Urban Water Management And Groundwater Conservation

Source: Indian Express
GS III: Environment and Conservation

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. Key Issues Highlighted
3. Mihir Shah Committee (2016)
4. Government Initiatives
5. Sponge City Concept

Why in the News?

The recent heatwave and water shortages in several Indian cities have highlighted the urgent need for sustainable urban water management and groundwater conservation.

News in Brief

• Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai are facing increasing water stress.
• Experts highlights that the growing urban water crisis are driven by groundwater depletion, falling reservoir levels, inefficient water use, and inadequate urban water governance.
• Climate change and rising temperatures have aggravated the situation.

Key Issues Highlighted

Urban India living beyond its hydrological means

• India’s cities are increasingly consuming water beyond their natural replenishment capacity.
• Water shortages are not merely the result of seasonal drought or heatwaves.
• NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index warned of a dire situation in 2018.
• The crisis reflects a long-term imbalance between water demand and available resources.

Groundwater Depletion and Aquifer Stress

• Excessive extraction has led to overexploitation of aquifers.
• The Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment by the Ministry of Jal Shakti has repeatedly flagged concerns regarding declining groundwater  reserves.
• Groundwater withdrawal in several regions exceeds natural recharge rates.

Structural Causes Ignored

• Governments often treat water shortages as isolated seasonal emergencies.
• Long-term structural issues remain inadequately addressed
  • Lack of integrated urban water planning.
  • Inadequate conservation measures.

Inefficient urban water management

• Due to ageing distribution networks, large quantities of treated water are lost through leakages.
• Inadequate metering encourages wastage and inefficient consumption.
• Weak municipal governance affected service delivery.

Poor Wastewater Management 

• A large share of urban wastewater remains untreated.
• Treated wastewater is rarely reused on a significant scale.
• Lack of recycling increases pressure on freshwater sources.
• Untreated sewage contributes to river and groundwater pollution.

Inadequate Rainwater Harvesting

• Rainwater harvesting remains underutilised despite substantial monsoon rainfall.
• Cities fail to capture and store rainwater effectively.
• Excess runoff during monsoons is often lost instead of being used for groundwater recharge.

Mihir Shah Committee (2016)

• The committee was constituted to suggest reforms in India’s water governance framework.

Key Observations

• Independent India’s water policy focused largely on supply-side augmentation.
• Greater emphasis was placed on dams, canals, reservoirs, and groundwater extraction.
• Insufficient attention was given to managing water demand.

Recommendations

• Shift towards demand-side water management.
• Promote efficient water-use.
• Strengthen water governance institutions.
• Encourage wastewater treatment and reuse.
• Adopt Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
• Promote participatory groundwater management.

Relevance today

• The current urban water crisis validates the committee’s warning that increasing supply alone cannot ensure long-term water security.

Government Initiatives

Atal Bhujal Yojana

• Community-based groundwater management programme.
• Promotes sustainable groundwater use.
• Encourages water-use efficiency in agriculture.

Jal Shakti Ministry Assessments

• Conducts periodic groundwater resource assessments.
• Provides scientific data for policymaking.

Jal Jeevan Mission

• Improves access to safe drinking water.
• Strengthens water infrastructure in urban and rural areas.

Best Practices of Indian Cities: Nature-based Solutions

• Lake Restoration
  • Improves groundwater recharge.
  • Enhances local water availability.
    • Restoration of urban lakes in cities such as Bengaluru and Mumbai.
• Wetlands Conservation
  • Wetlands act as natural water storage systems.
  • Improve water quality and flood control.
• Urban Green Infrastructure
  • Includes Urban forests, Green corridors, Rain gardens, and bioswales ( vegetated drainage channels that capture, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff into the ground).
  • Enhance infiltration of rainwater.
  • Reduce runoff.
  • Improve groundwater recharge.
• Permeable Pavements
  • Allow rainwater to seep into the ground.
  • Reduce flooding and surface runoff.
  • Increase groundwater replenishment.

Sponge City Concept

What is a Sponge City?

“A Sponge City is an urban planning model that enables cities to absorb, store, filter and reuse rainwater through natural and engineered infrastructure”.

Origin

• Developed and extensively implemented in China.

Key Components

• Green Roofs
• Urban wetlands
• Permeable pavements
• Rainwater harvesting systems
• Water-sensitive urban design
• Urban forests and parks.

Benefits

• Enhances groundwater recharge
• Reduces urban flooding
• Improves water availability during dry periods.
• Strengthens climate resilience.
• Improves urban ecological health.

Relevance for India

• Indian cities frequently face floods during monsoons and water scarcity during summers.
• Sponge City principles can help address both challenges simultaneously.

Conclusion

From water scarcity to water security, Indian cities need integrated and climate-resilient water governance.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Consider the following statements

1. 1. The Mihir Shah Committee advocated a shift from supply-side water management to demand-side water governance.
   2. Sponge City projects primarily focus on enhancing rainwater absorption and groundwater recharge.
   3. India’s urban water crisis is caused solely by climate change and rising temperatures.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 only

d) 1,2, and 3

Answer: a) 1and 2 only

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