India Losing 'Virtual Water' Through Food Exports
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
India has been sending "virtual" water to other countries through its food exports, and this trend is likely to continue
"Water used in agriculture is recirculated, but the (virtual) water exported out when we export food is not recoverable. Over a period of time, if food export is extensive, the country's water reserves go down affecting water sustainability," says Prashant Goswami, a researcher at the CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute, Bengaluru.
In answers send by email and given on the phone, Goswami, a Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardee, says that in contrast, China is a net importer of food and is therefore amplifying its water reserves. He suggests a change in India's food policy.
Goswami, a climate and atmospheric modelling expert, warns in a study that if the current rate of net export of water in end products continues, India will lose its "entire available water in less than 1,000 years."
This projection may go down further if parameters like increase in food demand and reduction in surface water due to climate change are taken into consideration, according to the study.
The findings of the study 'Virtual water trade and time scales for loss of water sustainability: A comparative regional analysis' were published in the March 20 edition of Nature Scientific Reports.
Source: Big News Network
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