World Water Day: There will be a big water crisis in seven years, understand where we are in water management - Newztezz Online

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Wednesday, March 22, 2023

World Water Day: There will be a big water crisis in seven years, understand where we are in water management

Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched on 1 July 2019 for water conservation and water security. After this, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched in August 2019, which aims to provide clean drinking water to all rural households by 2024. Read Akshit Joshi's report

World Water Day is an annual United Nations day held every year , celebrated on 22 March every year since 1993. The purpose of organizing World Water Day is to highlight the importance of fresh water . Also, sustainable management of freshwater resources is advocated.

Each year's theme focuses on issues related to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, which is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 6. The water management goal was fixed in 2015. The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) is also released every year around World Water Day.

India and water

India's geographical location and climatic conditions are different. The amount of water here varies at different places. During summer, water scarcity increases in many areas of Rajasthan, which is a completely different situation from those living in the Himalayan region. There is no shortage of water in the Himalayan region due to the natural rivers.

18 percent of the world's population, but in terms of water resources, its share is only four percent. This is the reason why there is a situation of dispute over water in many parts of the world. According to the recent report of Niti Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India, a large number of Indians face severe water crisis. Along with being the backbone of the culture, the Indus Valley Civilization practically flourished from the system of rivers.

There are 12 rivers in the main category

Talking about Indian rivers, 12 rivers have been kept in the category of major rivers, which along with many inland water sources, meet the needs of such a vast country and its huge agricultural load. Rain and glacier-fed rivers in India Along with the system of groundwater irrigation, it is one of the most important sources of rural and urban domestic public supply. However, due to the overexploitation of this precious resource, it has started to decrease in recent times.

Water needs are also different in both urban and rural areas of India. Despite rapid urbanization, piped water supply is also not uniform in all the cities of the country. In many cities, people still get water for a few hours a day. Sometimes the situation becomes such that there is water supply only for a few days in a week.

Farming has been a risky business in India

This particularly affects the poor, women and children, who spend money and time in collecting water for their daily needs. Farming in India has always been a risky business due to erratic rainfall. Sometimes drought and sometimes untimely floods during monsoon increased the problem.

Agriculture in India is the mainstay of the country's economy, but farming is hardly possible in non-monsoon and without irrigation facilities. Agriculture consumes a large part of the country's water budget. According to a 2013 Press Information Bureau release, about 78 percent of the country's total water reserves are used for irrigation.

As the weather patterns across the world have become unpredictable due to climate change and all the countries are facing tragedies caused by the weather. Similarly, incidents of unexpected floods and drought will continue to be seen in India. Glaciers are melting due to continuous rise in temperature. It is worth noting that most of the major rivers of India originate from glaciers. In such a situation, the melting of glaciers can affect the flow of rivers, which can have a serious impact on the lives of common people.

What is the status of water crisis?

Even though 70 percent of the earth is covered with water, only one percent of the water is easily accessible and usable. Everyone knows that life is completely dependent on water. In such a situation, its importance cannot be underestimated even for domestic and agricultural use. Along with the increase in population at the global level, providing clean drinking water is becoming a big challenge. This problem is especially visible in highly populated countries like India.

India is the world's largest user of groundwater, with an estimated use of about 251 BCM per year. This figure is more than a quarter of the total water used in the whole world. Groundwater is an extremely important resource with increasing industrial/urban use, on which more than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies depend. It is estimated that per capita water availability will be around 1400 cubic meters in 2025 and Will be reduced to 1250 cubic meters by 2050.

India was going through the worst water crisis in history

A report titled 'Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)' published by the NITI Aayog in 2019 pointed out that India was passing through the worst water crisis in its history due to inadequate access to clean water. Because of this every year 600 million people were facing severe water crisis and about two lakh people were losing their lives every year.

The report further stated that India has been placed at 120th position out of 122 countries in the Water Quality Index, with nearly 70 per cent of its water contaminated. In such a situation, it is estimated that by 2030, the demand for water in the country may be twice the available supply, due to which crores of people of the country may have to face severe water shortage and ultimately the country's GDP may suffer.

What steps is the government taking to deal with this problem?

Scientific management of water is being considered important for India's development and ecosystem stability. Under this, the Ministry of Jal Shakti was formed in May 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation were merged, so that all the works related to water management could be done smoothly.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched on 1 July 2019 for water conservation and water security. This was followed by the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) launched in August 2019, with the objective of providing clean drinking water to all rural households by 2024. The central government has focused on 1592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts. A fund of Rs 3.6 trillion was also approved for providing drinking water line. This campaign includes creation of piped drinking water supply infrastructure, reliable supply sources, water quality and treatment plants, training-research and development, etc.

Emphasis on rain water harvesting

The second phase of JJM was launched on 22 March 2021 with special emphasis on rain water harvesting. In December 2021, the status report shared by the Ministry of Jal Shakti stated that JJM has already completed 45.2 per cent of its target. Already happened. States like Goa, Telangana and Haryana have ensured 100% tap water connections to all rural households.

World Bank is also helping for the success of the government's National Groundwater Program Atal Bhujal Yojana to improve groundwater management. This program has been implemented in 8220 gram panchayats of seven states of the country, which is the world's largest community leadership Vala is a groundwater management program. In fact, groundwater conservation is in the hands of millions of people and communities. In such a situation, this program is helping the people of the village to understand the water availability and usage pattern, so that they can prepare water budget according to their usage.

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