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| कुणाल भारती राजनीतिक और सामाजिक विश्लेषक |
Water covers 70% of our planet, and it is easy to think that it will always be plentiful. However, freshwater the stuff we drink, bathe in, irrigate our farm fields with—is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use. As a result, some 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water, and a total of 2.7 billion find water scarce, for at least one month of the year. Recently, PM Modi in his first edition of Mann Ki Baat (2nd Term), urged the leaders of different areas to lead innovative campaigns for water conservation and contribute in saving water in their own way. He urged citizens to unite for conserving water and appealed to people to make a list of methods to conserve water and share the same on social media using the hashtag 'JanShakti4JalShakti.'
Water scarcity is due to insufficient freshwater resources to meet the human and environmental demands of a given area. Water scarcity is inextricably linked to human rights, and sufficient access to safe drinking water is a priority for global development. However, given the challenges of population growth, profligate use, growing pollution, and changes in weather patterns due to global warming, many countries and major cities worldwide, both wealthy and poor, faced increasing water scarcity in the 21st century. As water resources become scarce, there are increasing problems with fair water allocation. Governments may be forced to choose between agricultural, industrial, municipal, or environmental interests, and some groups win at the expense of others. Chronic water scarcity can culminate in forced migration and domestic or regional conflicts, especially in geopolitical fragile areas. Although areas with chronic water scarcity are particularly susceptible to water crises, where water supplies dwindle to critical levels. In 2018, residents of Cape Town, South Africa, were faced with the possibility of “Day Zero,” the day on which municipal taps would run dry, the first potential water crisis of any major city. The 2017 Global Risks Report of the World Economic Forum ranked water crises as the third most important global risk in terms of impact on humanity, following weapons of mass destruction and extreme weather events.
Firstly, we have to understand the causes of water crisis. Pollution is a major cause of water shortage. Water is polluted when industrial wastes are deposited into water bodies thus making it unfit for human consumption. Oil spillage and fecal matter also makes the water contaminated. Apart from this. other reasons are overuse of water, drought, shifting of monsoon wind belts, climate change, global warming, El-nino effects, destruction of water catchment areas. Water catchment areas such as forests are continually being destroyed through deforestation to pave way for human settlement. This problem has been brought about by rapid population increase. In the Global risk report 2016, world economic forum list water crisis as a largest global risk in term of potential impact. Increasing population pressure, large scale urbanization, rising economic activities, changing consumption patterns, improving living standards, climate availability, expansion of irrigated agriculture and changing cropping patterns toward water intensive crops are the major causes resulting in water crisis. High water scarcity pebbles in area with high population density for the presence of much irrigated agriculture. Though the industrial use of water is very low when compared to agriculture use but the disposal of Industrial effluents on land or on surface water bodies make water resources unsuitable for other uses. Interdependence of surface water and groundwater is vulnerable to disturbance of river ecosystem and it leads to large scale depletion and degradation of water.
Basically There are two general types of water scarcity: physical and economic. Physical, or absolute, water scarcity is the result of a region’s demand outpacing the limited water resources found there. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) of the United Nations, around 1.2 billion people live in areas of physical scarcity; many of these people live in arid or semi-arid regions. Physical water scarcity can be seasonal; an estimated two-thirds of the world’s population lives in areas subject to seasonal water scarcity at least one month of the year. The number of people affected by physical water scarcity is expected to grow as populations increase and as weather patterns become more unpredictable and extreme.
Water security influences economic growth and human development. Institutional capabilities in water sector and improved water environment through investment in water infrastructure creating institutions and making policy reforms can support economic growth of a nation. Countries should invest in water infrastructure, Institutions and policy reforms to achieve Human Development sustainable economic growth. Analysis shows that in hot and humid tropical countries, investment in large water storage had help support economic growth. Moreover it seems to reduce malnutrition and incidence of child mortality.
