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Sustaining Asia’s groundwater boom: An overview of issues and evidence

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  • Tushaar Shah
  • Aditi Deb Roy
  • Asad S Qureshi
  • Jinxia Wang

Abstract

This article suggests that Asia’s groundwater socio‐ecology is at an impasse. Rapid growth in groundwater irrigation in South Asia and the North China plains during the period 1970–95 has been the main driver of the agrarian boom in these regions. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China account for the bulk of the world’s use of groundwater in agriculture. On the plus side, groundwater development has provided sustenance to agrarian economies and millions of rural livelihoods. On the downside, it has created chronic problems of resource depletion and quality deterioration. While problems of groundwater depletion, pollution and quality deterioration are indeed serious, so are the consequences of the degradation of the resource for those that have come to precariously depend upon groundwater irrigation. Three problems currently afflict groundwater use: depletion due to overdraft; water logging and salinization; and pollution due to agricultural, industrial and other human activity. The pathology of the decline in groundwater socio‐ecology reflects a remarkably similar pattern across regions. The critical issue for Asia now is: what might be done to sustain and revive these groundwater socio‐ecologies vital to the region’s economy? This article reviews a variety of techno‐institutional approaches. However, transposing lessons from the industrialized world uncritically in the Asian context may not work. A more nuanced understanding of the peculiarities of Asia’s groundwater socio‐ecology is needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Tushaar Shah & Aditi Deb Roy & Asad S Qureshi & Jinxia Wang, 2003. "Sustaining Asia’s groundwater boom: An overview of issues and evidence," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 27(2), pages 130-141, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:27:y:2003:i:2:p:130-141
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.00048
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarbani Mukherjee & Durba Biswas, 2016. "An Enquiry into Equity Impact of Groundwater Markets in the Context of Subsidised Energy Pricing: A Case Study," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 5(1), pages 63-73, January.
    2. Urvashi Sharma & Adeeba Khan & Venkatesh Dutta, 2021. "Long-term sustainability of groundwater resources in the central Ganga Alluvial Plain, India: Study from Gomti River Basin," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 16015-16037, November.
    3. Devi, G. Karthiga & Narayanamoorthy, A. & Sujitha, K. S. & Suresh, R., 2023. "Exploring the Determinants of Groundwater Exploitation Among Indian Districts," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), June.
    4. Guangyao Chi & Xiaosi Su & Hang Lyu & Guigui Xu & Yiwu Zhang & Ningfei Li, 2021. "Simulating the Shallow Groundwater Level Response to Artificial Recharge and Storage in the Plain Area of the Daqing River Basin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-17, May.

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