Water, an instrument to build world peace
Source: The Hindu
For Prelims: World Water day, United Nations, “Water for Peace”
For Mains: World Water Day is a global initiative backed by the United Nations
Highlights of the Article
Rainwater Harvesting
Problems Faced by India
World Water Day
United Nations (UN)
Context:
World Water Day, which falls on March 22, is a global initiative backed by the United Nations, and has been observed every year since 1993. Under different themes, the attempt has been to raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of freshwater. The theme this year is “Water for Peace”. As everyone knows, there was a time when clean water was available in wells, ponds, streams, rivers and other sources, but the situation is vastly different now. There is a problem of water availability with respect to quantity or quality
UPSC EXAM NOTES ANALYSIS
1. World Water Day
World Water Day is observed annually on March 22nd. It's a day designated by the United Nations to highlight the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The day aims to raise awareness about the global water crisis and the need for action to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water. Each year, World Water Day focuses on a specific theme related to water conservation, sustainability, or access to clean water, with the goal of inspiring people around the world to take meaningful actions to address water-related challenges
Here's a quick rundown about World Water Day:
- Focus: Highlighting the importance of freshwater and tackling the global water crisis.
- Goal: Supporting Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030.
- 2024 Theme: "Water for Peace" - emphasizes cooperation on water resources to foster harmony, prosperity, and resilience.
- Events:
- Launch of the UN World Water Development Report on "Water for prosperity and peace"
- Global public campaign with various events and activities worldwide
2.Problems Faced by India
- The current water crisis can manifest in either physical or economic forms due to a variety of factors including rapid urbanization, industrialization, unsustainable farming methods, climate change, irregular rainfall patterns, excessive water consumption, ineffective water management, pollution, inadequate infrastructure, lack of stakeholder involvement, runoff from heavy rains coupled with soil erosion and sedimentation.
- This scarcity of water not only disrupts ecosystem functioning but also poses threats to food and water security, ultimately impacting peace.
- According to the World Resources Institute, 17 nations are facing extremely high levels of water stress, which could potentially lead to conflicts and unrest. India is no exception to these challenges.
- The country already faces water stress, with projections indicating a further decrease in water availability to 1341m3 by 2025 and 1140m3 by 2050. Agriculture accounts for 72% of water withdrawals, while municipalities and industries utilize 16% and 12% respectively.
- Groundwater depletion is a widespread issue across India, exemplified by the situation in Bengaluru and states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana where the ratio of groundwater consumption to availability exceeds 100%.
- Conversely, states like Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra exhibit lower ratios. Many perennial rivers and streams have reduced flows or dried up completely.
- Water scarcity intensifies after April-May, affecting drinking water availability. Additionally, springs in hilly regions are drying up. Despite a substantial number of water bodies in India, inadequate catchment treatment measures, poor design, and maintenance have led to siltation and reduced storage capacity.
- The proliferation of tube wells has exacerbated groundwater depletion, with discharge surpassing recharge rates.
- Pollution from sewage and other sources has further degraded water quality. Effective management of surface and groundwater resources is lacking.
- Rainfed regions, covering over 48% of India's land area, contribute significantly to agricultural output.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the need for a balanced approach, integrating traditional and modern techniques to enhance soil health and water conservation. Therefore, addressing these issues is crucial
3. Role of Rainwater Harvesting
- Improving both the quantity and quality of water resources, encompassing both blue and green water, is imperative as water transcends being merely a fundamental human entitlement.
- It serves as a tool for fostering peace-building efforts and elevating overall living standards. Prioritizing sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring water security, and preserving environmental health are increasingly pressing concerns.
- Achieving these goals necessitates the adoption of diverse resource conservation strategies, particularly emphasizing rainwater harvesting both on-site and off-site, including rooftop rainwater collection.
- Rainwater harvesting plays a pivotal role in enhancing resilience against water scarcity and drought by bolstering groundwater recharge and supporting irrigation needs. Maximizing the utilization of surface water through large-scale rainwater harvesting infrastructures, coupled with the judicious conjunctive use of groundwater and safe wastewater recycling, emerges as the most viable approaches to sustain and augment current levels of food grain production.
- Government initiatives such as the "per drop more crop," "water for villages in villages," "water for fields in fields," and "tree on every raised platform" programs, notably under schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), watershed management, Mission Amrit Sarovar, and Jal Shakti Abhiyan underscore the significance of water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
- These efforts emphasize the rejuvenation of water bodies, tank restoration, wetlands rehabilitation, borewell recharge, watershed development, and intensive afforestation. However, a standardized protocol for pond and water body revitalization is currently lacking, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive assessments of each water body's status, encompassing water availability, quality, and its role in supporting ecosystem functions.
- The writer has conducted such assessments in regions like Mewat, Haryana, NCT of Delhi, and Odisha. Additionally, there is a crucial need to establish and revitalize water bodies in every village, considering the catchment, storage, and command area of each water body
4. Additional Effort
Additional measures are required to promote "water for peace," including monitoring groundwater levels, improving the quality of groundwater, rivers, and water bodies, implementing water pricing mechanisms, fostering circular water economies, adopting efficient irrigation methods such as integrating water resources with micro-irrigation systems and IoT-based automation, practicing integrated water resource management, installing water meters to curb domestic water consumption, discontinuing free electricity for water extraction, facilitating coordination among various government departments, enhancing community awareness and participation through water conservation campaigns, ensuring neutrality in groundwater usage and land management, cultivating low water-intensive crops, developing optimal crop plans based on integrated farming systems, enhancing resilience against climate change, and addressing the water needs of a growing population through an integrated and inclusive approach to water management
5. Conclusion
Moreover, reducing losses in water distribution systems, promoting safe wastewater reuse and desalination, implementing appropriate water allocation strategies, expanding tubewell and borewell infrastructure, and fostering collaboration among research institutions, industries, and academia to deploy both existing and emerging water technologies are crucial steps. By implementing these solutions, the theme of World Water Day 2024 can be reinforced, ultimately leading to India's attainment of water security and contributing to a more peaceful global community
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