Nitin Gadkari When Questioned On Water-Guzzling Ethanol: Critics Are Anti-Nationals [Video]

One of the most talked-about topics on the internet lately is ethanol fuel, and there are several controversies surrounding it. While the government wants to push ethanol-blended fuel for various reasons, they often don’t have a solid plan to execute it. When authorities are questioned about this, we rarely get a clear answer.

Here, we have a video where Union Minister Nitin Gadkari can be heard saying that anyone who criticizes the ethanol policy is actually anti-national. The video contains excerpts from an interview the Union Minister gave to a YouTuber some time ago. In it, the YouTuber can be seen asking about fuel consumption in India.

As we already know, ethanol is produced from crops like rice, wheat, corn, and sugarcane. All of these crops are widely cultivated in India; however, out of these four, sugarcane and corn require a large amount of water for cultivation. When the YouTuber asked the minister about this, he interrupted and replied that anyone who questions or argues on these matters is actually “anti-national.” The minister also claimed that there is no water shortage in the country.

But is this really true? Many parts of India have seen groundwater levels drop drastically. We came across reports from Bengaluru where authorities had started issuing fines to people who were even washing their cars.

According to reports, states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh face significant water shortages. These are also the states that contribute the most to sugarcane production. As per Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, producing 1 litre of ethanol from sugarcane requires 3,630 litres of water. Meanwhile, maize requires 4,670 litres, and rice requires a massive 10,790 litres of water per litre of ethanol.

So, in short, you end up spending more while getting less in return. Reports also suggest that ethanol production should only be carried out using excess food grain. However, in recent years, so much maize has been diverted to ethanol production that very little is left for human consumption.

In fact, the shortage of maize has grown so severe that India had to import grain from other countries to meet domestic demand. This is the same point the minister raised recently when multiple media outlets questioned him on why the price of ethanol-blended petrol is not coming down.

Ethanol-blended fuel itself is not the issue - the problem lies in the way the policy was implemented. It was rolled out so hastily that owners of older cars were left with no alternatives.

The blended fuel is not always compatible with older vehicles, and ethanol can corrode fuel lines along with rubber and plastic components. It can affect engine performance and reduce the lifespan of car engines. Older engines not designed for E20 may run leaner (with a higher air-fuel ratio), which can lead to higher combustion temperatures and potentially cause engine damage.

Ideally, the government should have offered customers a choice between E10, E20, and ethanol-free fuel.