M Dinesh Kumar

A wetland is defined as land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, and maintains an ecosystem of its own.The factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the vegetation of aquatic plants which grow in its highly water saturated soil [1].

With 49 per cent of the total irrigation from groundwater, the state of Andhra Pradesh accounts for 5.3 per cent of the net groundwater irrigated area in the country.

The report by Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP) and Society for Integrated Land and Water Management (SOFILWM) presents the findings of a research study undertaken in north Gujarat region, an area which has been undergoing significant changes in its farming systems as a result of several developmental interventions.

The study looked at a project initiated by IWMI and managed by SOFILWM in which water-efficient irrigation devices, water-efficient crops and land management practices were introduced among farmers in an effort to help them cut down groundwater use in irrigated agriculture without adversely affecting the economic prospects of farming.

 It is widely held that surface irrigation is becoming increasingly irrelevant in India’s irrigation landscape in spite of increased investments, and therefore future investments in irrigation should be diverted for well irrigation.

 The agricultural ‘growth’ seen in the recent past in Gujarat is nothing but a good recovery from a major dip in production occurred during the drought years of 1999 and 2000, because of four consecutive years of successful monsoon and bulk water transfer through the Sardar Sarovar project. The real ‘miracle growth’ in Gujarat’s agriculture appears to have occurred during the period from 1988 to 1998.

NREGA is being eulogized by many in the academic, development and policy arena as a “silver bullet” for eradicating rural poverty and unemployment, by way of generating demand for productive labour force in villages and private incentives for management of common property resources.

This paper refers to the recent plans by the Government of India to undertake artificial recharge of groundwater in over-exploited areas of the country to meet the demands for water and raises certain fundamental questions about the methods used for analysing the hydrological and economic impacts of the interventions.

In this paper, the authors examine the current debates around India's water crisis and its implications for food security in the country. The paper takes a critical look at the recent official assessments of groundwater exploitation in India in the context of these debates.

The paper proposes that there is a need to make a qualitative assessment of the magnitude of food security and water management challenges facing the country. It argues that two important factors drive the agricultural growth and food production in India. These include access and availability of arable land and water resources, which need to be examined and analysed with particular reference to their regional variations, to get a true understanding of the situation.

This paper introduces a theoretical model to examine farmers’ response to changes in power tariff and water allocation regimes vis-a-vis energy and groundwater use. The author begins by explaining the context as one where the existing direct & indirect regulations and direct management interventions have been ineffective in arresting groundwater depletion. Also, there is an absolute paucity of sufficient empirical data to compare and analyze the differential impacts of different levels of pricing of electricity, and groundwater rights allocations on water and energy productivity.

The paper presents a review of farm sector pricing theories and thereafter analyses the potential impact of different modes of electricity pricing on productivity of groundwater use.

The paper analyzes the potential impacts of energy pricing on efficiency, equity and sustainability in groundwater use. The overall objective of the study is to analyze the socio-economic viability of pro rata pricing of electricity in agriculture. Specific objectives are:

• To study the impact of change in mode of electricity pricing on efficiency and sustainability of groundwater use by well owners
• To analyze the overall impact of electricity pricing on the farming system of well owners, including the economic prospects of farming 
• To analyze the impact of change in mode of electricity pricing on the functioning of water markets