Consider the following statements :
Statement-1: According to the United Nations ‘World Water Development Report, 2022’. India extracts more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II : India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world’s population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
[amp_mcq option1=”Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I” option2=”Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I” option3=”Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect” option4=”Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct” correct=”option3″]
– Statement II is incorrect: While satisfying the needs of a large population for drinking water and sanitation is important, the overwhelming majority (estimated at 80-90%) of groundwater extraction in India is for agricultural irrigation to grow food crops. The withdrawal for drinking water and sanitation, though critical, constitutes a much smaller portion of the total.