Production of kharif crops in the state is heavily dependent on monsoon rains. Water in large and small rivers is also used as a sink for domestic waste and industrial effluents, apart from being used for industrial production. Industries contribute 35.6 per cent of the NSDP in the state. There are 14,610 factories and 1,26,900 small industries registered in the State. Water is a critical input for production purposes in many of these industries.
Industries also discharge partially treated and untreated effluents into natural watercourses.
In addition to these, the natural ecosystems comprising plants, trees and animals and soils use rainwater, runoff and soil moisture for their sustenance. The per capita availability of renewable freshwater in the state is estimated to be 1,070 m 3 per annum. Therefore, according to M. Falkenmark s criteria of defining physical scarcity of water, the state can be called water stressed . Regional variations in water endowment are also great. Nearly 70 per cent of the freshwater resources in the state are concentrated in South and Central Gujarat.