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in 2021 while availability stay at 2001 levels. The result: over 200 million (20 crore) people are
vulnerableto water wals. In Neemuch in Madhya Pradeshin May 2003 one person was killed and
six injured people fbught fol water with swords and knives. Such sporadic incidentscould become
routine. The short gfall for water supply in Mumbai is 4000 million lrter a day which is enough tt-r
filt 4 lakhs water tankers. Indeed water tankers and water trains are the majors' sources fbr rvater
water form Jodhpur for the
in many towns. Every day four railway trains fetch 6 million
'the liters of
liters lifelines for 12 town and 128
four lakh people in Pali, Rajasthan.These trains ale also
villages in the desert state of Rajasthan.
Many cities are now being forced to get water from over 100km away. Delhi's irony is
unmistakable. Despite being one banks of the Yanruna, it dependson the Ganga water fbrm Haryana
and Uttarachal.The water supplied to ilangalore - across 100km from the Cauveri and lifted over
a 1,000 meter gradient is perhaps the most expensive.
.
Contrary to popular percelrtion,water sliortage is not just an urban problem but is, in fact
worse in rural India. As basin and rivers di'y up, it also threatens in the countries food security.
According to data available to the Ministry of Water Resources,eight out of twenty river basins are
water defic,it. It is observed that 9A7o percent of the water is consumed by the agriculture sector.
The future is also not encouraging. According to fbrecast of the Ministry Agriculture by 2025,
eleven river basins - including the Ganga - will be water deficit threaiening900 million lives.
On the face of it, India has 45 pelcent of the earth's land and 4 percent of its fresh water
resources.India's annual precipitation(snowfall and rainfall) is 4,000 billion cubic meter 690 bcm
of water in rivers, which merely 690 bcm of water in rivers is used. In other words, 1,197 bcm
of water (roughly two rivers of the size of Brahmaputra)flows into the sea. Add 432 bcm would
be 1,122 cubic metre, per person in the country.
Theoretically, there should be no shortage,but the reality is ditferent. Firstly, rainfall is skewed
geographically,with the averageranging from l00mm in the west to 1,170 mm in the east.Besides,
while the rainfall takes place in just 100 hours spread over 100 days, the requirement is spread over
365 days. Thus every summer on an average 91 district in hit by draught and 40 million hectors
in 83 districts are submerged in flood waters. Of Cherrapunji which has the highest rainfall in India
- buy water at Rs.7 per bucket.
Secondly, west-flovving rivers of Kutch and Saurashtra,Sabarmati, Tapi and Ir{ahi spill their
water into the Arabian Sea. East-flowing rivers drain into the Baby of Bengal.
Thirdly, insteadof focusing or long-term solutions,every governmentfound it easierto allow
exploration the ground water. Wrile for the government it means less investment, for the farmer
it was free water. True, India's food security was propelled by the "tube-well revolution" but tt led
to long-term damage.
DlgglngDeeper
The 56 lakhsborewellshave pusheddown the groundwaterlevelsand new tubewallsare being
dug to a depth of 200m.
wroughthavocon the hydrologicalcycle.Groundwaterlevels
Diggingdeeperfor groundwater
'total'
Maharashtra,
haveplungedin 206 out a
of 591 districtsin India.Nice statesincludingRajasthan,
Gujarat,Haryana,Karnatakaand Punjab,are facing major water deficits where demandsexceeds
supplywith 1.5 million handpumpsand 56 lakh tubewellsin operation,pumpingof underground
water is now nearly double the rate of equit-errechargefrom rainfall.
9. It is necessary
to controlsupplyin the light of demandto avoid wastage.
10. The GarlandRiversSchemeof linking majorriversto preventriverinewaterto discharge
into the seasto a largeextent,shouldbe speedilyimplemented.
Salient Aspects
1. Two factors cause a demand for water rise in populationand increasedeconomic
development.
2. Certain types of water are consumed,while from other uses can be re-cvcledafter
treatment.
3. Many areasof the developingworld do not have safe drinking water or proper sanitary
conditions.
4. Many healthhazardscan be avoided,if safe drinking water is available.
5' Large-scalewater developmentprojectsbring both benefitsand environmentalproblems.
6. Beforelarge-scale
waterdevelopmentprojectsarestarted,a throughstudyof environmental
aspectsis absolutelynecessary.
The most dangerousfactor in the growth of the country'slandfill is its contaminationof the
nearbydrinking water supply. Toxic chemicalsbound up in the garbagewe throw up every day
entersfl'om landfills into nearbyaquifers,streams,andlakesand otherwaterbodies.Thesepollutants
further move through surfaceof drinking water. Plenty of toxic juices are pumped into water.
Examplesof such type of contaminationare aboundall over the world.
Anotherpopularmeasureof handlingthe garbageis throughincineration.This processsounds
good as it reducesthe bulk wastes;however,the air emissionsof chemicals,of chemicals,sulphur
and nitrogen oxide are as dangerousas the leachingchemicals.The toxic ash has to be further
disposedof since hazardouswaste in specialsites are earmarkedfor the same.
Studiesshow that incinerationplantsin United States,Japan,Swizerland,the Netherlands,
Germanyor Canada,emit dioxin gases.Severalharmfuleffectsto healtharefeareddue to inhalation
of dioxins.So thereare protestsin the communitiesand it is difficult to locatethe incinerators.