State of Water Systems with Dinesh Kumar

Описание: Dinesh Kumar is an internationally known water resources management specialist who has spent about thirty five years studying Indian and global water systems.

This water systems masterclass podcast was special as it was my first time I hired a studio to shoot a podcast, thanks to Farmart who graciously agreed to support the production of the podcast.

A Quick Summary of the Conversation Trajectory:

01:29 Dinesh’s accidental foray into studying water systems

11:54 The civil society paradigm that favors decentralized water systems vis-a-vis the mainstream water bureaucracy that favors centralized water systems.

18:22 Too much of centralization becomes a problem and too much of decentralization also becomes a problem.

20:57 A Case Study of Saurashtra and Decentralized Water Management

24:57 Systems Thinking in Water Systems

26:07 Understanding committed and uncommitted flows.

28:35 Open Basins and Closed Basins

31:07 How do you understand the balance between surface water irrigation and ground water irrigation?

33:46 A Case Study of Narmada and Wells

35:47 A Case Study of Telangana and Lift Irrigation

37:00 Hydroschizophrenia

39:55 How do we measure irrigation progress in our country?

42:40 The false notion of dependence on monsoon

45:00 The false binary categorization between rainfed and irrigated regions

51:00 Policy Universe’s binary notions of Irrigated and Rainfed regions

52:14 Definition of Rainfed Region is Flawed

54:35 How did India become the world’s largest user of groundwater? Did Green Revolution cause it?

58:17 We have increased our dependence on water.

59:21 Whenever some one purchases a piece of land, ground water rights are de facto rights. The role of water markets

1:00:42 How is privatization different from promoting markets?

1:01: 35 Unbridled Informal ground water markets in an institutional vacuum.

1:04:00 Is Water a social good or an economic good? How to prioritize between various lenses of water? Why is public and private good problematic?

1:09:43 The dilemma between expanding access and equity in water systems. When does equity become compromised? What about surface irrigation?

1:14:10 The Nexus Between Water and Electricity

1:14:59 Energy Metering to Save Groundwater. The case of West Bengal

1:17:00 Pricing Electricity based on Consumption.

1:19:21 River Basin as a Unit of Water Planning Vs Agroecology as an Unit of Planning

1:22:48 Drinking Water Security for humans and animals

1:27:00 Reservoir based schemes instead of single village water schemes. How to prioritize between drinking water and irrigation in national water policy?

1:29:09 The problem of quality in water irrigation. Resource Management to make Jal Jeevan Mission successful. Why Water Supply Department Don’t Own Reservoirs?

1:31:30 Why are ground water levels rising in Jodhpur?

1:33:04 Food security and nutritional insecurity

1:36:57 Why do Farmers Grow Jowar and Paddy and the Myths around Climate Resilient Agriculture. Why is the water foot print of Paddy slight lower than Jowar?

1:41:04 The role of Land in Food Security: The case of Jowar

1:42:30 Understanding water productivity of Paddy and Sugarcane

1:44:30 The Myth About Micro Irrigation Saving Water In Indian Agriculture

1:45:10 The Missing Link In Micro Irrigation in Israel.

1:46:02 Paying for Water in Agriculture. The problem of over irrigation.

1:49:46 The importance of reducing non-beneficial evaporation. Why have orchards in arid regions become the biggest consumer of micro irrigation tools?

1:52:27 Jevons Paradox in Micro Irrigation and how to address rebound effect?

1:54:54 What can India Learn from Other Countries’ Water Systems ( Save Israel)?

1:59:50 Banning Borewell Machines

2:00:03 What can India Learn from Netherlands in Non Point Pollution Control Method? Point Pollution Vs Diffuse Pollution in Nitrate Pollution Control

2:02:40 We’ve reached saturation point in micro irrigation in India.

2:03:57 Dinesh Reflects On His Learning Journey Further

2:07:22 Can Traditional Water Systems Knowledge Manage Today’s Challenges?

2:08:22 Why Tank Irrigation Has Declined In Indian Agriculture? How Ground Water Has Altered Tank Water Hydrology

2:11:06 The prohibitive costs of well irrigation. The role of well irrigation in the decline of tanks

2:13:07 Revisiting Civil Societies Vs Water Bureaucracy debate in the context of Indian Knowledge Systems

2:14:53 Who controls the hydrology of tank systems? Elite Capture in Water Systems

2:16:59 Emerging Technologies in Water Systems

2:18:08 Climate Change and Water Systems

2:22:21 Closing Thoughts on Future of Indian Agriculture