Context:

• The tragic suicide of Kailash Arjun Nagare, a recipient of the 2020 Young Farmer Award, on March 13, 2025, due to unresolved irrigation issues, underscores the deep-rooted crisis in India’s irrigation sector.
• Despite being the largest consumer of water for agriculture globally, India’s irrigation practices remain inequitable and unsustainable, reflecting a multidimensional water crisis with socio-economic and environmental consequences.
• It is imperative that India strengthens its knowledge, regulations, policies and programme to rationalise the use of its limited water resources.

The Multifaceted Irrigation Challenge in India:

• Agricultural water use and global standing:
  • Agriculture accounts for 80% of total water withdrawal in India.
  • Annual agricultural water consumption: 688 billion cubic metres – highest in the world.
  • According to Nature Water (2024), India contributed 36% to global unsustainable irrigation expansion (2000–2015).
• Unequal access and water governance:
  • Access shaped by social inequality, groundwater dependence, property rights, energy policies, and water markets.
  • Inequity has declined in canal, tank, and well systems, it has increased in tube well irrigation.
  • Marginalised groups, especially women, disproportionately affected, with climate change worsening existing disparities.

Environmental and Economic Impacts of Irrigation Practices:

• Groundwater over-extraction and emissions:
  • Almost 17% of India’s groundwater assessment units are deemed ‘over-exploited’ while 3.9% are in a ‘critical’ state.
  • Intensive pumping has also resulted in massive energy consumption resulting in excessive carbon emissions. For example, 45.3–62.3 MMT annually (8–11% of India's total GHG emissions).
• Low irrigation efficiency and water productivity:
  • Irrigation system operational efficiency: India (38%) and developed nations (55%).
  • Cropping mismatch:
    • Rice in Punjab: High land productivity, low Irrigation Water Productivity (IWP).
    • Sugarcane in Tamil Nadu: Similar issues.
  • Besides water wastage, the adoption of non-optimal water management practices have been causing other negative externalities.
    • For example, continuous flooding of paddy is the biggest contributor to global cropland emissions.

Key Issues in India's Irrigation Scenario:

• Physical vs economic scarcity: Real water shortage coexists with inequitable access.
• Crop-water mismatch: Water-intensive crops in arid zones.
• Social inequity: Disparity in water access based on class, caste, and gender.
• Environmental externalities: Over-extraction, energy-intensive irrigation, high emissions.

The Way Forward - Sustainable Irrigation and Water Governance:

• Policy recommendations:
  • Shift in cropping patterns to water-efficient crops.
  • Groundwater regulation through policy.
  • Sustainable intensification of irrigation.
• Technological interventions:
  • Micro-irrigation (e.g., drip irrigation) for sugarcane and other crops.
  • Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in rice cultivation to reduce water use and emissions.
  • Solar-powered irrigation bundled with micro-irrigation – regulated to avoid groundwater depletion.
• Water harvesting and participatory governance:
  • Rainwater harvesting structures and tail water storage pits may be popularised as supplementary sources.
  • Promote participatory irrigation management (PIM) and demand-driven allocation systems.

Conclusion:

• India’s irrigation crisis is not just an agricultural issue but a socio-environmental challenge.
• With looming water scarcity, climate change vulnerabilities, and agrarian distress, the solution lies in combining equity-driven governance, technology adoption, and sustainable water use practices.
• This will ensure long-term resilience and inclusivity in India’s agricultural sector.