Earth Day 2024 | Preparing India for water stress and climate resilience

India must also prepare for water stress as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts a hotter summer with longer heat waves from April to June. The challenge is that we are accustomed to thinking of acute stress (heat, water, or extreme weather) as temporary and often approach it as disaster relief. When disaster strikes (such as the water crisis in Bengaluru), we must move away from panic reactions and understand and respond to the long-term risks we face. Furthermore, climate action cannot be the responsibility of a few departments or businesses. Environmental sustainability cannot be reduced to planting saplings in a matter of days.

This Earth Day (April 22) should be a wake-up call. Climate is now the economy, and the boundaries of economic production expand or shrink depending on how we understand the intersections between land, food, energy and water.

India houses 18% of the world’s population on 2.4% of the earth’s surface area, but only accounts for 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. Nearly half of the rivers are polluted, and 150 major reservoirs currently hold only 38% of the total water storage capacity. Additionally, it is the largest user of groundwater in the world. Three-quarters of India is a hotspot for extreme climate events.

Against this backdrop, India is investing heavily in disaster preparedness, but the nature of climate shocks will continue to change. There will be sudden shocks (heavy rainfall, rapid decline in water availability) as well as slow-onset but cyclical stresses (reduction in soil water retention, changes in rainfall trend lines). Seasonal preparedness and resilience are no longer sufficient to address climate risks.

water flows through the economy

For too long, we have failed to recognize the many ways water moves through our economy, instead treating water (and other natural resources) in silos. Water connects our hydrological, food and energy systems, affecting millions of people.

How does this link work? Precipitation is the main source of water stored in soil moisture and vegetation (green water) and water available in rivers and aquifers (blue water). Both blue and green water affect the food we grow, irrigate crops, impact harvests and are vital to the economy. But the industry that employs the most people is increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts. The “India Employment Report 2024” shows that agriculture still employs about 45% of the population and absorbs most of the country’s labor force. Meanwhile, a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) shows that monsoon rainfall in India is changing patterns, with 55% of tehsils or divisions experiencing a significant increase of more than 10% in southwest monsoon rainfall in 2019. The past ten years compared to the previous three years. However, the increase in rainfall often comes from short-term heavy rains, which affects the sowing, irrigation and harvesting of crops. Improving the resilience of the agricultural sector to climate and water stress is critical for jobs, growth and sustainability.

Water is also a key component in the world’s clean energy transition. Green hydrogen, seen as an important pillar for decarbonizing industry and long-distance transport, is produced using water and electricity from renewable sources. Pumped storage hydropower, as a natural battery, is critical to balancing grid loads and is an important component of a clean and reliable power system.

Then there is the climate crisis and its impact on hydrometeorological disasters. According to the United Nations’ World Water Development Report 2020, nearly 75% of natural disasters in the past two decades were water-related. According to CEEW analysis, the number of flood-related events such as landslides, thunderstorms and cloud bursts increased by as much as 20 times in India between 1970 and 2019. Freshwater is one of nine planetary boundaries that have been surpassed (2023 study).

Elements of water security

India’s efforts to ensure domestic water supply, food security and transition to clean energy will have important consequences for its economy. But its experience will serve as a reference for other water-scarce developing countries and emerging economies. Achieving water security requires a combination of the right policies, smart water use (including the reuse of municipal wastewater) and finance that adapts to a changing world.

First, effective water governance requires policies that recognize the interaction between water governance and food and energy systems. However, analysis by CEEW and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) shows that while India has adopted several policies, most do not recognize this link during the planning or implementation stages. For example, while scaling up green hydrogen is desirable, the link to water availability is not always considered. Likewise, the impact of scaling up solar irrigation pumps on groundwater levels must be analyzed so that the technology can be deployed where there is an optimal combination of solar resources and higher groundwater levels. Policies should incorporate the food-land-water nexus through local evidence and community engagement.

Secondly, India needs to focus on wise use of blue and green water through water accounting and efficient reuse. The National Water Mission aims to increase water efficiency by 20% by 2025. % in urban local bodies. However, these are not supported by any benchmarks set using water accounting principles that would help quantify the 20% change in freshwater use. For example, in the absence of water use data for a reference year, it is difficult to quantify the potential water savings in one sector (e.g. agriculture), which can then be transferred to other sectors (e.g. industry or household use), which would result in driving water demand in India . Water accounting is essential to improve water use efficiency and incentivize investment in treated wastewater reuse.

Third, use financial instruments to finance climate adaptation in the water sector. Following global trends, India’s climate action is focused on reducing emissions in the industrial, energy and transport sectors. Financial commitments for climate change adaptation in the water and agricultural sectors remain relatively small. In 2019-20, according to overall estimates, per capita annual spending on climate change mitigation was about $2,200, while spending on adaptation was only $260. , provide incentives to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices (micro-irrigation and crop diversification), and scale up desalination plants as alternative water sources for thermal power plants and green hydrogen production. Market innovations such as India’s green credit scheme have the potential to partially fill the adaptation finance gap by encouraging investment in wastewater treatment, desalination plants and agricultural extension services. Considering investments in India under CSR (2014-15 to 2020-21), it is possible to leverage investments worth approximately Rs 12,000 crore annually.

It is unrealistic to expect systemic change to occur overnight. But it can start by pursuing coherence in water, energy and climate policies, creating data-driven benchmarks to increase water savings, and providing new financial instruments and markets for adaptation investments. A water-secure economy is the first step towards a climate-resilient economy.

Arunabha Ghosh is CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and a member of the Global Water Economy Commission. Nitin Bassi is Senior Project Leader at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).The views expressed are personal only