Rajesh Singh
NITI Aayog has warned of a crisis that must brand policymakers as well as the balance of us deed now, as well as non later, because afterwards could hold upwards equally good late. The danger the panel has spoken of has non been considered of import plenty for prime number fourth dimension tv debates and, therefore, it is perchance out of the radar of virtually Indians who create upwards one's hear the importance of word based on how prominently it is raised inwards the electronic media. But the number has the potential to trigger major social unrests across the country, since it relates to water. The Aayog released the findings of a study that said Republic of Republic of India was facing its “worst’ drinking H2O crisis inwards history; that failure to have got remedial measures straightaway volition resultant inwards demand outstripping provide many times over past times 2030; that this would Pb to a 6 per cent loss inwards the country’s Gross domestic Product past times 2050; that groundwater resources which concern human relationship for forty per cent of the H2O supply, are existence depleted at “unsustainable” levels; as well as that nearly lxx per cent of provide available is “contaminated”. The study titled, ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI), was released past times Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari this June, as well as is based on information collected past times diverse independent agencies such equally UNICEF as well as Food as well as Agricultural Organisation. It has chillingly observed that forty per cent of the population volition have got no access to drinking H2O past times 2030; as well as that 21 cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru as well as Hyderabad, volition run out of groundwater past times 2020 — this concluding scenario would impact nearly 100 i grand 1000 people. There is to a greater extent than bad news. Nearly 600 i grand 1000 Indians faced either high or extreme H2O stress. Almost 2 lakh people died every twelvemonth due to inaccessibility t build clean water.
The Aayog’s initiatory is commendable. In a starting fourth dimension of its variety index, it ranked all States on the dependent area of H2O management, alongside nine wide parameters as well as 28 unlike indicators encompassing issues such equally groundwater, irrigation, restoration of H2O bodies, drinking H2O as well as governance. Although it may audio satisfying that some States such equally Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh as well as Tripura have got done good on the listing, the fact also is that virtually States register a score of below 50 per cent as well as have got a non bad bargain of move to practise to accomplish prophylactic levels. The proficient business office is that the index has at to the lowest degree provided a agency to assess the basis province of affairs as well as tin help inwards the creation of policies as well as programmes to contrary the looming crisis. There have got been recent reminders of the problems ahead. In May, taps inwards Shimla, i of the country’s virtually pop summertime resorts, went dry, triggering a crisis inwards the colina town. Residents had to expect for nearly iv days to have water; schools were unopen for a week; as well as tourists were advised to remain away. Far away inwards the south, Bengaluru equally good faced H2O shortages; inwards fact, it has had the dubious distinction of joining Cape Town, Djakarta as well as Sao Paolo inwards existence amidst the world’s select cities that are probable to run out of drinking H2O inwards the coming years.
The grim province of affairs is ironical, given that Republic of Republic of India is blessed alongside a network of major as well as kid rivers as well as their numerous tributaries. It has 7 major rivers as well as a number of tributaries from them, that brand upwards the country’s river system. These rivers emerge from watersheds inwards the Aravalli range, the Himalayan as well as Karakoram ranges, the Western Ghats, as well as the Vidhya range. Three river basins — Indus, Ganga as well as Brahmaputra — are fed past times the Himalayan glaciers. Nearly a grand glaciers sustain the Ganga alone. The province receives an annual rainfall of unopen to 1200 millimetres. Thus, Republic of Republic of India is non a water-scarce nation. By whatsoever reckoning, therefore, it should non have got been facing a drinking H2O crisis. Apparently, something went terribly incorrect inwards the decades gone by.
The reasons are non hard to seek. Policymakers over the decades, equally also lay citizens, have got taken H2O availability for granted, despite having sure as shooting known the basic information that only 2 per cent of earth’s H2O is fresh, as well as that nearly 2 per cent of that fresh H2O is contained inwards glaciers as well as polar H2O ice caps — thus effectively out of accomplish of the mutual citizen. However, spell the availability of H2O has remained restricted, the ask has been growing manifold. Consider the next statistics: Republic of Republic of India has sixteen per cent of the world’s population but possesses simply iv per cent of the world’s fresh water. India’s utilisation of groundwater is around one-fourth of the global usage — its consumption is to a greater extent than than that of the US as well as Communist People's Republic of China combined. Indeed, Communist People's Republic of China alongside a larger population uses 25 per cent less groundwater than India.
Then at that spot is a lack of proper H2O management strategy at the national score which has resultant inwards perceptibly unfair distribution of H2O to States. That is why, notwithstanding the generous network of major as well as kid rivers criss-crossing the country, diverse States are at daggers drawn alongside i some other for access to river waters. At whatsoever given betoken of time, H2O dispute tribunals are working overtime to settle disagreements betwixt States. When that fails — equally it has oft done — the affair reaches the Supreme Court. But on occasions, neither the courts nor the tribunals have got been able to settle amicably. Besides, a solution becomes fifty-fifty to a greater extent than hard because politics as well as regional sentiments come upwards into play.
Given that non all the available H2O is used for drinking role as well as that a proficient business office of it is channeled for irrigation, it becomes imperative that what is available is optimally utilised. Here comes some other problem: Not all H2O that is available minus irrigation (which consumes nearly fourscore per cent of available water) needs is tally for consumption, because it is contaminated. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Water Aid study inwards 2016 had ranked Republic of Republic of India amidst the worst countries inwards the world for the number of people having access to prophylactic drinking water. Some 76 i grand 1000 people were without prophylactic potable water.
Despite efforts made past times Governments over the years — as well as the incumbent authorities inwards the concluding iv years through diverse novel initiatives such equally the Rs 20,000-crore Namami Gange project— the fact of our major river waters remaining highly polluted has non changed drastically. The Ganga, for instance, flows through xi States as well as provides H2O to nearly 500 i grand 1000 people. And yet, large parts of the river remain highly contaminated. In fact, the H2O of the river inwards many parts inwards Uttar Pradesh as well as Bihar is completely unfit for drinking role because it is choked alongside industrial waste materials as well as dead bodies floating all over. According to some official figures, nearly 500 i grand 1000 litres of wastewater from industrial sources is allow into the Ganga each day.
To makes matters worse, groundwater sources have got been tested for high levels of arsenic inwards many regions that be inwards the Ganga-Brahmaputra belt. According to findings of a survey done past times the International Journal of Preventive Medicine a duo of years ago, nearly sixteen districts of Bihar were reported to have got been affected past times arsenic poisoning equally a resultant of groundwater pollution. At to the lowest degree 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh equally good were flora to have got been impacted severely past times high arsenic poisoning inwards groundwater. The representative of arsenic poisoning is triggered past times overdrawing of groundwater through a surfeit of manus pumps, tube-wells etc. spread across the Gangetic belt. With the water-table plunging inwards summer, oxygen reaches into the aquifers as well as causes oxidation of arsenic-rich Fe sulphide inwards soil sediments. The cease resultant is that i time the H2O is recharged, it gets contaminated since the entire aquifer has already been polluted alongside arsenic.
The problems are at that spot for all to see, as well as the solutions equally good ought to hold upwards at to the lowest degree slow to position — if non to implement. But the province is at a crossroads; non-implementation of those solutions, nevertheless formidable the chore may be, is no longer an option. Waste H2O handling as well as recycling, for instance, needs a boost across the country. Housing societies must hold upwards encouraged through Government incentives to engage inwards rainwater harvesting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent catch to Israel, was witness to how saline H2O is treated to enter potable. And, of course, the projection of cleaning rivers needs to maintain alongside increased vigour.
(The author is a senior freelance commentator as well as populace affairs analyst.)
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