Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Productivity of Small
Landholders of South
Asia and Scarcity of
Water Resources
Rattan Lal
CONTENTS
8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 183
8.2 Cultural and Religious Beliefs in Environmental Issues .............................. 185
8.3 Climate Change and Water Resources in South Asia ................................... 185
8.4 Climate Change and the Himalayan Glaciers .............................................. 186
8.5 Water Resources and the Rising Demand .................................................... 188
8.6 Politics of Water ............................................................................................ 189
8.7 Water Governance ........................................................................................ 190
8.8 Linking Security of Food, Water, Soil, and Climate in South Asia ............. 193
8.9 Assessing Water Resources .......................................................................... 194
8.10 Using Science, Culture, and Spiritualism to Resolve Social and Political
Conflicts in Managing Water Resources ...................................................... 194
8.11 Cultural and Spiritual Approach to Climate Change and Water Scarcity.... 195
8.12 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 197
References .............................................................................................................. 198
8.1 INTRODUCTION
The Anthropocene is influencing the climate change, water resources, and environ-
ments of the densely populated South Asia in general and of India in particular.
Changing climate and availability of renewable freshwater have affected South Asia
since the extinction of the ancient hydric Indus Valley civilization of Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro. Despite an endowment of abundant water resources, an increasing
gap between demand and supply is widening because of a large uncertainty, increas-
ing frequency of extreme climatic events, and high risks of soil degradation. The
rapid melting of the Himalayan glaciers, source of the 10 largest rivers in Asia, may
also exacerbate the water scarcity and conflicts over the shared water resources of
the Indus and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river systems. Conflicts
may also emerge among states such as the Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil
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