Water is one of the primary requisites for the survival of all living beings alike and yet it is one of the most abused and mishandled resource on the planet. Earth is made up of 70% water, out of which only 1% is fresh water that can be used for drinking purposes. Although this is true, maximum amount of water is still locked in the form of glaciers. With such thin availability and maximum use, exploitation of water by humans is a serious matter.
Water is essential for the flourishing of developing countries such as India, as their primitive growth depends on it. Yet water crisis is a very serious issue in India. India is an agricultural country and 60% of the population is directly and indirectly based on agriculture which contributes to almost 4-5% CAGR for the GDP. But in the recent decade, India and its agriculture has been majorly affected with the consistent natural calamities, which have added to the water woos of the country. Let’s discuss some major crises faced by India on the waterfront and what are the available solutions to curb these crises at individual and community levels.
Waterlogging: Waterlogging is a condition in which water and moisture are accumulated in the soil in a very heavy amount spoiling the quality of soil. This water also seeps into the minerals of the groundwater, in turn, spoiling the groundwater with heavy metals. The groundwater thus becomes non-potable for human consumption.
Solution: Waterlogging occurs particularly in the low lying areas of India. The government should launch schemes to draw dams and storage facilities in such areas. Making people aware of waterlogging and provide them with knowledge to survive in such conditions can also be useful to generate awareness.
Drought: Drought is a condition where the soil loses all of its water and moisture. This in turn makes the land completely dry, leading to cracks due to extreme heat. Such kind of condition causes major damage the dependent living organisms in the soil resulting in large number of monumental changes across the living ecosystems.
Solution: After highlighting the drought-prone zones in the country, the government should build artificial water bodies in the area and make people aware of rainwater harvesting that can be used by people for agriculture and other means except for drinking. Drinking water storage tanks can also be commissioned and installed in constant drought-prone areas to curb the issue of safe drinking water.
Floods: Flood is a major natural calamity that has been affecting the Indian ecosystems since centuries. Flood is a condition where the water bodies start overflowing due to heavy rainfall and enter the land surface disrupting the ecosystem. Floods not only affect the livelihood of humans, but it also causes severe damage to nature by inducing deforestation, soil erosion, contamination of ground & water fresh, thus creating huge scarcity of fresh water.
Solution:By highlighting flood zones of the nation, a special status work should be undertaken to build dams and also to divert canals to balance the water balance in the flooding rivers and make it more efficient to save water.
Population Explosion:India is the second country in the world with a population of 1.3 billion which is expected to reach 1.7 billion by 2050. With such a large population and growing consumption levels, wastage of water takes place in large amounts. An ever growing population poses a great threat to consumption of water, as it has to be regulated or the country might have to face many more manmade drought-like situations
Solution: The Indian Government should run awareness camps and programs to educate people about the ongoing water shortage situations and explain the impact of population explosion on food, water & land usage. Similarly, incorporating water and food consumption awareness workshops and events in school, colleges and corporates at local and national levels can help curb the problem at source.
Inefficient Agriculture: India is an agriculture-based country and the primary use of water takes place for the cultivation of the crops to feed the humongous population. But in spite of being an agriculture-driven country, even today, the agricultural techniques are not water efficient and tend to waste large amounts of water. This in turn spoils the crop and soil quality, contributing for a higher level of water scarcity, particularly in rural areas.
Solution: Indian farmers should be introduced and encouraged to use water efficient farming techniques and cultivate crops that use minimum water but reap maximum yields. There should allowances from the government to buy new technology and raise the stakes to more research on water efficient means of agriculture in the country. Educating farmers and their families about conservation techniques can significantly help in reducing the water shortages faces by villages across India.
Sewage Water Treatment:India is one of the countries where the sewage matter disposal is not as advanced as its other departments. India still uses the British era sewage system, even after 71 years of independence.
A sad but learning example of sewage water treatment issue is the 2005 Mumbai floods. Due to the under-maintained sewage system in 2005, leading to choking of sewage system coupled with heavy rains, the Mithi river floods catastrophically affected Mumbai, the economic capital of India. The floods claimed 1,094 lives and left over a thousand others misplaces and homeless. It also resulted in the contamination of water bodies due to the overflow of sewage water into clean water storages.
Solution: To avoid hazardous situations like floods and water overflows, the Indian government should undertake and boost the development of sewage plants across the county and ban products that affect the system leading to clogging. A perfect example of this could be the banning of plastics bags and related durables which are thrown away into sewages and other water bodies by the citizens. The aforementioned, combined with awareness camps and high penalty rates could also help in facilitating the water saving discipline.
Water is one of the important sources for a country to prosper. History is proof that great civilizations that advanced in the world were set besides the banks of water bodies.
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