Water Resources: Its Demand, Degradation and Management

Abstract

The country's population has already passed one billion and is expected to reach 1.64 billion by 2050. Cities and villages
expand rapidly, new villages appear and old villages are transformed into villages. Everyone needs and needs drinking
water to sustain life. India's economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Therefore, the development of irrigation
to increase crop production, ensure the country's self-sufficiency and reduce poverty was critical to planners. According to
currently available water demand statistics, the agriculture sector is the largest user of water in India. About 83% of usable
water is used exclusively for agriculture. The amount of water needed for agriculture has gradually increased over the years
as more and more areas have been irrigated. Since 1947, the area of irrigated land in India has increased from 22.6 million
hectares by June 1997 to 80.76 million hectares. The use of surface water and groundwater resources for irrigation has
played an important role in India's past achievement of self-sufficiency in food production. Thirty years, but this will
become even more important in the future in the context of national food security.