Scraps Stuffs - Random musings from apun ka desh

Rise to meet the water challenge

This is a timely article.

Water shortages in India are already acute and will get worse in the future. Rising population, environmental degradation, truant monsoon, inefficient usage of water, incorrect cropping patterns, increasing contamination and pollution of fresh water sources among other reasons will really make the problem severe.

There is a major reason for increasing floods during the monsoon and water scarcity during other seasons for the same region. Deforestation. This results in an inability of the soil to hold water. Ground water acquifiers don't get recharged enough. A depleting water table is one result. Precious fertile top soil getting washed away is another. Trees help break the force of the rains as a result of which enough water gets into the ground water tables.

In my opinion, lots of small steps would give better results than grandiose river linking projects.

1. Recycle, recycle, recycle. Don't let water go waste.
2. Water is a precious resource, use less of it. Fix leaky taps, close all taps fully. Try to avoid using a shower. Using a bath tub should be a strict no-no.
3. Avoid contaminating water going down the drain, don't flush toxic chemicals (including poison used to kill pests, paint, thinner, industrial chemicals etc.) down the drain.
4. Change cropping pattern. Water intensive crops should only be grown in water surplus areas. We grow millions of tons of rice which goes and sits in godowns to be eaten by rats. It would be better to grow more pulses, oilseeds which don't require too much water and other crops that aren't water intensive.
5. Recharge ground water wherever possible. Soak pits, adequate distance between bore wells, ban on digging bore wells in areas with scarce ground water etc. will all help.

The problem in India is lack of foresight. Unless we reach a crisis situation where everyone is literally at everybody else's throat, people don't realize the gravity of the situation.

The problem is bad and its going to get worse. A whole lot worse.