India’s underground reserves of water took a hit due to intensive farming practices influenced by subsidies, according to a research paper published in Nature Communications. Since the 1980s, groundwater levels have plunged by more than 8 meters on average and to 30 meters below ground level in some regions.

Titled ‘The role of farm subsidies in changing India’s water footprint’, their findings reveal how farm output subsidies which ensured that crops were purchased at prices above market prices lead to significant reduction in water water tables across India.

In fact, the paper’s analysis reveals that these subsidies may have led to a 30% over-production of water intensive crops. State wise, Punjab is the worst hit. Intensive rice production potentially accounts for at least 50% of the groundwater table decline over 34 years, according to the paper.

In Madhya Pradesh, wheat production from the late 2000s seems to have increased dry wells by 5.3% percentage point increase in dry wells and 3.4% increase in deep tubewells.

According to the paper, these farm subsidies, while being well intentioned are poor in design, can lead to harmful outcomes which can hamper long term development, and affect water security of the country.

Rapid groundwater depletion

The paper stated that India saw a 500% increase in groundwater consumption over the last 50 years, making it one of the most intensive users of groundwater globally. This has led to massive and alarming depletion of underground reserves of water.

The situation is more dire in northwest India where there are alluvial aquifers. In the hard-rock aquifers in central and south India, the situation is slightly better, according to the paper.

Subsidies were put in place in the 1960s during the Green Revolution which guaranteed that the government would buy crops like wheat and rice at pre-determined prices. This started in Punjab and then expanded to other states.

While this was done to ensure food security, higher yields, and provide risk-free income for farmers, wheat and rice are water intensive crops. However, while the policy was justifiable during the 1960s as India faced acute food scarcity, it is no longer optimal, according to the paper.

Currently, it may be unintentionally causing food insecurity, depleting groundwater and even impact farmer incomes, according to the paper.

This is primarily because the subsidy is in place for rice and wheat, not other crops. While rice and wheat cultivation has risen unchecked since the 1960s, exceeding national consumption needs and emergency buffer requirements by at least 30%, farmers see no incentive in shifting to less water intensive crops, found the paper.

Need for updated policy

With depleting groundwater, crop yields are also affected, which impacts farmer income and food security. In the long-run, a complete loss in access to groundwater can reduce annual crop production by 28%, dry season crop production by 51%, and cropping intensity by 68%, found the paper.

Another effect is on our country’s ability to adapt to weather variability. The paper found that the thick alluvial aquifers of northern India are a key buffer against climate change-induced weather variability, but depleting groundwater reserves has exposed India’s most productive regions to the possibility of desertification.

In fact, India accounts for 12% of the global groundwater depletion that is embedded in international food trade, according to the paper.

The paper has some suggestions in terms of changing policy. It found the income transfer scheme PM-KISAN to be a good measure, as it is independent of the crop choice, even though it is provided in addition to and not instead of the output subsidy.

The paper suggests that governments could consider implementing price deficiency payment (PDP) schemes to compensate farmers for income losses from market volatility, and investing in new technology to adopt higher resilience against crop losses from extreme weather.

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