Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
India is a country where a large majority of the population depends on agriculture.
Water resources are divided into surface water (rivers, lakes) and groundwater (aquifers).
As a developing nation with intensive farming practices, the distribution of water consumption among various sectors is highly unequal.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the water consumption across different sectors in India:
1. Agricultural Sector: This sector is by far the largest consumer of water in the country.
It accounts for approximately \(89%\) of total surface water withdrawals and about \(92%\) of total groundwater withdrawals.
The reason for this massive share is the high demand for irrigation, especially for water-intensive crops like paddy (rice) and sugarcane.
In states like Punjab and Haryana, the reliance on groundwater for tube-well irrigation is exceptionally high.
2. Domestic Sector: This includes water used for drinking, cooking, and sanitation. It consumes roughly \(9%\) of the surface water and a smaller percentage of groundwater.
3. Industrial Sector: Despite rapid industrialization, the industrial sector uses only about \(2%\) of surface water and \(5%\) of groundwater.
4. Power Generation: Water used for cooling in thermal and nuclear power plants also represents a very small fraction of total consumption compared to agriculture.
Therefore, agriculture is the dominant sector in terms of both surface and groundwater utilization.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The Agricultural sector is the highest consumer of both surface water (\(89%\)) and groundwater (\(92%\)) in India.
The correct option is (C).