Saving water in Agriculture
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Water is a scarce resource in India, and Economic survey predicts this will become a water crisis by 2050. Although 89% of the total water is used for agriculture (6% for domestic, 5% for industry), even in agriculture, there are shortages and loss of crop productivity as a result. India has drinking water issues, as only 18% or 32.7m out of 178.7 m rural households have access to piped drinking water. To complete govt's drinking water mission, the ministry must commandeer large number of reliable sources of good quality water.

Govt recognises that water conservation needs to be inculcated into the public's behaviour. It is encouraging traditional methods for storing water such as ponds and for recharging ground water such as rainwater harvesting. Besides industry and municipalities which have been told to treat and recycle wastewater, govt is now focused on making agriculture more accountable for water overuse. The options are water conservation by micro-irrigation, avoidance of flood irrigation, water-preserving planting techniques, drought resistant and early-maturing crops varieties, better farming yields of paddy and sugarcane, etc to reduce the sown area, switching away from said crops in water-stressed regions, and financial incentives to optimise water usage.

Economic survey states that 89% of ground water extraction is used for irrigation, and 60% of irrigation water is used for paddy rice and sugarcane. It points out that paddy water use is very inefficient compared to China, eg. China uses 300-400 litres/kg of paddy rice, whereas India uses 5,600 litres/kg!! India consumes less water in sugarcane production compared to the global average, but it can do better.

For example, farmers in Maharashtra are compelled to use drip irrigation for sugarcane production, and this reduces water use and improves sugar yields! Punjab govt is giving cash incentives for not using electricity, thereby optimising ground water extraction. In China, high yielding rice has dramatically cut the area grown for paddy and the water used to make the same quantity of paddy.
Government eyes reduction in farm water use