Science-policy interface on water scarcity in India: Giving 'visibility' to unsustainable virtual water flows (1996-2014)

How can science regarding water scarcity be reflected in informative indices to advance evidence-based water policies? Our research aimed to explore this by linking the water scarcity and virtual water (VW) flows assessments with the water policies in India. The novel contribution of the research is establishing the link between the hydrologic-economic use-institutions aspect of water scarcity. On a national scale, the assessment revealed an increase in net VW-imports embodied in food grains from 89,235 x 10(9) L, i.e., GL (1996-2005) to 207,452,974 GL (2005-2014). There was a shift from net VW-exports (-2124 GL) to net VW-imports (84,504 GL) embodied in oilseeds. Zooming into the sub-national scale we found that water scarcity is being concentrated in highly water-scarce zones due to their VW-exports to other highly water-scarce zones. A concerning finding was that states with highest net VW-exports lack governance of scarce water resources through a state-specific water policy, e.g. Punjab, Haryana. Our research concludes that the virtual nature of embodied water necessitates water policies to be reflective of the visible evidences of unsustainable VW-flows. It also points out an urgent need to rethink current water policies in the context of a science-policy interface, to inform decisions and actions on the mitigation of water scarcity. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.