William M. Alley and Rosemarie Alley
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300220384
- eISBN:
- 9780300227550
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300220384.003.0002
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Nature
By far and away, India is the world’s biggest user of groundwater. Since independence in 1947, the country’s farmers have gradually amassed political power resulting in massive government subsidies ...
More
By far and away, India is the world’s biggest user of groundwater. Since independence in 1947, the country’s farmers have gradually amassed political power resulting in massive government subsidies for pumps and virtually free electricity. Most of the world’s farmers are limited by pumping costs, while groundwater pumping in India has gone way beyond sustainable limits. After laying out the problem, the chapter presents stories of groups working to bring some control over the country’s increasingly dire groundwater situation by such means as rainwater harvesting and reducing electricity subsidies.Less
By far and away, India is the world’s biggest user of groundwater. Since independence in 1947, the country’s farmers have gradually amassed political power resulting in massive government subsidies for pumps and virtually free electricity. Most of the world’s farmers are limited by pumping costs, while groundwater pumping in India has gone way beyond sustainable limits. After laying out the problem, the chapter presents stories of groups working to bring some control over the country’s increasingly dire groundwater situation by such means as rainwater harvesting and reducing electricity subsidies.
