Editorial Water is future, time to act is now

Karnataka’s plan to launch an ambitious statewide campaign on water conservation and management is welcome, although long overdue. The state’s paradox is well known: it has the second-largest area under rain-fed agriculture in India, yet it is also consistently ranked as having one of the highest proportions of drought-prone regions, second only to Rajasthan. Despite receiving heavy rainfall, much of it is wasted due to the inability to retain water effectively, the neglect of traditional structures like check dams, and inadequate efforts to recharge aquifers. The result is a chronic depletion of groundwater levels across large parts of the state, leaving farmers and communities vulnerable. By introducing structured water security plans at the gram panchayat level, the state has finally ac