Energy and water have a significant inter dependant relationship commonly known as the water-energy nexus. Energy is critical for water as well. For example, most water supply systems, both urban and rural require power to distribute water through pipe networks and farmers need power to run pump sets and irrigate their fields. Municipal works need power to supply clean water or take away dirty water.
On the other hand, water is critical for energy. Thermal power plants use nearly 88% of water used in industry. More than 70% of existing and planned thermal power capacity is located or expected in water-scarce or water-stressed areas. This co-dependence of water and energy leads to them interacting at multiple points. Considering that the most profligate consumer of water and also the most inefficient is agriculture, a lot of focus is required on this sector. The agriculture sector is the largest user of water; insofar as it takes energy to pump and transport water they are also one of the largest users of free or subsidised energy. Around 60 percent of irrigated agriculture in India depends on pumped groundwater. It is said that India’s requirement of water is expected to double by 2050.
It is therefore imperative that we in India wake up to the fact that we need to approach the water-energy nexus in a holistic manner, especially as we know that the demand for water and energy will increase substantially as the country urbanises and more people move above the poverty line.
