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World Water Day: Parched patches growing in rain-fed Bihar
PATNA Declining annual rainfall and its erratic pattern are threatening water security in water surplus Bihar, a state crisscrossed by rivers
PATNA
Declining annual rainfall and its erratic pattern are threatening water security in water surplus Bihar, a state crisscrossed by rivers.
Kicking off the awareness campaign for “Jal Jeevan Hariyali” environment conservation programme on Earth Day in August 2019, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had underlined the vagaries of nature Bihar was grappling with due to constantly falling annual rainfall statistics, which dropped from 1200-1500 mm to 800-900 mm in 40 years.
In some years in the last one decade, it fell even below 800 mm, though the state still witnessed floods in some areas and drought in others. What is distressing, according to a study by the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) under Bihar’s water resources department, is that the state does not have enough storage capacity by way of dams and reservoirs to store water and prevent them from going waste.
The study says Bihar has just 950 million cubic metres of storage capacity in its 22 dams, which is not even 5% of its requirement, so far mostly met by rain, and in the situation of scanty rainfall, seasonal fluctuations or erratic rain pattern, the largely rain-fed agriculture could suffer.
According to the study, the per capita availability of water in Bihar is reducing progressively owing to increasing population. In 1991, the average per capita availability in Bihar was around 5,342 cubic metres/year, but it dropped alarmingly in the last 30 years to 1,594 cubic metres in 2001 and could reach 1006 cubic metres in 2025 and further to less than half at 635 cubic metres in 2050. The statistics were also shared in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
Water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said anticipating the problem well in time, the CM has embarked on an ambitious programme to rejuvenate lost water bodies and ensuring optimal use of surplus water in rivers during floods by diverting them to parched areas, viz. project to take Ganga water to Gaya, Nawada and Rajgir and ensure water to every farm in the next five years.
“Lakhandei river, which was the lifeline of Sitamarhi, had been lost to encroachment and garbage dumps, but now it has been revived up to 18 kms, while the work is on for the last leg of four kms. The CM has also consistently raised the issue of heavy siltation in the Ganga and called for the need of a national silt policy,” the minister said.
He said with areas like Darbhanga in north Bihar feeling water stress, the alarm bell was truly ringing. “This is precisely what drew the attention of the CM and led to the big environmental programme that has even drawn praise from the UN. The CM was invited to UN’s high-level climate change roundtable on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year,” he said.
Prof Dilip Kumar at WALMI said irrigation sector consumes as much as 83% of available water resources. “With demand form other sectors rising at faster pace, the availability of water for irrigation is likely to reduce. It is, therefore, necessary to improve the performance of existing system. Highest degree of efficiencies in water use in irrigation sector may have to be achieved to meet the requirement of water in irrigation sector. It is high time all water using sectors treat water as a scarce resource and try to manage within the availability,” he said.
On the occasion of World Water Day, celebrated on March 22 every year to raises awareness about 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water and to create a more comprehensive understanding of how water is valued by different people in different contexts so that we can safeguard this precious resource for everyone, Kumar said it was important for Bihar to learn its lessons fast.
“This year’s theme is ‘valuing water’. It is all about how we manage and share it. Today, we have started feeling the pinch. Tomorrow, we the situation may get worse. We must remember water is fundamental to food security. Bihar was once known for its water bodies. Now time has come to work on the concept of river lakes, utilizing the vast river beds, to prevent flood water from going waste. The Bihar government has already started focusing on water management through a slew of schemes,” he said.
A cause for alarm
Falling annual rainfall
Annual rainfall in Bihar dropped from 1200-1500 mm to 800-900 mm in the last 40 years. Also, it’s become more erratic.
Storage capacity
Bihar has just 950 million cubic metres of storage capacity in its 22 dams, which is not even 5% of its requirement.
Drier years ahead
In 1991, average per capita availability of water in Bihar was around 5,342 cubic metres/year, which dropped to 1,594 cubic metres in 2001 and could reach 1006 cubic metres in 2025 and further to less than half at 635 cubic metres in 2050.
