Enhancing Water Productivity under Climate Change Scenarios: Indian Perspective

Abstract

The scarcity of water has grown into a significant obstacle to ecosystem preservation, food production for the expanding population, and social security and health maintenance. Our ecology is also threatened by water logging and salinity in numerous canal commands, seawater intrusion along the coast, wetland drying up, low stream flows, etc. Water supplies have suffered as a result of climate change. The issue of water shortage and agricultural production are made worse by the regular occurrence of catastrophic events like drought and floods. The problems facing a large nation like India include the temporal and geographical variability of floods and droughts as well as the stark spatial differences in the growing irrigated area. The irrigated agro-ecosystem faces several obstacles. The new challenges confronting the country include geographic variations in groundwater development, low usage and filtration of wastewater for irrigation, poor irrigation efficiency, particularly for canal irrigation, and spatial disparities in the country's growing irrigated area. One of the best ways to establish a favorable water regime for improved crop development and production in a rainfed argo-ecosystem is to save rainwater in various land forms and use it effectively. The most difficult places to manage are those that are prone to flooding and waterlogging. However, a number of technologies are available to help with the difficulties. In broadest sense, water productivity reflects the objectives of producing more food, income, livelihoods and ecological benefits at less social and environmental cost per unit of water.