Rebalancing India’s Water–Energy–Food Nexus:
The World Bank in its report “Nourish and Flourish” has warned that global food systems are misaligned with hydrological (water) realities, threatening food security. This concern is reinforced by the International Energy Agency, which highlights how energy shocks can trigger cascading food and water crises.
- For India, a system reliant on subsidised electricity and water-intensive crops has created an unsustainable Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus, posing risks to long-term ecological and food security.
- Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus: The WEF nexus refers to the deeply interconnected nature of our water, energy, and food systems.
- Water for Food: Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater in India, accounting for over 85% of total water usage, predominantly extracted from groundwater.
- Energy for Water: Extracting this groundwater requires massive amounts of energy. Agricultural pumping consumes nearly 20% of India’s total electricity.
- Policy-Driven Imbalance: State policies providing free or highly subsidized electricity for agriculture directly incentivize the over-extraction of groundwater to grow water-intensive crops (like paddy and sugarcane) in water-scarce regions (like Punjab and Maharashtra).