The crisis of water is most prominent in India. Water crisis affects India socially, politically and economically. Availability of water per capital has been reducing progressively in India. If we look on data that per capital availability of water in India in 1951 was 5177 cubic meters which further reduces to 1816 cubic meters in 2001. In 2011, it reaches down to alarming rate i.e 1545 cubic meters. It's assumed that by 2030 it may reduce to 1300 cubic meters.The NITI aayog for the first time release the report on the current water availability across different states in the country titled composite water management index(CWMI). In this report,the Niti Aayog has highlighted the fact that 600 million people or nearly 50% of the current population face high to extreme water stress. 75% of households do not have drinking water on premises, 70% of water is contaminated. India is currently ranked 120 among 122 countries in the water quality index. The recommended minimum per capita requirement is about 1700 cubic meters where as the average annual precipitation in India is 4000 billion cubic meters.
In India nearly 70% of population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Since the adoption of green revolution in the 1960's, about 50% of food production comes from irrigated land. However inefficient cultivation practices has resulted in flooding of fertile land which in turn has caused salinization , reservoir siltation, etc. This is causing groundwater reserve of major agricultural states to be depleted at alarming rate. Recurrent droughts, change in pattern of monsoon winds and el-Nino effects are frequently happening in India. As per data in 2015-16, 266 districts in 11 States were declared drought affected. As mean annual rainfall decreases across the country going to global warming and climate change and on the other hand groundwater reserves are deployed at an alarming rate due to over exploitation, recurrent droughts are being witnessed in various parts of the country. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh has witnessed large farmer and tribal rallies recently on the issue of droughts in compensation of crop failure. Globally more than 200 water bodies are shared by two or more countries. Conflicts are rife over the water available in many river and river basins. In India, there are conflicts between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of Cauvery waters, between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for sharing of Narmada waters, between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing of Krishna waters and so on.
If we look back to history in the Pandya Empire, water conservation was completely a local affair. The entire community through the the elected Temple Mahasabha managed it. This meant that there was a constant supervision, ownership and responsibility. All systems and processes where sustained through an emotional connection with the resource. Tamil inscriptions, connected to irrigation in Tamilnadu, connected to two broad zones, the Cauvery delta and the Tamirabarni delta.The Cauvery Delta was more fertile and larger with more tributaries but the number of drought related inscriptions here are more.
If we analyze, the role of the Jal Shakti Ministry is quite limited in handling the water crisis situation in the country until the participation of people is there for using the water prudently, for switching from the crops which are water intensive to the crops that are less water intensive. Due to climate change, India in the near future will witness an increase in hot spells, change in rain patterns, thus, the problem of frequent floods and frequent droughts. The Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017 drafted by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation that provides new bases for regulating groundwater as a public resource and measures at aquifer level. Across the country, states are taking the lead. In Rajasthan, there is a scheme called ‘Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’. One of its objectives is to ensure effective implementation of water conservation and water harvesting related activities in rural areas. Maharashtra has launched a project called ‘Jalyukt-Shivar’, which aims to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year. The Telangana government has launched a mission called Mission Kakatiya, the objective of which is to enhance the development of agriculture based income for small and marginal farmers, by accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure, strengthening community based irrigation management and adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks.
Concerned about the water crisis in rural areas, the Prime Minister Narendra modi has recently written a personal letter to 'mukiyas' (village heads) requesting them to conserve rainwater during the forthcoming monsoon. The Prime Minister has recently also said that the government will ensure piped drinking water to every household in the next five years. It seems to be one of the most ambitious projects that are taken in the last few decades.
The Interlinking River Project is a long term project. If one considers, the Ken-Betwa Linking project, the MoU was signed 20 years back and the groundwork on the project has not started yet. There always remains a lot of political opposition to the ‘Interlinking the Rivers’ project.
It is so that the northern states face the situation of flood at the time of monsoon and water is required by the southern states in the dry months. Whether the project will be able to solve this problem or not is a matter of concern. While interlinking the rivers has its own ecological disadvantages, like in the case of the Ken-Betwa project, half of the Panna Tiger Reserve will get submerged. Also, there will be huge displacement of people. The cost involved is quite high, this raises the questions over its usefulness.
