Time is Ticking: India’s Water Crisis will Come to a Head in 2020

Many of India's major rivers are dry for parts of the year. Photo Courtesy: Ashwin Kumar

By Proteeti Sinha, Swimming World College Intern.

As swimmers, water is our haven. As humans, water makes up over half of our body composition. As living creatures, water is absolutely necessary to life as we know it. An integral part of our daily lives, water is often taken for granted until it is no longer in plentiful supply. This is the situation millions face in India. While India is home to 18 percent of the world’s population, it has access to only 4 percent of the world’s fresh water resources. According to a 2018 report by the Indian government think-tank NITI Aayog, India is facing the worst water crisis in its history.

The report predicts that 21 Indian cities, including metros like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by the year 2020. The lives of over 100 million people will be affected, and as many as 600 million people already face high water stress in India each year. The report also predicts that 40 percent of India’s population will not have access to drinking water by the year 2030.

The situation is extremely alarming, as 2020 is only a few months away. The effects are spreading throughout the country. India’s sixth largest city, Chennai, is already in the grips of a dire water shortage. The four main water reservoirs near the city have completely dried up. Offices, hotels, restaurants and hostels have been closed temporarily to save water. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are on the brink of shutting down due to unsafe conditions and high water costs. Residents have to stand in lines for hours in order to receive water from government tankers.

Causes of the Shortage

A polluted body of water in Delhi. Photo Courtesy: Pexels

The monsoon rains, which are a primary source of water for India, have been weak in the last two years. Some of India’s perennial rivers, such as the Kaveri, Krishna and Godavari, remain dry for parts of the year. As one of the biggest agricultural producers in the world, India uses much of its water towards irrigation and crops. The excessive use of groundwater in irrigation is also one of the leading causes of the scarcity.

Many of the water bodies in India are also heavily polluted. Sewage, chemicals and effluents are often released directly into rivers, lakes and ponds. Thus, this water cannot be safely used. Over 21 percent of the country’s diseases are water-related. Moreover, the growth in India’s already large population means that the demand for usable water far exceeds the supply.

Current Measures to Combat the Water Crisis

drinking-water-collection-India-balaram-mahalder

Women gather jars for the expensive water truck delivery. Photo Courtesy: Balaram Mahalder on Wikimedia Commons

In order to combat the crisis, the Narendra Modi-led government has created the Jal Shakti ministry (Water Power ministry). Their goal is to provide drinking water to every household by 2024, link the main rivers and improve irrigation on farms.

With reports of water shortage in many parts of the country, the government has launched a conservation campaign with an emphasis on 256 water-stressed districts. This campaign will focus on five aspects – water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water and recharging of structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation.

Network 18, an Indian media and entertainment group, launched Mission Paani. This pan-India campaign spreads awareness of water conservation needs and strategies. Joining hands with the government’s conservation campaign, this Mission seeks to ensure clean and proportionate water for drinking and other essential purposes.

Possible Solutions Moving Forward

This issue is multifaceted and requires more than a quick fix. As dire as the situation is, action can be taken to improve access to clean water for all to enjoy.

Photo Courtesy: Twitter, @narendramodi

PM Modi has appealed to the citizens to conserve water using traditional methods. The practice of rainwater harvesting – catching water where it falls – could be used effectively to collect water. Presently, India captures only 8 percent of its annual rainfall, ranking it among the lowest in the world.
Controlling leaks in pipelines is also crucial to saving water and ending the water crisis. In the mega-city Mumbai, pipe leakages and unauthorized connections and errors in metering have left 27 percent of the city’s water supply unaccounted for. In short, if just the leaked water can be saved, many will get some respite from water scarcity.
Flood irrigation is most commonly used in India for agriculture, which leads to a significant amount of water loss. Instead, drip or sprinkler irrigation would be more effective tools with less water wasted.

Indian woman carries jars of water across the dried up plains. Photo Courtesy: MrGauravBhosle on Wikimedia Commons

But India is not the only country facing water shortage. One-third of the world’s population lives with severe water scarcity for at least one month out of the year. Water scarcity already exists in all continents and could continue to plague the world for years to come unless more action is taken. Education on the crisis and methods of conserving water, both on a small and large scale, can change our future.

A map detailing water scarcity in the world. Photo Courtesy: Axelsaffran on Wikimedia Commons

There would be no life without water. It is our duty to save and conserve water, creating a shield against future drought situations and making the world a better place to live for future generations.

Olympic champion Michael Phelps promotes the cause of water conservation as Colgate’s global water ambassador. “I am often asked about my keys to success in the pool and people are surprised to hear how much I talk about doing all the small things as part of my preparation that ultimately have a big impact on performance,” Phelps explains in a Colgate press release. “The same applies to this important ‘Save Water’ campaign as the more we can all practice small behavior changes like turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, the bigger collective impact we can make in conserving our water usage.”

Take it from the greatest swimmer of all time: Our daily habits build up over time and have a larger impact than we could ever imagine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that over 64 glasses of water can be saved by simply shutting off the faucet while brushing your teeth for two minutes. Even the smallest of changes can leave positive results. Let’s take more responsibility for our impact on the environment and do our part to conserve water.

How can you change your habits to conserve precious water?

To read more about the crisis and ways to help, click here.

–All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Shohini

4 years ago

Thank you Proteeti for this article highlighting something that is so critical. Human beings forget that the earth isn’t inherited from their ancestors, rather it’s on loan from future generations

Mandira

4 years ago

Proteeti, the article is so informative with all possible facts and statistics about the burning issue faced by all of us. Your analysis and the solutions proposed are really very relevant and commendable. Thank you.

AROONAVA

4 years ago

Wonderful article, and it’s never too late.
Water is becoming more scarce by the day and one possible solution is to conserve rain water and purify it fit for human consumption. Scientists should apply their mind to this issue to save our children’s future .