India cannot ignore the water crisis anymore

The image of the village belle with a brass water pot balanced on her head was a romanticised inspiration for many of our painters. However, with the severe lack of water in many states across the country, this image is now a poignant emblem of the country’s water crisis, especially as temperatures soar.

Another image that recently stirred the country’s ire is Pankaja Munde’s drought selfie. While reviewing efforts of water conservation in Latur, Maharashtra’s rural development minister posted selfies smiling with a drought-ridden landscape in the backdrop.

Also read: Maharashtra minister's 'drought selfie' is disgraceful

Many found it insensitive, claiming it made a mockery of a serious situation. In her defence Munde stated that it was "in praise" of the work being done. 

Scarcity 

Aside from Munde’s antics, the people of Latur are facing a real problem because they have been receiving water from the supply only once a month. The 4.5 lakh population is facing this severe shortage because the dam that was supplying water to the city and adjoining rural areas has recently dried up.

Also read: One in four persons now affected by drought. When will Modi sarkar wake up?

Unfortunately, Latur is not alone — Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, NCR, Odisha and Kerala all all reeling under a water crisis. Two failed monsoons have meant that many parts of the country are left parched with very little water left in reservoirs. 

The water table has plummeted and reforms to repair and refurbish pumps and tube wells are tied up in all kinds of red tape. The country’s collective woe is the water crisis, where each state has its own set of problems. 

In a shocking case of negligence the four reservoirs in Hyderabad have run dry. Many pockets of the city, especially areas in Vijaynagar and Begumpet, are facing a severe drinking water crisis. 

The Godavari water currently being supplied to the Quthbullapur municipal circle is not suitable for drinking — this despite the Godavari and the Krishna Phase 3 schemes. Apparently the schemes will only be effective by December and so the residents suffer this acute shortage while still having to pay water bills. 

In Maharashtra, one of the worst-affected states, water is being transported by train to parched areas. 

While villages suffer, the debate rages over its usage: Should it be used to irrigate sugarcane crops, make beer, host the IPL or rather saved for drinking?

Also read: Targeting IPL is making a poor joke of water crisis

The water crisis in Maharashtra is a recurring one. In 2015, according to the admission made by the state’s relief and rehabilitation minister Eknath Khadse, over 1,000 farmers have committed suicide till date because of failed crops due to the drought that has hit the villages. 

Tankers 

In Rajasthan, 19 of 33 districts are drought-affected. Though the government is rushing water tankers across to parched Bhilwara and other areas, there are over 17,000 villages facing drought because of the receding ground water table. 

According to a statement issued by PHED (Public Health and Engineering Department) minister Kiran Maheshwari, 90 per cent of the water-related schemes in Rajasthan are dependent on groundwater for their supply, which is plummeting. And they are still considering hosting the IPL! 

The Haryana-Delhi water crisis that occurred in February was a man-made result of the Jat protesters damaging the supply link to the capital. 

According to reports, seven water treatment plants were forced shut after angry mobs broke the control apparatus of the Munak canal in Haryana, affecting several parts in west, northwest and south Delhi. 

While the government took precautionary steps to save water by shutting down schools and rationing water, a permanent solution is moot as the courts have taken a stand of non-interference. 

Rainfall 

Technically Odisha shouldn’t have water problems because it has an average rainfall of 1,502mm. Yet, vast areas of the state face an acute drinking water shortage every year, with ensuing heatwaves. A maximum temperature of 46°C was recorded in Titlagarh recently, with the IMD forecasting heatwave conditions persisting over the next week. 

Tube wells stop yielding water during summer due to a seasonal problem known in departmental parlance as "draw down". In water-rich Kerala, the water crisis is mainly due to poor water conservation and faulty planning. 

The centralised system of pipes that deliver safe drinking water to everyone is the culprit that continues to parch thousands all over the state. Kerala has also mismanaged its natural resources and failed to check deforestation, sand mining and pollution in almost all its rivers.

Water used to be a free, basic resource. Now people have to pay for water tankers and private companies to secure something as essential as water. It is a dire situation that occurs every year. 

We will need to make changes to meet the escalating crisis through water conservation, drip irrigation techniques, reforestation, recycling of water through treatment plants, harvesting of rainwater and better infrastructure to ensure that pipes do no leak and that multiple sources are tapped for water supply, rather than depending only on one resource until it is totally exhausted.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)