Groundwater exploitation has been instrumental in raising agricultural productivity andreducing rural poverty in South Asia, a region that accounts for nearly half of the globalgroundwater used for irrigation. Over the past three decades there has been an explosion ofprivate investment in borewells and mechanized pumps, which has allowed access togroundwater to be widely shared. But this profusion of drilling and pumping has also led toserious groundwater depletion. This essay explores South Asia’s groundwater dilemmathrough the lens of welfare economics, drawing on evidence from India and Pakistangleaned from a variety of sources ranging from agricultural censuses to specialized surveys.Policies to arrest groundwater depletion are also discussed.

中文翻译：

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南亚地下水的“福利”经济学

地下水开采对提高南亚的农业生产力和减少农村贫困起到了重要作用，该地区占全球灌溉用水的近一半。在过去的三十年中，对井筒和机械泵的私人投资激增，这使得人们可以广泛使用地下水。但是，大量的钻井和抽水还导致了严重的地下水枯竭。本文从福利经济学的角度探讨了南亚的地下水困境，借鉴了印度和巴基斯坦的证据，这些证据来自农业​​普查和专门调查等各种来源，还讨论了遏制地下水枯竭的政策。