What is water stress ? How and why does it differ regionally in India ?

Factors contributing to water stress

1. Agriculture unsustainability - High water demanding crops are grown in dry areas. e.g. Sugarcane in Vidharbha, long staple cotton in Punjab.
2. Overusage & inefficiency of agriculture - Uses about 80% of the overall water used but the water use efficiency is only 38% (Dalwai panel).
3. Pollution - Of water bodies leading to unusability. e.g. coliform in Ganga during Mahakumbh.
4. Drought - Due to excessive heat.
5. Concretisation - Inability of water to percolate into the ground.
6. Population centralization - The population of Delhi is about 2 crores.

Impediments to formulation & implementation of water management strategy

1. Poor planning - Of cities and not allocating sufficient green areas.
2. Poor drainage system - That causes flooding and contamination of surface water bodies.
3. Indian Easement Act - Allows extraction of water below a person's property.
4. District Planning Committee challenges - Unable to draw effective watershed management plans due to conflicts in meetings with panchayat & municipal officials.
5. Encroachment of flood plains - By people e.g. Yamuna bank in Delhi.

Way Forward

1. Critically following Niti Aayog's Composite Water Management Index.
2. Rejuvenation of water bodies using Amrit Sarovar scheme, wetland restoration.
3. Creating water storage structure. e.g. Vipra Goyal has stored water in 5% of farmers' fields can lessen water stress.