Evaluation of Water Footprint and Pressure Fr...

Evaluation of Water Footprint and Pressure From Water Scarcity on Major Crops in India

Author Name : Kirti Singh, Arvind Kumar Shukla

ABSTRACT

Water scarcity has emerged as one of the most urgent issues confronting humanity in various parts of India. A new idea for measuring how much water, people use is as known the "Water Footprint." In this study, the water footprint is related to water scarcity, as water scarcity is defined by a ratio of the water footprint of a state to the water resources of that state both external and internal sources. This paper aims to analyze the water footprint by analyzing the virtual water trade of the major crops and also aims to analyze the water scarcity region in the major states of India. It is crucial since agriculture accounts for a sizable portion of the nation's overall trade, consuming the majority of the freshwater resources. For the period 2015-2020, this study shows the states with the higher water footprint are Orissa, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, and the states with the lowest water footprint are Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This also shows the water scarcity regions such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have quite high levels of water scarcity. As Rajasthan and Haryana have high water scarcity. From a consumption perspective, the mountainous regions, Bihar, and West Bengal have the least water scarcity. The results of this study will act as a benchmark for the effective use of water resources in this typical water scarcity area.

Keywords: sustainable development, The Water footprint, virtual water trade, water scarcity.