Your ideas are welcome. I am not of the opinion that the high water consuming crops should not be shown anywhere in India. I am saying that where the high water consuming crops are consuming ground water, they shall be banned there. In areas of excessive surface water availability and in surface water canal commands, sowing of high water consuming crops may be permitted in selected areas. Opium is not permitted by the union and state govt's to all the cultivators. Only selected cultivators in selected acreage are permitted by the govt. to sow opium. Similarly, I am suggesting that the Govt of India must evolve a criteria that in India in which area rice, sugarcane and other high water consuming crops can be permitted to be grown. It can not be left to the cultivators alone, when in most parts of the country the water table steadily and fast is lowering down. If you continue to grow rice, sugarcane, etc in such areas, than one day , this ground water will finish and then you will not have even drinking water in such areas. Do you or any other Indian is willing to welcome such a situation in India. Of course our vote hungry governments may or may not welcome such a situation ?
Published by Yogesh Agrawal, Director (retired), Minor irrigation schemes, Water Resources Department at Govt of Rajasthan
Your ideas are welcome. I am not of the opinion that the high water consuming crops should not be shown anywhere in India. I am saying that where the high water consuming crops are consuming ground water, they shall be banned there. In areas of excessive surface water availability and in surface water canal commands, sowing of high water consuming crops may be permitted in selected areas. Opium is not permitted by the union and state govt's to all the cultivators. Only selected cultivators in selected acreage are permitted by the govt. to sow opium. Similarly, I am suggesting that the Govt of India must evolve a criteria that in India in which area rice, sugarcane and other high water consuming crops can be permitted to be grown. It can not be left to the cultivators alone, when in most parts of the country the water table steadily and fast is lowering down. If you continue to grow rice, sugarcane, etc in such areas, than one day , this ground water will finish and then you will not have even drinking water in such areas. Do you or any other Indian is willing to welcome such a situation in India. Of course our vote hungry governments may or may not welcome such a situation ?