Context
- Global warming and climate change can create threat for water security in India.
- March 22, celebrated globally as World Water Day.
- India is witnessing a repeat of 2021 conditions, when temperatures touched 40 degrees Celsius as early as February in some parts of the country.
- 2021 was the year of the La Niña — the Pacific water currents that are known to bring cooler temperatures globally. Indian weather scientists have informed that global warming has offset this cooling effect of La Niña.
CSE researchers said the rising heat had severe implications for water security.
Effects may be as follow
- Greater evaporation from waterbodies.
- Heat will drive up the use of water — from drinking and irrigation, to fighting fires in forests or buildings.
- Climate change exacerbates the extreme rain events. This means frequent spat of flood and drought. India already has fewer rainy days in a year. It is said that it rains for just 100 hours on average in a year. Now, the number of rainy days will further go down, but extreme rainy days will increase.
Way out
This will have a huge impact on India’s plans for water management.
- Water management must go hand-in-hand with vegetation planning to improve the ability of soils to hold water, even in times of intense and prolonged heat.
- Enriching underground and overground aquifers — wells and ponds.
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme may be streamlined with water management.
