INTERNATIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE OPENS DELHI OFFICE TO HELP TACKLE INDIA'S GROWING WATER CRISIS

New Delhi, 18 November 2003 - Today, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) opened a new office in Delhi signaling a growing commitment towards addressing the vital issue of water scarcity in India. If current trends continue unchanged, by 2025 India will consume 396 cubic kilometers (km³) of water. This is more than double that of projections for the USA (191 km³) and nearly one-fifth of the total global water consumption that year.

In different parts of India IWMI has been carrying out extensive research on the sustainable use of groundwater. Groundwater from tube-wells currently sustains 60% of the 65 million hectares of irrigated farmland in India - accounting for 13% of the countrry's GDP. By 2025 irrigated land will have increased to 100 million hectares of which 85% will rely upon groundwater irrigation. In some parts of India such as Northern Gujarat, over extraction of groundwater is threatening food and livelihood security. However in other areas of the country including Assam, Coastal Orissa, North Bihar and North Bengal, groundwater reserves remain under-exploited.

"Improving irrigation practices among farming communities is one step, but India also needs effective institutions and policies for better water management", says Prof. Tushaar Shah, Principal researcher at IWMI, adding, "It's not enough to know how fast ground water levels are dropping by each year, we also need to understand the survival strategies of farming households".

Shah leads a coalition of researchers and development specialists working to find solutions to India's water problems under the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Program, supported by the Sir Ratan Tata. "Our research reveals that some water policies and projects actually contribute to increasing poverty. If they are not well thought out they can even cause increased inequity in communities", says Shah.

IWMI research is focused on finding new and innovative ways to address the water needs of poor communities in India. One research project looks at wastewater irrigation - an important resource for farmers especially where freshwater is scarce.
Research shows that despite the health and environmental risks, wastewater can generate income for livelihood security if used safely and in a sustainable way.

However, wastewater irrigation has few or no linkages to governance structures. Banning its use would hit the poorest of the poor - landless communities who depend on the income from their crops to rent land and make a living. Along the Musi River in Hyderabad for example there is an ever growing wastewater irrigation sector supplying the city with food, fodder and ornamental crops. An estimated 45,000 hectares of land are irrigated with domestic and industrial wastewater flowing from the city.

According to Dr Christopher Scott, Regional Director for IWMI South Asia, "Reducing rural poverty in India requires practical solutions that increase the agricultural productivity of small farmers. Providing them with access to an affordable and reliable supply of waste water allows them to grow high value crops."

IWMI's research recommendations contributed to shaping 'The Hyderabad Declaration on Wastewater Use in Agriculture', which provides guidelines for the safe use of wastewater in irrigation."

IWMI is also involved in a research proposal that will be carried out as a part of the 'Challenge Program on Water and Food' a global research program initiated by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) aimed at finding ways of producing more food using less water. The proposal hopes to carry out a strategic analysis of India's National River-Linking Project which will include research into whether the project is an adequate, cost-effective and sustainable response to meeting India's future water needs.

With offices in Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Anand in Gujarat, IWMI has been present in India for almost two decades carrying out scientific research focused on the sustainable use of water and land resources in agriculture. The establishment of the New Delhi office brings IWMI researchers closer to policy planners, members of parliament and other key stakeholders in the water management sector. Ends.



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