Challenges of Water for Food, People and Environment–ICID’s1 Initiative on ‘Country Policy Support Programme’ (CPSP) - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 157

Table 4. Water situation indicators of river basins in India

Class description Value of indicator

as proposed in the paper

River basin(s) of India
(Annex 1 shows an 'India basin
map' for reference)

Indicator 1

Very highly stressed through surface
withdrawal

>0.8 Pennar

Highly stressed, through surface
withdrawal

0.4 - 0.8 Cauvery

Moderately stressed, through surface
withdrawal

Indus, Ganga, Subarnarekha,
Mahanadi, Tapi, Sabarmati

0.2 - 0.4

Low stress, in regard to surface
withdrawal

<0.2 Brahmaputra, Godavari, Brahmani

Indicator 2

Surface water quality, low stress < 0.05 All basins

Surface water quality, moderate stress 0.05 - 0.2 Cauvery, Tapi, Sabarmati, Pennar

Indicator 3

Groundwater very highly stressed
through withdrawals

>0.8 Sabarmati

Groundwater highly stressed through
withdrawals

0.4 - 0.8 Indus, Ganga, Subarnarekha

Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna,
Pennar, Cauvery,Tapi, Narmada,
Mahi

Groundwater moderately stressed
through withdrawals

0.2 - 0.4

Ground water low stressed <0.2 All other basins including Brahmani

Indicator 4

Groundwater quality under very high
threat

>0.8 None

Indus, Ganga, Subarnarekha,
Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery,
Sabarmati

Groundwater quality under high threat 0.4 - 0.8

Groundwater quality under moderate
threat

Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari,
Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, Brahmani

0.2 - 0.4

Conclusions

Some of the interventions thrown up through by ICID's CPSP studies in India are of
interest, though they are country specific. They relate to how best some of the provisions
in the existing Country Water Policy could be reviewed in the context of individual
basins. A few suggestions are listed below for the facilitation of the decision-making
processes and mechanisms available in the region: