Irrigation water policies for sustainable groundwater management in irrigated northwestern plains of India
- Title
- Irrigation water policies for sustainable groundwater management in irrigated northwestern plains of India
- Creator
- Chand P.; Singh J.M.; Sachdeva J.; Singh J.; Agarwal P.; Jain R.; Rao S.; Kaur B.
- Description
- Increasing global water shortage emphasizes the need for demand-side water management policies, especially in the agriculture sector, being the largest consumer of freshwater. Such policies are relevant in India, where groundwater depletion may have severe implications at various socio-economic levels. In this study, using mathe-matical modelling, we assess the feasibility of two alter-native irrigation water pricing policies (i) uniform wa-ter pricing policy and (ii) differentiated water pricing policy, wherein farmers growing less water-requiring crops (<4488 m3/ha) get an incentive for saving water, while those growing water-intensive crops pay for it. Us-ing a case study of Punjab, the breadbasket and one of the fastest groundwater-depleting states in India, alter-native cropping patterns are also suggested. The findings reveal that the current rate of groundwater withdrawal could not sustain agricultural intensification in the state. Although optimization of resource allocation has the pote-ntial to save water by 8%, this alone is unlikely to break the ricewheat mono-cropping pattern in Punjab. The analysis of two different volumetric irrigation water pricing policies shows that differentiated water pricing would be more effective in halting groundwater deple-tion in the state. However, adequate investment in irri-gation water supply infrastructure, mainly for installing water meters, is required to implement the policy. 2022, Current Science. All Rights Reserved.
- Source
- Current Science, Vol-123, No. 10, pp. 1225-1231.
- Date
- 2022-01-01
- Publisher
- Indian Academy of Sciences
- Subject
- Agriculture; Groundwater management; Irri-gation; Sustainable intensification; Water pricing policies.
- Coverage
- Chand P., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi, 110 012, India; Singh J.M., Department of Economics and Rural Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141 027, India; Sachdeva J., Department of Economics and Rural Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141 027, India; Singh J., Department of Economics and Rural Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141 027, India; Agarwal P., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi, 110 012, India; Jain R., ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi, 110 012, India; Rao S., CHRIST University, Bannerghatta Main Road,Hulimavu, Bengaluru, 560 076, India; Kaur B., Department of Economics and Rural Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141 027, India
- Rights
- All Open Access; Gold Open Access
- Relation
- ISSN: 113891; CODEN: CUSCA
- Format
- Online
- Language
- English
- Type
- Article
Collection
Citation
Chand P.; Singh J.M.; Sachdeva J.; Singh J.; Agarwal P.; Jain R.; Rao S.; Kaur B., “Irrigation water policies for sustainable groundwater management in irrigated northwestern plains of India,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed February 24, 2025, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/15278.