Question

Explain the consequences of intensive use of groundwater for irrigation for agriculture.

Answer 1

Instructions: Explain the consequences of the use of groundwater in irrigation and then explain how the intensive use of groundwater for irrigation negatively impacts farmers.

Solution: Groundwater is an important resource for irrigation, especially in arid or water scarce regions. In India, farmers increasingly rely on rain for irrigation. In the absence of rains, farmers rely on groundwater for irrigation.

That is why the intensive use of groundwater for irrigation has serious negative consequences for farmers and the environment.

Some of these consequences are lowering of the water table and increased salinity of the soil.

Both these consequences lead to decline in agricultural output and increase in the cost of production. As the water table lowers, a farmer will need a more powerful pump to fetch water from lower levels. If a farmer digs a well, they will have to dig deeper to find water. All this increases the cost of production. With depleting water tables, as the soil turns alkaline, the agricultural output will decline.

Thus, it is of utmost importance to utilise groundwater effectively. There are several ways in which groundwater can be conserved such as:

Use of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems that use relatively lesser amount of water for irrigation
Rainwater harvesting: It can help recharge more water into the ground that generally goes to waste as runoff.

These methods will help recharge the water table and reduce the dependence of groundwater.