – Har Khet Ko Pani (PMKSY-HKKP) (2016):
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- GIS mapping of minor irrigation projects.
- Unique Identification Codes (UICs) for project monitoring.
d) Urban Water Management
- AMRUT (2015) & AMRUT 2.0:
- Incorporates smart elements such as SCADA in water supply and sewerage projects.
- Urban Waterbody Information System (UWAIS): Mapping of water bodies by NRSC using GIS and remote sensing based mapping for informed decision-making.
e) Drinking Water in Rural Areas
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) (2019): IoT-based sensor solutions for rural water supply monitoring.
Global Best Practices
- Israel: Pioneered drip irrigation and micro-irrigation, saving up to 40% of water in agriculture.
- Singapore: NEWater project – Advanced membrane technology and UV disinfection used to recycle treated wastewater into high-grade potable water..
- Australia – Murray-Darling Basin: Uses real-time hydrological data, remote sensing, and digital allocation systems to manage scarce river water..
- China: Deploys AI, big data, and satellite imagery for river basin monitoring and flood prediction.
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Challenges in Adoption of Technology
- High Costs: Advanced systems like SCADA, IoT, and satellite-based monitoring are expensive.
- Digital Divide: Lack of technical capacity in rural and remote regions.
- Data Issues: Fragmented databases, interoperability challenges, and cybersecurity risks.
- Institutional Barriers: Water being a state subject creates coordination issues.
- Equity Concerns: Larger farmers, industries, and urban areas may benefit more than small farmers and rural poor.
Technology as a Policy Tool in Water Management
- Data-Driven Governance: Real-time dashboards (e.g., JJM, NWIC) enhance transparency and accountability.
- Integrated Decision-Making: Platforms like India-WRIS unify data from multiple schemes for holistic planning.
- Regulation and Compliance: IoT meters enable volumetric pricing, SCADA enforces urban service standards, blockchain can make water trading transparent.
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Way Forward
- Scale Up Smart Monitoring: Expand IoT-based water meters, leak detection systems, and AI-driven analytics for early warning on contamination, over-extraction, and pipeline losses.
- Singapore’s tiered pricing model could be adapted.
- Water Recycling & Reuse: Incentivize industries and municipalities to adopt wastewater reuse for non-potable purposes (cooling, landscaping, irrigation).
- Decentralized Tech Solutions: Promote low-cost decentralized wastewater treatment, greywater recycling units, and smart rainwater harvesting structures with IoT-enabled storage monitoring.
- Low-Cost Innovations: Encourage startups and local enterprises to create affordable, scalable technologies.
- Tech-Enabled Community Participation: Develop mobile apps and GIS dashboards in vernacular languages to empower Water User Associations and Gram Panchayats in water audits
- Innovation Ecosystem: Support start-ups, research institutions, and PPPs in developing cost-effective, scalable technologies for water monitoring, conservation, and recycling.
- Climate Resilience: Use of predictive analytics, AI, and big data for flood and drought management.
Conclusion
India’s looming water crisis requires urgent, sustained, and innovative action. Modern technologies GIS, IoT, remote sensing, AI, and smart monitoring can significantly improve efficiency, transparency, and sustainability in water management. However, technology is an enabler, not a substitute. Long-term water security will depend on a balanced approach that integrates modern tools, traditional wisdom, community participation, and strong governance frameworks.