India, a country with a significant dependency on monsoon rains, faced a considerable hurdle in August 2023 due to an unparalleled rainfall deficit. This unanticipated shortage led to a sharp decline in the water level of the nation’s pivotal reservoirs, causing worries about sufficient water supply for households, industries and power generation. Notably, August is usually the month to witness a substantial increase in India’s water storage levels.
The State of India’s Reservoirs
The Central Water Commission (CWC) reported that the live storage in the country’s 150 reservoirs was 113.417 billion cubic meters (BCM) at the end of August 2023, equating to 63% of their maximum live storage capacity. This presented a decline of 23% when compared to the same period in 2022, and was approximately 10% lower than the average of the past decade.
The water levels in the reservoirs varied across different regions and river basins. The southern region showed the lowest storage level of 49% of its total capacity due to a 60% rainfall deficiency during August. In contrast, the eastern region had the highest storage level of 82% of its total capacity owing to normal rainfall.
Effects of Water Scarcity
The scarcity of water holds significant consequences for various sectors. For agriculture, the reduced availability of water can negatively affect crop production and subsequently farmers’ income. From the perspective of power generation, which heavily depends on water supply, the dry August led to an urgent increase in power demand, especially for irrigation purposes. Consequently, additional electricity production by coal-fired power plants was necessitated by the precarious water levels in the reservoirs.
The reservoirs also play a critical role in supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services, including flood control, groundwater recharge, fisheries, and recreation. The lowered water levels could potentially disrupt these functions and result in environmental damage. Furthermore, the scarcity of water storage threatens household water supply, given that India’s primary rainfall period is during the southwest monsoon season.
Underlying Causes for Rainfall Deficit
El Niño, a climate phenomenon marked by a rise in sea surface temperature in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean above normal levels, is one of the primary culprits behind the rainfall deficit. It adversely affects global weather patterns and reduces rainfall in India during the monsoon season. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported the presence of El Niño during August 2023 and predicted its continuation till September.
Another influential factor is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which is defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between the western pole in the Arabian Sea and the eastern pole in the eastern Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. While the impact of IOD was expected to favor monsoon rainfall this year, it did not have a significant effect according to IMD.
Strategies Moving Forward
To tackle the challenges posed by water scarcity, several strategies have been proposed. These include promoting efficient water management practices in agriculture such as adopting drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting techniques, encouraging crop diversification, cultivating drought-resistant crops to reduce dependence on water-intensive farming, and investing in renewable energy sources to lessen dependency on hydropower generation.
Moreover, water innovation initiatives like desalination, wastewater treatment, smart water technologies, and climate-resilient agriculture can help boost water supply and efficiency. Public awareness campaigns about responsible water usage and the importance of conservation could also be employed to ensure sustainable water management.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Questions
Prelims Q: With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017)
* IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
* An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino’s impact on the monsoon.
Mains Q: How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss. (2015)
Q. ‘Climate change’ is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (2017).