Water-wisdom for climate change

Source: The post is based on an article “Water-wisdom for climate change” published in the Business Standard on 8^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 1 – Salient features of World’s Physical Geography; Distribution of Key Natural Resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent)

News: During the monsoon season, it has been noticed that precious rainwater is going down the drain. It means we are wasting precious natural resources.

Some key facts about water

One, water is a key determinant of health security and economic growth in India.

Two, water wars are not inevitable but will happen if we do not manage our resources prudently.

Various Paradigms in the understanding of the water management practices in India.

Over the past decades, the country has learned critical lessons on water management and evolved a new paradigm.

(A) Till the late 1980s:  Water management was largely confined to the issue of irrigation projects. Therefore, dams and canals were built to store and supply water over long distances.

However, big droughts occurred in the late 1980s, and big projects were found insufficient.

(B) Post-1980s Period: The traditional technologies for rainwater harvesting in ecological diverse regions of India were promoted. For example, the slogans like “Rain is decentralized, so is the demand for water. So, capture the rain when and where it falls”, were raised. Therefore, the state governments started launching massive programs to capture rainwater by building ponds, digging tanks, and setting up check-dams on streams.

(C) By the mid-2000s: It was understood that groundwater is not a “minor” resource, but the “major source” of water for both drinking and irrigation. Further, over 50% of agriculture was still rain-fed. Therefore, water conservation and rainwater harvesting were critical for productivity and well-being.

Therefore, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was linked with the rainwater harvesting efforts. Thereafter, rural water assets were constructed.

(D) In the 2010s; During this period, India witnessed a number of urban droughts. During this time, it was learnt that augmenting the water supply is just one part of the challenge.

(1) Pumping and piping water from long distances led to losses in distribution and rising electricity costs.

(3) Overuse of groundwater led to a decline in the groundwater level in urban areas.

(4) There were cases of encroachment of water bodies.

(5) More water supply meant more wastewater, and untreated wastewater released into rivers caused river and water pollution. This in turn destroys available water and increases the cost of cleaning up drinking water.

(6) The urban residents were not even connected to underground sewerage. Therefore, they relied upon on-site sewage “disposal” systems like septic tanks or open drains

(7) The sewage treatment infrastructure was not sufficient to stop river pollution.

What should be done?

To ensure affordable sanitation and treatment of wastewater in cities, there is a need for the reengineering of on-site systems. It means waste to be collected from each household, transported, and treated in that area.

The urban-industrial wastewater and sewage must be treated, recycled, and reused. If it is treated for reuse, then it will prevent water loss and pollution of our rivers.

In addition, water use must be minimized and become much more efficient with every drop. For example, investing in water-efficient irrigation, household appliances, and changes in our diets.

India must invest in various local water systems to capture every drop of rain at local levels like the construction of ponds, tanks, and rainwater-harvesting structures.

Our forests and green spaces need to be protected. They will recharge our groundwater.

In our cities, the lakes and ponds should be protected as they would act as sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain flood and make sure it does not turn into wasted water. Further, the treated sewage and wastewater must be diverted to these sponges to recharge the groundwater in the cities and make us water-secure.