Dear readers,

We get what we deserve–and the water crisis that stares us in the face today is our creation. India’s climate is not dry, nor do we lack rivers and groundwater. But what we do lack is management. With unclear laws, government corruption, and industrial and human waste rendering our vast supply almost useless, the water supply crunch is real and rising. Historically water was viewed as an unlimited resource. Thus, no conventions were laid down to provide it as a basic human right. Since Independence, India’s primary goals have been economic growth and food security, with a complete disregard towards water conservation. The ramifications are that unlike many other developing countries, especially those with acute water scarcity issues such as China, Indian law has virtually no legislation on groundwater. Anyone can freely extract water - homeowner, farmer or industry as long as the water lies beneath his patch of land. Then we offer sops to farmers, mostly utilised by the affluent counterparts, with easy distribution of cheap electricity and electric pumps. Relentless rapid pumping of groundwater and subsequent depletion of aquifers is inevitable. The owners of wells do not have to pay for extracting water, so there is no incentive to conserve or recycle it. Industry applies the same logic, and rather than reusing the water used for cooling machines, they dump it back into rivers and canals, along with the pollution it has accumulated. Then again, it is imperative that India keeps boosting agricultural production to feed its burgeoning population–and switching to less water intensive crops is the only solution available. We need a change of attitude. A few pertinent water legislations, strict water conservation practices, efficiency in water use and water recycling can offer viable redressal options. Raising electricity tariffs and enacting tariffs on water is sticky business, but needs to be urgently explored, atleast in some critical areas. Setting up rainwater harvesting loops is yet another option that has to be linked with house tax incentives to productively tap the huge quantities of monsoon rain.

This issue of G’nY is dedicated to water. Scientists and researchers from all over the country have contributed articles to enhance our understanding on the subject. Of special interest to me was Dr Nityanand Singh’s article which has several eye openers regarding our moisture regions. I want to specially extend my thanks to Dr Sharad Jain and Dr Anil Gupta for gifting two fine papers for this publication.