Conserve every drop 

Conserve every drop

Context

The grave water situation in Cape Town in South Africa is a wake-up call to everybody across the globe — from policymakers to the common man — that it cannot be business as usual when it comes to water usage. A similar crisis is looming large in other cities in the world as people continue to be reckless in their use of water

Threats to water security in India

• A growing population
• Lack of adequate planning
• Crumbling infrastructure
• Indiscriminate drilling of borewells
• Large-scale consumption of water
• A false sense of entitlement in using water carelessly
• Leakage of pipes providing water, particularly in urban areas
• Poor utilization of rainwater:  India receives an average rainfall of 1,170 mm per year, it is estimated that only 6% of rainwater is stored

Fighting the water crisis

• The World Bank’s Water Scarce Cities Initiative seeks to promote an integrated approach to managing water resources and service delivery in water-scarce cities as the basis for building resilience against climate change
• Micro irrigation practices like drip and sprinkler systems have to be promoted in a big way for efficient use of water for agriculture
• Both in urban and rural areas, digging of rainwater harvesting pits must be made mandatory for all types of buildings
• Conscious efforts need to be made at the household level and by communities, institutions and local bodies to supplement the efforts of governments and non-governmental bodies in promoting water conservation

Future situation in India

According to a forecast by the Asian Development Bank, India will have a water deficit of 50% by 2030

What is the position of UN wrt access to sufficient water?

In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the right of every human being to have access to sufficient water for personal and domestic uses (between 50 and 100 litres of water per person per day). It has to be safe, acceptable and affordable (water costs should not exceed 3% of household income) and also physically accessible (within 1,000 metres of home).

Pre 2018 relevant data

Atal Bhujal Yojana

It is aimed at sustainable ground water management with community participation in select over-exploited and ground water stressed areas in seven States (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh)

• ABHY is designed as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 6,000 Crore and is proposed to be implemented with World Bank assistance
• The scheme will be implemented and looked over by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources to ensure sustainability and availability are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments

National Rural Drinking Water Programme

The aim and objective of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) is to provide every rural person with adequate safe water for drinking, cooking and other basic domestic needs on a sustainable basis, with a minimum water quality standard, which should be conveniently accessible at all times and in all situations

• This programme was launched after merging the three erstwhile programmes on Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme-ARWSP; Swajaldhara and National Rural Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance