India’s Water Resources Assessment 2024

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has released its latest study, titled Assessment of Water Resources of India 2024, which estimates India’s average annual water availability at 2,115.95 billion cubic meters (BCM) from 1985 to 2023. The assessment incorporates various factors such as precipitation, land use, and soil conditions.

Major River Basins and Their Water Availability

The Brahmaputra, Ganga, and Godavari basins have the highest water availability. Specifically, the Brahmaputra basin offers 592.32 BCM, the Ganga basin provides 581.75 BCM, and the Godavari basin contributes 129.17 BCM. Conversely, the Sabarmati, Pennar, and Mahi basins show lower availability, with figures of 9.87 BCM, 10.42 BCM, and 13.03 BCM, respectively.

Methodological Changes in Assessments

The current estimate of 2,115.95 BCM surpasses previous assessments, including the 2019 figure of 1,999.2 BCM. This increase is attributed to methodological improvements. The study now includes Bhutan’s contribution to the Brahmaputra basin and Nepal’s full contribution to the Ganga basin, which were not fully accounted for before.

Water Scarcity Context

About water availability is essential for sustainable management amid challenges like urbanisation and climate change. The average annual per capita water availability in 2021 was 1,486 cubic meters, categorising the country as experiencing water stress. The updated estimate for 2024 slightly improves this to 1,513 cubic meters, still below the critical threshold of 1,700 cubic meters.

Utilisation of Water Resources

Total water availability does not equate to utilisable water. In 2019, despite an average water availability of 1,999.2 BCM, only 690 BCM of surface water was deemed utilisable. Smaller river basins tend to have a higher proportion of utilisable water compared to larger basins like the Brahmaputra, which presents challenges in managing India’s water resources effectively.

GKToday Facts for Exams:

1. CWC: The Central Water Commission is responsible for the management of water resources in India. It conducts assessments and provides data for sustainable water management and policy formulation.
2. BCM: Billion cubic meters is a unit of measurement for water volume. It is crucial for understanding water availability in large-scale assessments of river basins and water resources.
3. Brahmaputra: The Brahmaputra River basin has the highest water availability in India. It contributes to the country’s water resources, with an estimated 592.32 BCM available annually.
4. Water Stress: Water stress occurs when per capita water availability falls below 1,700 cubic meters. India’s per capita availability was 1,513 cubic meters in 2024, indicating ongoing water scarcity challenges.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2024

Category: Environment Current Affairs