The biggest challenge in water crisis management is reducings pre-monsoon rainfall and delay in monsoon combined with unprecedented heat make it difficult to control the supply of water in the country. The stress on water will increase with rise in population, in that case, managing the demand for water, will become difficult. The time has come when India needs as rigorous a program on water efficiency as it has on energy efficiency. Just the way, India has a star-setting system for energy using appliances, it needs to have the same sort of setting for water using appliances. Recently many changes have been noticed in attitude of government regarding water policy.Environmental policy and the preservation and restoration of ecosystems that naturally collect, filter, store, and release water, such as wetland forests, is a key strategy in the fight against water scarcity.
Standing Committee on Water Resources, 2015 clearly mentioned that assessment of ground water resources to be done on a regular basis. Assessment of agricultural land falling under dark blocks (over-exploited assessment units) to determine suitable cropping pattern in these water stressed areas. Adoption of on-farm water management techniques and improved irrigation methods. Implementation of ‘Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water’. Agricultural power pricing and bring water under the 'concurrent list'.
Mihir Shah Committee, 2016 states that urgent revamp of the current water management system. Change in both surface water as well as ground water management policies; view groundwater and surface water in an integrated, holistic manner. Restructure of Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board and Constitute National Water Commission (NWC) to deal water policy, data and governance. Adopt the participatory approach to water management.
In 2017, Rajiv Kumar Committee was constituted for Water Management in North East.The Committee will facilitate in evolving a strategy for water management in the form of hydropower, farming, water transport, eco tourism, mitigating flood damage and biodiversity conservation.
We all know that First National Water Policy adopted in 1987, Draft National Water Policy introduced in 2012 to govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum utilization. National Water Mission (under National Action Plan on Climate Change) with the Objectives to Conservation of water, Minimize wastage of water, Ensure more equitable distribution of water (inter-state and intra-state), Increase water use efficiency by 20%, Promotion of basin level integrated water resources management. The government scheme Atal Bhujal Yojna aims to recharge ground water sources and ensure efficient use of water by involving people at local level.
In draft of National Water Framework Bill, 2016 water has been recognized for life. Graded pricing system for domestic water supply, Proposes comprehensive governance structure, National water quality and footprint standards, Rejuvenation of river systems: by ensuring Aviral Dhara (continuous flow) and Nirmal Dhara (unpolluted flow) and Swachh Kinara (clean river banks). Proposes basin Level development of rivers. Establishment of River Basin Authority for each Inter-state river basin.
Israel is the best example which is having the holistic water management system, innovative water technologies. It includes drilling deep wells, massive desalination, reusing treated sewage for farming, detecting and fixing leaks early, engineering crops to thrive in challenging conditions, discouraging gardening, making efficient toilets mandatory, and pricing water to discourage waste. In 2017, India and Israel had signed MoU for water conservation and management. Use of efficient irrigation practices: micro-irrigation practices like drip and sprinklers. Micro irrigation processes help in achieving high efficiency and reduces water use as in the conventional methods.Apart from these things use of traditional water management practices such as Johads of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan: Community water harvesting structures; store excess rainwater from the monsoon months and allow it to slowly percolate into the groundwater during the dry seasons. Ahar Pyne of Bihar adopted floodwater harvesting system; the technique comprises of a channel (locally named as pyne) which diverts water from rivers to a tank (ahar) from where it is distributed to the fields. Zabo system of Nagaland is dealing with“impounding runoff water” in Chakhesang dialect. Involves catching and channelizing rainwater running off the mountains.
Managing the demand side of water management is crucial as India, we cannot increase the per capita availability of water. At present, the geography of water is quite different from the political geography of the country. India needs mechanisms which bring relevant people together. For instance, ground water, today, is the biggest single source of irrigation. It has even outweighed the surface irrigation. India has no system of coordination amongst users of the given aquifers, though it has started mapping its aquifers. There are countries where there is a law that states that if a number of people are sharing an aquifer, then such people must have a contract on how much each of them can draw.
