Published by : Mahendra Singh Choudhary Civil Engineering National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra

1. WATER SCARCITY IN RAJASTHAN
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
DR. BALDEV SETIA MAHENDRA SINGH
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING 11710833 (CE-4)
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,KURUKSHETRA

2. CONTENT
 Introduction
 Water Scarcity
 Major Causes Of Water Scarcity
 Rainfall in Rajasthan
 Frequency of drought in Rajasthan
 The Jal Bhagirathi Foundation
 What are the measures taken by the Government?
 Jal Shakti Abhiyan
 Jal Shakti Mantralaya
 What are the solutions to the water crisis in India?
 Way forward

3. INTRODUCTION
 Rajasthan is the largest state in India covering an area of 34.22 million
hectare i.e. 10.5 % of the country‘s geographical area but sharing only 1.15
% of its water resources.
 The estimated per capita water availability in the state during 2001 was 840
m3 and is expected to be 439 m3 by the year 2050 against the national
average of 1140 m3 by 2050.
 More than 70% of its people depend upon agricultural activities. Rajasthan
experiences acute weather and consists of four distinctive seasons- Pre-
monsoon, Monsoon, Post-monsoon and winter.
 The desert State of Rajasthan is in the grip of a water crisis with 19 out of the
33 districts being drought affected, with the government sending water trains
to parched Bhilwara and tankers to other areas facing acute shortage.
 Ground water situation is quite alarming in the State with only 30 water
blocks out of total 237 left in safe zone.

4. Water Distribution In Various Forms

5. WATER SCARCITY
 Water scarcity is the lack of fresh
water resources to meet the standard
water demand.
 According to UN-Water At levels
between 1,700 and 1,000 cubic metres
per person per year, periodic or limited
water shortages can be expected.
When water supplies drop below
1,000 cubic metres per person per
year, the country faces "water
scarcity".

6. Major Causes Of Water Scarcity
 Climate change
 Deforestation
 Pollution of freshwater resources
 Natural calamities such as droughts
and floods
 Increased human consumption
 Overuse and wastage of water
 A global rise in freshwater demand
 Uncontrolled use of borewell
technology for extracting
groundwater
 No effective measures for water
conservation

7. Rainfall in Rajasthan
 Most of the rainfall is received from the South west monsoon in the period
from July to September.
 The average number of rainy days usually varies from 6 to 42 depending
on the dryness of the area.
 The average annual rainfall ranges between 200-400 mm and it is as low
as 150 mm in extreme dry zones.
 In the south eastern part of Rajasthan, rainfall is as high as 1000mm.
 There are some parts in western Rajasthan which receive very little rain
and on an average; it is only 100 mm per year.
 The Aravalli range receives high rainfall and low temperature throughout
the year.

8. Frequency of drought in Rajasthan
S.No Recurrence
Period (Year)
Districts
1 Once in 3 years Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur and Sirohi (Western Region)
2 Once in 4 years Ajmer, Bikaner, Bundi, Dungarpur, Sriganganagar, Nagaur,
Hanumangarh and Churu
3 Once in 5 years Alwar, Banswara, Bhilwara, Jaipur Jhunjhunu, Pali, Sawai
Madhopur, Sikar, Dausa and Karauli.
4 Once in 6 years Chittorgarh, Jhalawar, Kota, Udaipur, Tonk, Rajsamand and
Baran(S)
5 Once in 8 years Bharatpur and Dholpur(E)

10. THE JAL BHAGIRATHI FOUNDATION
Jal Bhagirathi Foundation exists to provide an enabling environment in which
the desert communities of the Marwar region can access adequate drinking
water for humans and animals within the constraints of environmental
equilibrium by leveraging traditional knowledge and appropriate technology.
Key Achievements:
 A capacity to harvest more than 4,000+ million liters of rain water each
year has been created in villages.
 2,000+ water harvesting structures revived in approximately 500+ villages
in the Thar Desert in Western India.
 Water availability has increased from an average of four months to 10-12
months in a year resulting in poverty reduction & improvement in quality of
life

