Hyderabad (Telangana): Water is the source of life not only for all the animal creatures in the world but also for the spread of greenery and also for the sustained development of countries.
At a time when 210 crore people do not have access to safe drinking water across the world and at a juncture when 40 per cent of the global populace is facing water scarcity, the United Nations announced 2018-2028 as the decade for action on water.
Though it is the home for 18 per cent of the global human population and 15 per cent of the World’s animal population, India has only 4 percent of the World’s water resources.
India gets annual average precipitation of 1170 millimetres, the country is not even able to retain one-fifth of that quantum. Altogether 60 crore people are suffering from water scarcity.
According to the data from Niti Ayog, the water requirements will double by the year 2030 and by 2050 water scarcity will slash the GDP by six percent. Against this backdrop, the Central Jal Shakti ministry has prepared an action plan which will be executed by the end of November this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is assuring that the entire sum of MNREGS can be utilized for rainwater conservation works in all the 6 lakh villages of 734 districts in the country.
It was found that the groundwater table has fallen to dangerously low levels in the 1592 blocks of 256 districts. These districts are located in Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, UP, Telangana and other states. Rainwater conservation, revival of water resources, purification and reuse of wastewater, planting trees and related activities should take place in phases.
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What is impossible if people join hands and move like a personification of power?
We all have read in our childhood that Emperor Ashoka built irrigation tanks. That was past. The present is full of instances of deliberate pollution of water resources with dangerous effluents. With our own hands, we as a people have spoilt water resources and grabbed the land related to those sources.
Around 450 rivers are flowing in India. Yet half of their water is not worthy of consumption. Governments should not tolerate the release of effluents into our water resources any more. According to estimates, around 3600 crore litres of pollutant effluents are being released into our water sources. If the state governments, like the one in Telangana, take a resolve to revive their water resources on a war footing, people too will unitedly join hands with the governments.
There has been a 24 per cent decrease in the rainfall when compared with the situation five decades ago. Countries are witnessing unprecedented droughts and floods due to the derangement of climatic seasons as a result of increased global warming. The per capita water availability is also progressively decreasing. As numerous environmental challenges engulf the country, the Center, States, local bodies and citizens should come together to achieve Atma Nirbharata (self-reliance) in water supply.
There should be transparency regarding the expenditure made towards achieving the targets of water conservation. The data should be made available to all. The officials concerned should be made accountable.
India can achieve assured progress if, by following a scientific policy, it manages to retain atleast half of the 428 TMC ft of rain that precipitates in the country.
By adopting technologies followed by Singapore and Israel that are efficiently utilizing their water resources and the technology from the Arab countries that are able to recycle 70 per cent of waste water through purification, India too can strengthen its water wealth.