Almost all major rivers in the country are shared between the states and perhaps, it is premature to expect that the states will surrender their authority over the river basins in their respective territories. But, at least, they can come together for coordination over the river basins and sharing the relevant information. The Central Government can play a major role in bringing the states together.The country needs to have a specific plan for water-stressed states.
There will be more efficient usage of water especially in the rural areas if the government starts charging for its water service on the lines of its electricity supply service. But the Government needs to ensure that it has the proper infrastructure to supply water to the houses.
In the villages in Marathwada (Maharashtra), Water ATMs have been installed and water is provided at the rate of 25 paise per liter. People living in huts usually buy water from the owners of tankers as they do not have any sort of water connection.
Incentive based water conservation in rural parts in the water stressed areas is another solution, for example, if a particular level of groundwater level is maintained, higher MSP can be provided to the farmers of that region. Both the central government and the state governments need to have considerations on setting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of water consuming crops. Water-use efficiency in agriculture can be ensured by making farmers aware and by providing them, on the ground, technologies like the one related to water resistant crops.
The government needs to encourage local participation for conserving water in the country. Hiware Bazar is a good example. Hiware Bazar, a village in Maharashtra's drought-prone Ahmednagar district, was sliding into an abyss after its environmental degradation. But in less than a decade it turned itself around into one of the most prosperous villages of the country. It used funds from government schemes, to regenerate its natural resources forests, watershed and soil led by a strong village body. The village very well manages the 300-400 millimeters (mm) of rainfall that it receives every year. In-situ water conservation techniques like rain water harvesting, check dams need to be continued.
For the time being, there is a need to design and develop around water management. Also, water management needs to be the central focus of efforts in the agriculture sector and the environment improvement. Right water management will lead to right land management, health management and education management.
A number of water scarcity challenges can be addressed with traditional engineering, often with immediate benefits. One of the most obvious solutions is infrastructure repair. Finding ways to lower installation and maintenance costs, especially in less-developed countries, and designing engineering solutions that benefit the environment and address climate change impacts are challenges in infrastructure repair. Desalination has been proposed to curb water scarcity problems in areas with access to brackish groundwater or seawater. Indeed, desalted water is already a main source of municipal water supplies in a number of densely populated arid regions, such as Saudi Arabia. However, existing desalination technology requires a substantial amount of energy, usually in the form of fossil fuels, so the process is expensive. For this reason, it is generally used only where sources of fresh water are not economically available. In addition, the amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and brine wastewater generated by desalination plants pose significant environmental challenges.
Wastewater can be a valuable resource in cities or towns where the population is growing and water supplies are limited. In addition to easing the strain on limited freshwater supplies, the reuse of wastewater can improve the quality of streams and lakes by reducing the polluted effluent discharges that they receive. Wastewater may be reclaimed and reused for crop and landscape irrigation, groundwater recharge, or recreational purposes. Reclamation for drinking or household use is technically possible, but this reuse faces significant public resistance. The development of water-recycling plants is increasingly common in cities worldwide. The use of wastewater to fertilize algae or other bio-fuels has been proposed as a way to efficiently cultivate these water-intensive crops while promoting renewable energy sources.
Rainwater harvesting for non potable functions, such as gardening and washing clothes, can significantly reduce both the demand on public freshwater supplies and the strain on storm water infrastructure. The savings in demand and supply of potable fresh water can be significant in large cities, and a number of water-stressed municipalities, such as Mexico City, are actively developing rainwater harvesting systems. Many localities encourage and even subsidize rain barrels and other rainwater harvesting systems. In some areas, however, particularly in the western United States, rainwater harvesting is viewed as a water rights issue, and restrictions are placed on such collections. In addition, catchment systems that collect runoff and allow it to percolate into the ground are useful for recharging groundwater.
The Government needs to holistically handle the supply as well as the demand side of water management and everybody in the society, i.e. the central government, the state governments (water, being the state subject), citizens, NGOs and companies need to come together to tackle water crisis in the country.
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