February 25, 2005

2005: Highlight # 8

Kumar and Singh distinguish between 'blue' and 'green' water resources in the Narmada basin to understand their respective contribution to agricultural GDP and relevance...

Which Water Counts?

Blue and Green Water Use and Productivity in the Narmada Basin

M. Dinesh Kumar and O. P. Singh



Narmada, a trans-boundary river basin, has seen a decade-long legal battle for allocation of basin water resources amongst four contesting states. The basin has undergone several changes, particularly on land use in the form of changes in cropping systems. Irrigation water use has increased from a mere 0.62 BCM to a staggering 4.53 BCM over the last three decades, whereas green water use at the aggregate level has increased slightly from 16.58 BCM to 17.52 BCM. The annual size of agricultural economy in Madhya Pradesh (MP) part of the basin, in terms of the gross value product, is estimated to be Rs. 68.73 billion. Nearly 52.9 percent of this is generated from green water use. The net value product from crop production in this part of the basin is Rs. 29.37 billion and 61.76 percent (18.31 BCM) of this comes from green water use.


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