Are solar pumps the start of an ever-green revolution or the end of our groundwater reserves?

Indian farmers depend on groundwater for irrigation but often, there is a shortage of electricity that is required to pump out this water. While diesel pumps are an option, they are costly to run. A better alternative is to tap into freely available solar power. However, this technology is quite expensive at present and effective subsidies and incentives drive its usage. Another catch to this ‘free’ power situation is the perception that if groundwater were available more freely, then farmers might end up exploiting it. These issues were discussed during a session of the IWMI Tata meet in November 2012 with many experts in the field presenting their views.

Avinash Kishore

Rakesh Tiwary

Soumitra Mishra

P. Gopalan,

Hemant Lamba

Nidhi Tewari