Sustainable water management

Har Ghar Jal is the motto of the Indian Government’s Jal Jeevan Mission. Water is indeed a crucial determinant of the quality of life on this planet – of humans, animals, plants, and all living creatures. In fact the very existence of these species depends on the availability of adequate, safe water at all times. The Jal Jeevan Mission has been launched to ensure supply of tap water to all rural households by 2024. The Vision Statement says ‘Every rural household has drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities’.
The crucial importance of water management cannot be overemphasized. Over the last many decades, there has been much attention to the supply side of this issue. Efforts have been to augment water supply through building of large and small dams across our many river systems. Some of these such as the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project are notable engineering feats while also impacting huge numbers of the population with improved water and power supply. Given the vital role of water in our lives, there has been need to regulate the handling of natural water systems such as rivers, especially when they flow across states or even nations. Thus there are legislations in India to address inter-state water disputes and ensure good governance. In recent years, rainwater harvesting, ground water recharge, reuse of water, desalination of sea water, are all receiving much attention and rightly so. All of these address the supply side and aim to shore up availability.
We believe that simultaneously, there is urgent need to look into the demand side of the equation. There must be greater focus among all categories of water consumers to use this valuable resource in a sustainable manner. Agriculture in our country is the largest consumer of freshwater; by some estimates, agriculture uses eighty percent of all surface freshwater. Further, groundwater extraction has reached unsustainable levels with many regions reporting sharp falls in the water table. Several of our cities are running dry, especially those that are dependent on groundwater (borewells). With water in mind, there is need for reforms in agriculture in terms of crop choice (less water intensive ones), irrigation practices (drip irrigation in place of flood irrigation), and so on. These will also protect our farmers from distress in years of inadequate rainfall and low water availability. Similarly in urban context, households must learn to use water more judiciously. Some standards such as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) place the daily per capita requirement of water at 150-200 litres (12 to 15 buckets). This seems excessive. Innovation is called for, among others, in flushing systems design that can consume much less water while maintaining hygiene standards. Industrial, commercial, and construction water consumption must also be subjected to rigorous audit for savings. We have reached an inflection point. There can be no further delay in addressing this crying issue if we are to protect the future of this and the coming generations. Because ‘Jal Hai to Kal Hai’.
Urban Update, through its columns, keeps this subject in focus and will continue to bring new perspectives to its readers.