Water is an essential resource for all life on the planet. Of the water resources on Earth only three percent of it is fresh and two-thirds of the freshwater is locked up in ice caps and glaciers. Of the remaining one percent, a fifth is in remote, inaccessible areas and much seasonal rainfall in monsoonal deluges and floods cannot easily be used. At present only about 0.08 percent of all the world’s fresh water is exploited by mankind in ever increasing demand for sanitation, drinking, manufacturing,leisure and agriculture.
Developing world countries tend to have the lowest levels of wastewater treatment. Often, the water that farmers use for irrigating crops is contaminated with pathogens fromsewage. The pathogens of most concern are bacteria, viruses and parasitic worms, which directly affect farmers’ health and indirectly affect consumers if they eat the contaminated crops. Commonu illnesses include diarrhoea, which kills 1.1 million people annually and is the second most common cause of infant deaths. Many cholera outbreaks are also related to the reuse of poorly treated wastewater. Actions that reduce or remove contamination, therefore, have the potential to save a large number of lives and improve livelihoods. Scientists have been working to find ways to reduce contamination of food using a method called the ‘multiple-barrier approach’.
Agriculture is the largest user of the world’s freshwater resources, consuming 70 percent. As the world’s population rises and consumes more food (currently exceeding 6%, it is expected to reach 9% by 2050), industries and urban developments expand, and the emerging biofuel crops trade also demands a share of freshwater resources, water scarcity is becoming an important issue. An assessment of water resource management in agriculture was conducted in 2007 by the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka to see if the world had sufficient water to provide food for its growing population. It assessed the current availability of water for agriculture on a global scale and mapped out locations suffering from water scarcity. It found that a fifth of the world’s people, more than 1.2 billion, live in areas of physical water scarcity, where there is not enough water to meet all demands. A further 1.6 billion people live in areas experiencing economic water scarcity, where the lack of investment in water or insufficient human capacity make it impossible for authorities to satisfy the demand for water.
PM Modi’s efforts in water resource management is directed at optimising the use of water and in minimising the environmental impact of water use on the natural environment.
It includes create barrier against contamination. Barriers include: introducing safer irrigation practices; promoting on-farm wastewater treatment; taking actions that cause pathogens to die off; and effectively washing crops after harvest.
His experience & knowledge gained in administering Gujarat is being put to manage knowledthe competing demands for the resource, measures to and processes to evaluate the significance and worth of competing demands and mechanisms to translate policy decisions into actions on the ground.
Continuation of today’s food production and environmental trends would lead to crises not only in India but in many parts of the world. The World Bank targets agricultural food production and water resource management as an increasingly global issue that is fostering an important and growing debate.
Some initiatives are:These are:
1) Improve data related to water;
2) Treasure the environment;
3) Reform water governance;
4) Revitalize agricultural water use;
5) Manage urban and industrial demand; and
6) Empower the poor and women in water resource management.
To avoid a water crisis, farmers will have to strive to increase productivity to meet growing demands for food, while industry and cities find ways to use water more efficiently.
Neglect of water resource issues by previous government has caused polluted freshwater resources, overexploited groundwater resources, insufficient harvesting capacities in the surrounding rural areas, poorly constructed and maintained water supply systems, high amount of informal water use and insufficient technical and water management capacities.
Sheer neglect of areas surrounding urban centres, where agriculture competes with industry and municipal users for safe water supplies, while traditional water sources have become polluted with urban wastewater. As cities offer the best opportunities for selling produce, farmers often have no alternative but to use polluted water to irrigate their crops causing significant health hazards related to the use of this water. Wastewater from cities contain a mixture of pollutants sourced from kitchens and toilets along with rainwater runoff. It’s a cocktail of a wide range of pathogens, heavy metals along with traces of antibiotics and endocrine disruptors, such as oestrogens. Very harmful to public health.
India’s biggest concerns for water-based resources is the sustainability and allocation. As water becomes more scarce, the importance of how it is managed grows vastly. Finding a balance between what is needed by humans and what is needed in the environment is an important step in the sustainability of water resources. Attempts to create sustainable freshwater systems have on a national level is a must make commitment.
Innovative solutions are needed to address water scarcity. One being developed is air to water generators to make Purified Great Tasting Water. It provides solutions for droughts, water restrictions, water quality warnings, boil alerts, lack of water due to natural disasters and an overall consumer awareness of the importance of purified water: for drinking, making tea, coffee, cooking, pet care, houseplants and drip irrigationand more.
Water scarcity is mainly caused by poor management of available water resources and the depletion of fresh water resources. According to the United Nations Development Programme, poor management of water resources is one of the main causes of water scarcity. Most countries have sufficient water to meet agricultural, household and industrial needs but do not have the means to make clean usable water accessible.
Other causes of water scarcity include overuse of water, pollution, population growth, decreased rainfall, increased consumption of water, global warming, food production, climate change, water quality and land use. Agriculture alone uses about 70 percent of freshwater; however, 60 percent is wasted due to inefficient application methods and leaky irrigation systems. Population growth has led to the increased use of freshwater, resulting in the depletion of freshwater resources such as groundwater.
The field of water resources management will have to continue to adapt to the current and future issues facing the allocation of water. With the growing uncertainties of globalclimate change and the long term impacts of management actions, the decision-making will be even more difficult. It is likely that ongoing climate change will lead to situations that have not been encountered. As a result, new management strategies will have to be implemented in order to avoid setbacks in the allocation of water resources.
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