Necessitating India’s Water Use Efficiency

Photo Courtesy: IRRI

India can curtail excessive extraction of groundwater for irrigation by adopting efficient techniques like sprinklers and drip irrigation.

Abstract: The first step in fixing a water budget in India is to have a system to monitor, regulate and curb wasteful uses of water. The proposed National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency as a body to enforce certification systems for water use efficiency can be seen as a welcome step in this direction.


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What is ...

An aqueduct, usually a long bridge with multiple arches, is a structure for carrying water. In the past, aqueducts were constructed to irrigate crops.

Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil for varying periods of time during the year.

Water stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period of time, or when poor quality restricts its use.

The treatment process of drinking water through which suspended particles stick together chemically, rendering them easy to remove is known as coagulation. The process involves the addition of a chemical and then a rapid mixing to dissolve the chemical and distribute it evenly throughout the water.

Eutrophication is the natural process through which lakes and ponds become enriched with dissolved nutrients resulting in increased growth of algae and other microscopic plants causing a depletion of fish species and deterioration of water quality.

Freshwater is naturally occurring water, excluding seawater and brackish water. Freshwater resources include ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, rivers and ground-water. Much of freshwater available on the planet is unsuitable for drinking without a treatment process.

Brackish water is water with salt content higher than freshwater, but lesser than seawater.

Water footprint is the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services used by an individual or a group. It can help measure the water usage for a single process, such as growing rice or stitching a pair of trousers.