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MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks

India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity.

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9 min
200 words
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What the examiner wants

Explain why India faces water scarcity despite large freshwater resources.

Critically examineWeigh the strengths and the weaknesses, then give a balanced verdict.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Endowment: high rainfall, large rivers, aquifers - but uneven in space and time (most rain in four months)≈35 words
  2. 2Causes: over-extraction of groundwater, water-intensive crops (paddy, sugarcane), low irrigation efficiency, pollution, poor storage, urban leakage, free power≈35 words
  3. 3Governance: fragmented institutions, inter-state disputes, weak pricing≈35 words
  4. 4Solutions: micro-irrigation, crop diversification, Atal Bhujal, Jal Jeevan, recycling, rainwater harvesting≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

EndowmentPhysical unevennessHuman/management causesGovernanceSolutions

Where marks usually go

  • Only listing scarcity causes without examining the 'well endowed' claim
  • No numbers

Draw this

  • Bar showing decline in per capita water availability, 1951 to 2011

Value addition

  • DataIndia has about 18% of the world's population but about 4% of its freshwater resources.World Bank / NITI Aayog CWMI 2018
  • DataPer capita water availability fell to about 1,545 cubic metres in 2011, below the 1,700 m3 water-stress mark.Central Water Commission

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