Water resources are a big asset for any country, as the socio-economic developments largely depend on them. With residential and industrial areas expanding at breakneck speed, the availability of dependable, safe and suitable water resources, which can meet multiple requirements, is getting scarce.
A brief discussion on the major challenges to our water bodies can give a better understanding of the prevailing water crisis.
* Overuse of water: In our country, over 90 percent of groundwater is used for agriculture and industrial purposes. Irrigation consumes a large amount of water. Industrial water use also accounts for nearly 6 per cent of total freshwater abstraction. In the last few decades, the steady industrial growth in our country has already increased the demand for water, making the depletion of groundwater and water crisis imminent.
* Overuse of water: In our country, over 90 percent of groundwater is used for agriculture and industrial purposes. Irrigation consumes a large amount of water. Industrial water use also accounts for nearly 6 per cent of total freshwater abstraction. In the last few decades, the steady industrial growth in our country has already increased the demand for water, making the depletion of groundwater and water crisis imminent.
* Limited supply of water: Surface water and groundwater are the prime sources of water in our country. However, other sources of water supply, such as desalination, are not very popular in India. Most of the Indian rivers flood during monsoon. However, due to unpredictable and brief rainfall and prolonged dry season, many rivers in the interior parts of the country run dry most of the time. Since we do not have any proper system to store surplus water for the dry season, the threat of severe water crisis looms large over the country.
* Climate Change: Climate change is another factor that poses a serious challenge to our water resources. Climate change has made rainfall irregular. Besides, temporal variability in water resources and higher rate of evaporation also hamper the process of replenishing water resources.
* Inferior water management: Inferior water management practices are also responsible for water scarcity in our country. Our country lags far behind in water legislation, water conservation, efficiency in water use, water recycling and infrastructure,. Besides, improper maintenance of pipes and canals has also intensified the problem.
* Pollution and human activities: Human activities, coupled with pollution, have decreased the availability of pure and usable water. Several factors like sewage disposal, industrial effluents, chemical from farm, fluoride and arsenic have made many water resources unhealthy for drinking, irrigation and industrial use. A study shows that our capital produces around 3.6 million cubic meters of sewage every day; however, because of our poor management, less than half of the sewage is treated effectively and the remaining waste is dumped into the Yamuna River. Besides, because of poor sewage management system, people tend to dump their waste into canal, which ultimately pollutes water sources like rivers. At times, the polluted water seeps into the groundwater and pollutes it too. It is necessary to mention here that the water-borne diseases are spreading alarmingly in our country.
A stringent water management system is the need of the hour to safeguard our water resources. Privatisation of water, to some extent, can yield good result. However, it is more important to consume water consciously and judiciously to prevent our water resources from depletion.
A stringent water management system is the need of the hour to safeguard our water resources. Privatisation of water, to some extent, can yield good result. However, it is more important to consume water consciously and judiciously to prevent our water resources from depletion.
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