'Review policy': Environmental concerns raised over energy-water nexus

By A Representative 

Power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging the Centre to initiate a high-level policy review of India's energy and water management strategies in light of mounting environmental and climate-related challenges.

In a representation addressed to the Finance Minister and copied to the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted what he described as growing evidence of ecological stress, including groundwater depletion, land degradation, deforestation, pollution and the impacts of global warming. He argued that these developments necessitate urgent policy deliberations on the relationship between energy production and water security.

Referring to a recent United Nations report that warned of the onset of an "era of global water bankruptcy," Sharma said policymakers could no longer afford to overlook the intricate nexus between water and energy. He pointed to a series of recent reports on environmental tipping points, monsoon deficits, renewable energy expansion and climate-related disruptions to power infrastructure as indicators of emerging risks facing communities across the country.

"Numerous such reports and experiences should clearly point towards very serious concerns for our communities in the near future, and also can lead us to sustainable solutions to address them," Sharma said in his communication.

He drew attention to reports highlighting chronic groundwater depletion and water overallocation, warnings about environmental tipping points, concerns over a sharp monsoon deficit, and the increasing vulnerability of energy infrastructure to extreme weather events. He also cited developments in the renewable energy sector, including large-scale solar projects and recent disruptions to power generation caused by dust storms in Rajasthan.

Sharma emphasized that India, as a welfare-oriented society, must take a long-term view of resource management and ensure that energy policies are aligned with water availability and ecological sustainability. According to him, failure to address these interconnected challenges could impose significant social, economic and environmental costs on future generations.

Calling for wider institutional engagement, Sharma requested the Finance Ministry to facilitate deliberations on a discussion paper he attached to his representation, describing it as a potential framework for minimizing the adverse impacts of the power sector on communities and natural resources.

"One such discussion paper can provide a high-level policy framework to minimise the social, economic and environmental costs to our people from the power sector. Kindly consider seeking effective deliberations on the same," Sharma said.

The representation comes amid increasing national and global concern over climate resilience, water security and the sustainability of energy transitions, particularly in regions already experiencing ecological stress and erratic weather patterns.