Groundwater Decline in Gangetic Valley and Its Impact on Food Security – GS1 Micro Notes Format
Intro – Groundwater in Gangetic Valley:
- Gangetic plain contributes over 35% of India’s foodgrain output.
- Groundwater supports ~60% of irrigation in India; even higher in Gangetic states like UP, Bihar.
Causes of Groundwater Decline:
- Over-extraction for HYV crops (paddy, wheat).
- Poor recharge due to urbanization, concretization.
- Diminishing rainfall, erratic monsoons.
- Lack of sustainable irrigation practices.
Impacts on Food Security:
- Reduced Crop Yields:
- Decline in assured irrigation leads to lower productivity.
- Threat to paddy and wheat, staples for Indian food security.
- Shift in Cropping Patterns:
- Farmers may move to less water-intensive but less remunerative crops.
- Nutritional insecurity due to reduced cereals and pulses.
- Increased Input Costs:
- Deeper wells, borewells, and energy costs escalate.
- Impacts marginal farmers the most, increasing rural distress.
- Decline in Multiple Cropping:
- Water stress limits second/third cropping cycles.
- Lower annual food output.
- Dependency on Rain-fed Agriculture:
- Makes food production vulnerable to climate variability.
- Regional Disparities:
- Water-rich regions may dominate production, worsening intra-national food distribution.
Conclusion:
- The groundwater crisis in the Gangetic valley threatens India’s long-term food security.
- Calls for urgent action: rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation, crop diversification, and groundwater regulation policies.
