Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 6: With rainfall deficit and drought conditions tightening their grip across Karnataka, the state government is turning to scientific water planning to ensure its reserves are used judiciously and future shortages are anticipated.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Karnataka has become the first state in India to launch village-level water budgeting to assess available water resources against present and future demand from different sectors.
Even as the state government is yet to complete its drought assessment, the rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) department has completed the water-budgeting exercise in 4,565 villages, The Times of India reported.
The ambitious initiative involves scientifically assessing water available within a geographical area against current and projected demand, covering domestic, agricultural, industrial and other requirements.
RDPR minister Eshwar Khandre said Karnataka’s initiative received appreciation at the recently concluded two-day national summit on Sustainable Water Resources in New Delhi.
The minister said the exercise assumes significance as the state faces growing water stress and cannot afford to wait for wells and other sources to dry up before responding.
“Instead of digging wells only after drought strikes, we need to anticipate water stress and take preventive measures. Water availability must be assessed scientifically and its use planned accordingly,” Khandre said.
Karnataka has the second-largest extent of drought-prone land in the country after Rajasthan, making access to safe drinking water particularly challenging in rural areas. The state has 26,589 villages and 57,879 habitations, with about 44.5 million people living in rural areas.
“The water-budgeting exercise was planned with the aim of changing the way villages manage water — from crisis response to advance planning. Currently, there is no dearth of water, and hence citizens may not realise its importance. But the days are not far when we could struggle to source fresh water, given the changing climatic conditions,” Khandre said.
He said collaboration between multiple agencies, including meteorologists, geologists, hydrologists and revenue officials, would enable local administrations to identify potential shortages, regulate consumption and plan conservation measures before a severe crisis develops.
According to Khandre, Karnataka’s geology is also compounding water stress across several regions.
“In several parts of the state, hard rock and laterite formations restrict rainwater from percolating into the ground. Excessive extraction has further depleted groundwater reserves, with lakhs of borewells drying up during summer. Constant degradation and erratic rainfall have resulted in excessive surface runoff without sufficient groundwater recharge,” he said.
“If these trends continue, surface-water sources will become the main basis of survival in the coming years. If lakes, ponds, reservoirs and rivers are not protected, water scarcity will become unavoidable,” Khandre added.
The state is also linking water budgeting with more efficient water-delivery systems. A 24x7 drinking water supply scheme has been introduced in 268 villages, resulting in around 7% savings in water use and a 12% reduction in electricity consumption for pumping water.
Volumetric billing in these villages has enabled authorities to track actual consumption and improve supply planning. To ensure the quality of water supplied, the government has also trained 1.5 lakh women to test water samples and provided them with field-testing kits.