9. Water Resources of Madhya Pradesh: Contemporary Issues and Challenges

Madhya Pradesh has vast surface water resources drained by the rivers radiating from this state toward all directions and being utilized by the bordering states much before this state could think of it. There is wide regional variation in potential as well as utilization of water resources within the state following the variations in hydro-geological aquifers, precipitation pattern, land use and cropping structure. Groundwater is resource in real sense because it is being utilized within the state for irrigating more than two-thirds of net irrigated area besides for domestic and other uses. Though slightly more than half of the groundwater potential could be utilized, 95 development blocks present symptoms of excessive exploitation. Most of them are confined in the Malwa region, which is deprived of any major river valley project. Besides lowering of water level and depletion of groundwater, certain other issues such as large scale displacement of people, their rehabilitation and resettlement in amicable way, Interstate River Water Disputes, rapid silting of reservoirs, water pollution, water logging and salinization have come on the way of proper management of water resources in the state.