Rising temperatures worsen water crisis

The summer season is upon us. Some states in India are already bearing the brunt of the heat wave. Soon, most states in India will be suffering from extreme heat. During these days, the demand for electricity spikes as the usage of electrical appliances for cooling soars. Simultaneously, the water demand increases, and with that, the pressure on our already limited and stressed water resources also multiplies.

The severity of the heatwave is so severe in some states that the state government has to step up to take preventive measures. The Tamil Nadu Health Department has created over 1000 rehydration points where water and ORS sachets will be provided to the needy.

With increasing heat, water from our surface-level reservoirs, such as ponds, lakes, and dams, depletes faster due to enhanced evaporation. Also, the amount of rain and snowfall has decreased from the previous year. Receding water lines in the reservoirs have already been making headlines. It was reported that about 150 major reservoirs in the country had water up to 35 per cent of their total capacity, and six in southern India have run dry. With the advent of May, the water level has further dwindled to 28 per cent.

Even before the summer sets in, the Central Water Commission, in the first week of April, reported 61.801 billion cubic metres of water in the country’s reservoirs, which was 17 per cent lower compared to the previous year’s 74.47 BCM.

The Himalayan cities are also not unaffected. Due to deficient rain and snow, Uttarakhand too has been facing a shortage of water. Recently, the state has banned car washing. Times like this serve as a litmus test for efforts made by all stakeholders, including the central government, state governments, local government institutions, and the people themselves.

State institutions are taking initiatives to make water available to all. Where the water supply is deficient, they are sending water tankers. In the coming years, these efforts will not be sufficient to tackle water scarcity. Rather than increasing supply, we need to think about the conservation of existing water bodies and the revival of lost ones. Sourcing water locally is the most sustainable long-term solution available to us. The Water Resource Department in Tamil Nadu has also revived a local lake and is pursuing the idea of providing drinking water to Avadi and Chennai Municipal Corporation from the lake.

So why don’t we work in that direction full throttle before it’s too late?