11. What are the measures taken by the Government?
Water is a state subject = Unless states make specific requests the centre cannot
intervene.
Across the country, states are taking the lead:
 Jal Jeevan Mission, is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through
individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
 In Rajasthan, there is a scheme named ‘Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’. One of
its objectives is to facilitate effective implementation of water conservation and water
harvesting related activities in rural areas.
 Maharashtra has launched a project called ‘Jalyukt-Shivar’, which seeks to make 5000
villages free of water scarcity every year.
 The Telangana government has launched a mission called Mission Kakatiya, the objective
of which is to increase the agriculture-based income for small and marginal farmers, by
a) accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure
b) strengthening community-based irrigation management
c) adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks
 Atal Bhujal Yojana or Atal Jal is a world bank funded central scheme that aims to
improve the groundwater management at the national level

12. Jal Shakti Abhiyan
 It is a collaborative initiative of various Union Ministries and State
Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and
Sanitation (DDWS).
 Focus Area: is water-stressed districts (256) and blocks (1592).
 The campaign is centered on 5 aspects
a) Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
b) Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks
c) Reuse of water and recharging of structures like bore well
d) Watershed development
e) Intensive afforestation

13. Jal Shakti Mantralaya
 The government has created a new Ministry named ‘Jal Shakti’after merging
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
 ‘Jal Shakti’ ministry will deal with the issues as follows:
a) Providing clean drinking water,
b) International and inter-states water disputes,
c) Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries, and sub-
tributaries.
 The ministry will launch the government’s ambitious plan (‘Nal se Jal’
scheme under jal jivan plan) to provide piped drinking water supply to every
household in India by 2024

14. What are the solutions to the water crisis in
India?
 Good water management practices
 Community-level management
 Interlinking of rivers
 Charging money for efficient use of water
 Good Cultivation practices
 Recycle Water
 Save Water Whenever Possible

15.  Good water management practices:
 Rainwater harvesting should be encouraged on a large scale, especially, in
cities where the surface runoff of rainwater is very high.
 Roof-top rainwater harvesting can also be utilised to recharge groundwater by
digging percolation pits around the house and filling it with gravel.
 Indian cities need to learn from Cape Town of South Africa which when faced
with the water crisis in 2018 had announced “Day Zero“. During that day,
water-taps in the city turned off = people had to use communal water-taps to
conserve water. Restrictions on water use per person were also fixed.
 Since water is a state subject in India state governments should take active
measures and create awareness for the minimal use of water.
 Community-level management: At the village level, there can be
decentralized management of water at the community level.

16.  Interlinking of rivers:
 Interlinking of rivers is a topic that has been discussed and debated for several
years as a possible permanent solution to the water crisis in the country.
 The three primary advantages mentioned in favour of the scheme are
(1) droughts will never occur
(2) there will be no more floods in the major rivers and
(3) an additional 30,000 MW of hydropower will be generated.
 Charging money for efficient use of water (like electricity). For example- Water
ATMs at Marathwada provide water @25 paisa per litre a day.
 Good Cultivation practices:
 Changing the cropping pattern, crop diversification and encouraging water use
efficiency in agriculture by moving towards food crops from cash crops.
 Innovative farming practices like precision farming, zero budget natural
farming, etc. could be employed for efficient water utilisation.

17.  Recycle Water:
 There are plenty of technologies available that allow you to recycle
rainwater and other water that you may be used in your home. Consider
learning about how you can recycle water. Not only does it help to prevent
scarcity, but it can save you some money as well.
 Save Water Whenever Possible:
 This could mean limiting the use of water, the use of washing machines,
taking short showers instead of full baths. Even if you are on vacation in
countries where water is scarce, try to save water. You should also try to
convince your family and friends to save water. Save it whenever and
wherever possible.

18. Way forward
We need to promote a decentralised approach, with a key focus on
water conservation, source sustainability, storage and reuse
wherever possible.

19. “Children of a culture born in a water-rich
environment, we have never really learned how
important water is to us. We understand it, but
we do not respect it.
~ William Ashworth