Building water buffers a top priority, says FinMin report, Pg20

Key Highlights:

• The Ministry of Finance has identified building water buffers as a top policy priority due to India's vulnerability to water shortages.
• Weak progress of the southwest monsoon has led to a 22.7% reduction in kharif sowing area compared to the previous year.
• June monsoon rainfall was 39.8% below normal, marking it as the fifth-driest June in 125 years.
• Reservoir storage levels are currently at 26% of total capacity, according to the Central Water Commission.
• The budget for the Jal Jeevan Mission for 2025-26 was significantly cut in the revised estimates.

Detailed Insights:

• The Finance Ministry's concern was highlighted in its Monthly Economic Review report for June.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts this year's monsoon to be 10% lower than the Long Period Average (LPA).
• There is a 43% probability of below-normal rainfall over the Monsoon Core Zone, which covers a large part of India's rainfed agricultural regions.
• Despite current low levels, the Finance Ministry noted that reservoir storage is 5.7% above normal, providing a "safe buffer for irrigation."
• Policy recommendations include water conservation, recycling, and effective utilization of budgetary allocations for the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• The Finance Ministry also stressed the need to reorient agricultural pricing policies to incentivize climate-resilient crops and dis-incentivize water-intensive ones.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission budget was revised from ₹67,000 crore to ₹17,000 crore for 2025-26, with a projected ₹67,670 crore for 2026-27.
• The West Asia conflict was cited as a reminder for a national policy on buffer stocks for critical raw materials, now including water.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Kharif crops: Crops sown during the monsoon season, typically from June to October, including rice, maize, and cotton.
• Long Period Average (LPA): The average rainfall recorded over a long period, used as a benchmark to assess monsoon performance.
• Jal Jeevan Mission: A Government of India initiative aiming to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024.
• Monsoon Core Zone: A geographical region in India that is critically dependent on monsoon rainfall for its agricultural output.