Imagine, a morning where we wake up to see no water in the washroom to wash our face, no water in the kitchen to drink, and no water to cook food. The water which we waste mindlessly is no more to be seen. The very thought of such a scenario gives us chills. But this is what happened in the city of Cape Town last year when it ran out of water. It is famously known as ‘Day – zero’.
Such scenarios are only becoming more frequent, and water scarcity has become a global issue. Mindless consumption of water, unsustainable growth practices, and disregard for the environment have led us to this situation. Water scarcity, contamination, pollution, flooding, and submergence of coastal areas are all symptoms of a bigger problem of inefficient and unsustainable water management.
India is no different in this case. The per capita water availability must be around 1700 kcm3/annum but India currently has only 1545 kcm3/annum and is in a situation of water stress. This calls for immediate action in managing our water resources to support our population.
There is an urgent need to protect the valuable commodity like water as its scarcity leads to problems across the social, political, economic, environmental, and international arena, and most importantly, our daily lives get hijacked.
Domestic water supply cannot meet the increasing demand.
Drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, cleaning are activities that require water on a daily basis, yet we see nearly 1 billion people in India and 4 billion people worldwide do not have safe drinking water.
Sanitation and cleanliness are other aspects that get compromised due to water scarcity. It will lead to malnourishment, disease spread, reduced productivity, and the continuance of poverty. This has implications for the economy too.
Water as an economic resource
Reduced productivity and poverty will hamper economic progress and reduce opportunities for growth. Water is also essential for industrial production, packaging, transportation, electricity generation, cooling requirements, etc., all of which will get compromised, emphasizing the need to save water.
Agriculture is another area where water is an integral part. The occurrence of frequent droughts, irregular monsoon, scarce rainfall, loss of soil moisture have hampered agriculture and made the lives of farmers vulnerable. This has implications not only on the lives of farmers but also on the food security of the nation. Thus water management is crucial to ensure food security.
Water as a social good
Not only for the economy but to have a well-functioning society and to secure its well-being we need water. It is the marginalized sections of society that face the brunt of water scarcity. The example of water wives in Maharashtra, where women are married exclusively for fetching water for their families is a case in point. This water scarcity might hamper gender equality.
We constantly witness in shows where people fight for water near water tankers. Such fights lead to weakening social harmony and may further rupture the existing social fabric. Children, the elderly, and the physically disabled are at the receiving end of water crisis as they lack the ability to compete with other sections. So there is an urgent need to fix water scarcity in order to protect social harmony.
Water is an important political issue too
Such social divisions can translate at higher levels into federal, national, and international disputes. The recent tussle between the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over Cauvery water and the Indus water dispute between India and Pakistan highlight the importance of water and show that its management is the first priority for governments at all levels.
The island countries like Kiribati, Fiji, Solomon Islands are facing the threat of submergence which threatens the very sovereignty of these countries. African countries are facing severe and recurrent droughts which are affecting their food production and leading to fights over water resources. This shows that water management is a prerequisite to ensure political stability and sovereignty of a country.
Water management is crucial for environmental conservation and disaster management.
Not only island countries but even states like Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal are getting heavily flooded. It is attributed to climate change which in turn is caused by rising global temperatures. In order to reduce temperatures we need to conserve water; otherwise, it will lead to unsustainable heating of the earth.
Similarly, heavy flooding causes deaths and loss of property. At the same time, drought in central India causes food and water shortages leading to ill-health. So there is a need to bridge this gap and solve this paradox. Only better watershed management can solve this dual problem of water scarcity and abundance.
However, there are challenges in attaining the goals. The issue is still not seen as an urgent one. People continue to waste water especially in urban areas. Areas where water is free like Punjab, Haryana, farmers use it extravagantly causing a word hazard. Excessive use of cosmetics, oil spills cause water pollution reducing the availability of water.
Therefore the solution to better water management must be multifaceted and holistic. Historically used traditional storage systems like Zings, Khuls, Tanks must be encouraged for use. There must be community involvement and Self Help Groups (SHGs), panchayats can be roped in to create ‘Jan Andolan’.
The watershed approach of managing water in an integrated manner should be promoted and necessary data must be gathered. Political will is essential for solving the water crisis; cooperative federalism is needed to solve inter-state water disputes. Also, water governance needs to be strengthened by proper pricing, punishments for violations, and metering must be done.
Technical solutions like water desalination drip irrigation, low-water-using crops like millets, pulses etc can be used to improve agriculture. Smart metering systems can be used in households to reduce water consumption. Construction of check dams, removal of silt, afforestation, mulching, groundwater recharging, drainage management are some important measures to be taken.
Internationally, we need to make partnerships with countries and other international organizations to solve not only our problems but those of other countries too. The attainment of SDGs is absolutely important in water management.
The recent announcement of ‘Jal-Shakti Ministry’ by the government of India is a step in the right direction to conserve water. There must also be emphasis on ethics and moral values in order to make people responsible for their actions and understand their consequences.
Therefore, water scarcity has become a reality and water is absolutely necessary for our sustenance and for our multiple needs. Hence there is an urgent need to invest in water management and secure a future for us and our future generations.