Industry Odisha Bureau, Jun 19: Since India has 18% of the world’s population, but only 4% of its water resources, the World Bank Group (WBG) has reportedly laid stress on India’s water security as it would play a pivotal role in ensuring not only well-being of the Indians, but also India’s development given the data that water-dependent sectors contribute roughly half of economic value added and employ nearly 70% of India’s workforce.
According to the WBG, “With rising population, per capita water availability has fallen by half since 1970. Some 600 million people face water stress, while the frequency of both floods and droughts is increasing with climate change.”
The WBG remarks, “Even though the Government of India as well as the State Governments are implementing ambitious programmes to expand access to drinking water and sanitation, modernize irrigation, strengthen water infrastructure, and better manage water resources,” it also emphasises that, “the next step is to shift from building infrastructure to providing reliable services to the people, using water resources efficiently, and making water utilities more sustainable with stronger governance and financing.”
Reportedly, “The WBG’s engagement is anchored in its ‘Country Partnership Framework for India FY2026–31’ and guided by ‘Water Forward’, while its global water strategy is organized around three pillars – ‘Water for People’, ‘Water for Food’, and ‘Water for Planet’ – with the aim of improving water security for 400 million people worldwide by 2030.”
Hence, “the WBG India programme will enhance water security for 100 million people during FY25–30, approximately 25 percent of the global target,” states the WBG website.
According to the WBG website, “the World Bank is supporting India’s irrigation modernization agenda across multiple states through a growing portfolio of climate-resilient programmes, complementing central government investments since agriculture consumes 80–90% of India’s water i.e. two to three times more than China or Brazil.”
It has further been reported that, “Indian Farmers have increasingly turned to groundwater, but unsustainable use of groundwater has led to the widespread depletion of this precious resource in many areas.”
In this context, the WBG has suggested in its website that, “Upgrading canals, investing in drip irrigation and sprinklers, and deploying digital tools can help farmers get more crop per drop, besides groundwater levels need to be monitored regularly through remote sensing, and water resources need to be budgeted on a scheme-wide basis.”
Deliberating on “reducing the risks of floods and droughts as well as sustainably managing water”, the WBG website has reported that, “the World Bank has supported India’s efforts to strengthen its large dams since 2012, because 300 of India’s 5,000 large dams are years old and many have slipped into the ‘high hazard’ category.”
In a bid to build a ‘national data backbone for water management’, “the World Bank-supported ‘National Hydrology Project’ built a nationwide, automated, real-time water monitoring and information system that covers surface water, groundwater, water quality, and meteorology enabling flood forecasting, reservoir operations, and river basin planning. Thus, over 119,000 hydro-meteorological monitoring stations are now integrated with the national platform, and more than 18 states have established or are strengthening State Water Informatics Centers.”
Since the WBG reportedly remains “committed to deepening its partnership with India in achieving water security for all its citizens”, the WBG website claims, “the models being developed and tested in India are not only transforming services for millions of Indians, but are also generating knowledge and experience that can inform water sector reform across the developing world.”
