Water is a live sustaining substance which is the primary source of life and human existence. It is a civilization necessity indicating the living standard of people. Unfortunately, most of the water available on earth is salty and not suitable for drinking.
Water conservation and its scarcity has become a major problem in India. Many authorities have urged people to conserve water due during this crisis. Many states in India are going through a tragic water crisis.
The water requirement for agriculture is considerably high in India. Out of our total groundwater availability, we use 5% for industrial purpose and 6% for domestic use. The remaining 89% goes for agriculture.Our studies say that to grow one kilogram of paddy, we consume 5,600 liters of water whereas China produces the same amount of paddy with just 330-340 liters of water.89% of groundwater extracted is used for irrigation and crops such as paddy and sugarcane consume more than 60% of irrigation water. India will be the global water scarred country by 2050.
Here at Greenly we are urging each and every city to come up with alternative water conservation methods to support the shortage of water in the future. We shall discuss how each city is coming up with different forms of water conservation methods.
DELHI
The capital city of India is having a severe water crisis, by 2021 it’s likely to see maximum ground water depletion. Monsoons have been delayed and this had let to water scarcity in the region.
Environmentalist say that saving water isn't just the government's duty but a collective responsibility which includes everyone. Delhi is undergoing a serious crisis and I think we need more people coming forward to save water.
NCR is also a water scares region as it uses water of rivers such as Yamuna, upper Ganga canal system and ground water. Ground water levels here have declined rapidly over the past decade due to heavy usage.
Initiatives being taken by municipalities and individuals is by cleaning up the ponds of its waste and debris and making them water bodies and pond once again. Apart from government support, there are people who have been driven only by the zeal to save water.
GURGAON
The city’s water scarcity comes from its lack of water resources to keep the city without water problems. Lakes and ponds have dried up over time, with the growing population, it’s becoming an even more persisting problem. Even though the situation is grim, the solutions are not far away. The residents of the city can start by saving the Aravallis, which act as groundwater recharge zones.
Gurgaon had over 350 water bodies that served the purpose of water storage, however, things have changed as most of them have dried up or become waste dump yards. The solution is by having these water bodiesidentified and steps need to be taken to revive them.
LUCKNOW
Ground water status is in adverse situation in Lucknow city, with water sources being drained in various areas. We are requesting them to adapt sustainable water management to curb the growing scarcity.
The city needs special aquifer systems to be built, in rural and urban areas as part of the conservation project. Ground Water mapping and modelling of urban aquifers should therefore receive priority in view of greater use of the resource for daily drinking water consumption
JAIPUR
In the last few years, the ground water level in Rajasthan is going down rapidly. Due to intense heat, the dams are drying up resulting in severe water crisis particularly in city like Jaipur where drinking water supply solely depends upon ground water and dams. Major dams like Ramgarh and Bisalpur from where Jaipur city is getting water, have hardly any water left.Efforts are being made to encourage local residents to conserve water by offering incentives to them.
To conserve maximum monsoon water, the government has come to the conclusion to implement a program to cover all regions in the state with the promise to focus on water scarcity. Overall, 313 blocks with critical groundwater levels with 1000+ blocks with over exploited ground water under this scheme to cover the state.
BHOPAL
Deficit rains have also impacted water storage level across the state. Water levels in the reservoirs have far decreased than anticipated. Sustainable water supply of desired quality in adequate quantity catering to growing need is one of the main issues of Bhopal city.
We require the city to enforce laws pertaining to water conservation with the rapid growth of water unavailability. Steps have been taken to control government water supply by providing equal distribution all over the state.
MUMBAI
With Mumbai’s lakes depleting, citizens aren’t concerned about water wastage. This is purely the reason for bad water management by the authorities and by the people. Small cultivated habits in this scenario can go a long way into building a better future without water scarcity.
The BMC as well as residents can conserve water by fixing leakages. There is around 30% water gets wasted in Mumbai from BMC as well as residents end. This is everyone responsibility to prevent water loss. People often forget to close water tap and this leads to wastage.
Implementing rain water harvest in cities like Mumbai will be of god use. Rainwater collection systems use modern, yet, extremely simple technology, and their care simply involves occasional cleaning of pipes and the storage tanks to ensure that the collected rainwater is not contaminated.
HYDREBAD
The on-going water crisis in Hyderabad leaves no choice for residents but to buy water tankers for their usage. Hyderabad receives rainfall for 3-4 months of the year. Benefits of using rain water harvest is a major advantage. It helps in cutting cost for water supply. Drinking water is being brought from so far incurring huge costs and putting in massive efforts, so it's responsibility of everyone to use water in limits.
Corporations and municipalities must come together and educate people on the benefits of rain water harvesting. Each and every person needs to implement this conservation method to control the water shortage.
BANGALORE
Shortage of water has always become a concern in the city of Bangalore. Water supply has been a concern for over a decade now, with Bangalore’s only water source being the Cauvery River. There have been initiatives taken up by various citizen-based associations and organizations to collectively come up with solutions for this problem which holds long-term implications.
The solution suggested is to set up RWH in household terrace and properties, parks and open spaces such as barren ground, Roads and railway stations etc. This water can then be used as a backup plan to be supplied across the city in times of shortage.
AMARAVATI
Like every other, this city in Andhra Pradesh also faces water supply to a great extent, the government has brought about many phases of schemes for water conservation and is already started implementing and working on them.
The programs used to conserve always start with the basic foundation, these have been requested and said to be in action. Cleaning of lakes and drains, repairing of major and minor tanks in the city, building of check dams, harvesting rainwater in all forms of water bodies such as tanks, ponds, lakes, wells, farms etc. These methods can help in during water crisis.
CHENNAI
Rainfall in this city has decreased dramatically over the years leading to a deficit in water supply. The city’s people are growing very dependent of water supply from government and private tankers for drinking, laundry and sanitation. This has become a major problem with many parts of the city and state running dry and getting water transported from other states and cities. The city is a concrete jungle with all the ponds, rivers and lakes being built on and converted into real estate building, thus disallowing the flow of water to the ground water table.
One way to curb this devastation is to recycle sewage and waste water and provide for industrial usage, with Chennai being the first city to implement this. With three levels of treatment it is then made for industrial use.
These four methods can also help in water conservation
- Development of watersheds
- Improving storage of surface water
- Recharging groundwater
- Mitigating floods through storm water drains
Many parts of Kerala state has been affected with water shortage with the states capital being the most affected. The citizens aren’t taking much interest in water saving because they feel the monsoon will bring rain water. But irrespective there has been a decline in the amount of rainfall and the well are drying up. So the people need to start water conservation remedies.
The government can start by cleaning water bodies and construct RWH in many public places to capture rain water for usage during a shortage.
Water saving in all these cities need to be done quickly and more efficiently, the longer we wait the impact will be more on us individually. Initiatives should be started by different governmental bodies urban and village to educate people about the crisis and plant the habit of water saving and its benefits. Each of us should start on our own to help save the future generations.
“Life depends on water, the reservoir depends on you.”
