With the increasing population and per capita demand for freshwater, the burden of natural resources has increased many folds. Indian agriculture is still largely dependent on conventional methods of crop production that are mainly inefficient. Water security is essential for social and economic development, having an indispensable role in enhancing health, well-being, and economic progress, particularly in a developing country like India. Water footprint (WF) is an important indicator that helps ascertain the direct and indirect use of water in any process. WF modeling in agriculture enables us to pinpoint the impacts and limitations of the current crop production system. Assessing vulnerabilities across various regions and time helps us prepare actions to improve water productivity and promote sustainable water use. There is considerable spatial variability in blue, green, and gray WF among the different states of India due to their varied climate, soil, and topographic characteristics. WF assessment is critical for developing water allocation strategies, planning water trade, making policies, and implementing remedial measures. This paper describes the significance of WF and its proper management for sustainable crop production in India.

Utilizing available water resources efficiently is crucial to address both our present and future requirements and plays a vital role in safeguarding food security. This current investigation deals with assessment and optimizing water footprint (WF) and virtual water flow (VWF) for primary crops in Banas River Basin (BRB) using AquaCrop model with local datasets and district-level estimates. VWF in the basins were estimated by multiplying the WF of crops with the amount exported/imported, which is determined based on the difference between production and consumption in the basin. The possibility of changing the cropping patterns was evaluated for the potential reduction of the blue WF. Annual WF from primary crops in the basin amounts to 19,255 MCM/yr (70 % green, 21 % blue and 10 % grey WF, respectively). Banas basin is a net exporter of agriculture commodities with nearly 7391 MCM/yr of water flowing out of the basin due to agricultural exports of which approximately 265 MCM/yr is virtual blue water outflow. Crops having low economic water productivity of blue water are being grown in vast areas resulting in a high blue WF. The optimizing the cropping pattern can result in a 5–42 % lower blue water footprint with 11–39 % higher economic output under different scenarios with and without considering the consumption needs. Changing the cropping pattern and making trade plan to optimize the crop import/exports can be viable option for tackling the blue water scarcity issues in the basin. WF can be managed sustainably by improving water resource allocation for better economic, social, and environmental productivity and going for less aggressive agricultural production.

Water footprint assessment enables us to pinpoint the impacts and limitations of the current systems. Identifying vulnerabilities across various regions and times helps us prepare for suitable actions for improving water productivity and promoting sustainable water use. This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the sector-wise water footprint in the Banas River Basin from 2008–2020. The water footprint of the Banas River Basin was estimated as 20.2 billion cubic meters (BCM)/year from all sectors. The water footprint has increased over the year with the increase in population, the number of industries, and crop production demand. The average annual water footprint of crop production varied from 11.4–23.1 BCM/year (mean 19.3 BCM/year) during the study period. Results indicate that the water footprint has nearly doubled in the past decade. Wheat, bajra, maize, and rapeseed & mustard make up 67.4% of crop production’s total average annual water footprint. Suitable measures should be implemented in the basin to improve water productivity and promote sustainable water use in agriculture, which accounts for nearly 95.5% of the total water footprint (WF) of the Banas basin. The outcomes of the study provide a reference point for further research and planning of appropriate actions to combat water scarcity challenges in the Banas basin.

The study was aimed at identifying the potential energy saving for groundwater pumping through enhanced efficiency of the pump sets. A total of 65 electrically powered tube wells were selected in the Sonipat district of the north Indian State of Haryana to study the energy use efficiency for groundwater pumping. The existing efficiency as well as the minimum expected overall efficiency of the tubewells were determined based on field survey, measurements, and applicable standard code of the Bureau of India Standards. The overall efficiencies of selected tube wells, computed based on actual measured power consumption, varied from 10.1% to 56.6% in the Sonipat block and 15.3% to 52.8% in the Rai block. The average energy requirement, for the selected tube wells, at the current efficiency level was 4,364.0 and 13,100.4 kWh for wheat and paddy crops, respectively, in the Sonipat block, while it was 3,424.8 and 10,280.9 kWh for wheat and paddy crops, respectively, in the Rai block. Analysis revealed that improving overall efficiency from the current level to the minimum expected level can lead to energy savings of 48.3% and 35.9% for tube wells in the Sonipat and Rai block, respectively. In the Rai block, where the groundwater level has declined significantly, the replacement of inefficient pumps should be done in tandem with crop diversification, improving water application efficiency and groundwater status by employing improved irrigation management practices and adopting groundwater recharge techniques.

Artificial recharge of groundwater has been recognized as a promising option for sustaining groundwater supplies and ensure water security for the ever rising population. With the aid of geospatial and multi-criteria decision analysis methodologies, the current study's scope aids in evaluating groundwater potential zones and locating suitable zones and sites for groundwater recharge for the revival of the Kanari River. A pragmatic methodology was suggested in this study for implementing water harvesting structures for river revival and estimation of water demand, pumping, and recharge. The geometric mean and the normalized weight for individual features were specified using the AHP in a GIS environment. All the different features/datasets were overlaid, and possible groundwater zones were revealed using AHP. Integrated maps were used to identify the groundwater recharge zone and locations for establishing artificial recharge structures within the Kanari River system. Ultimately, the domestic water demand, agriculture water use, pumping, and livestock water demand were estimated for water budgeting, and based on this data, the water availability was calculated. Based on the study results, the water demand of the Kanari River watershed was estimated to be 732 MCM. Taking into consideration the supply and demand scenarios, the pumping overdraft of the Kanari River watershed was found to be 423 MCM, and the proposed additional recharge through the planned conservation structures was estimated to be 859 MCM. So, even if pumping overdraft is considered, this additional groundwater recharge can fulfill the local demand, help maintain the river flow, and ensure water availability and security in the region.