WILL INDIAN CITIES RUN OUT OF WATER?

India covers around 2.5 per cent of Earth’s surface area and inhibits around 18 per cent of the global population. To serve the daily needs of 1.4 billion people, the nation possesses only 4 per cent of global fresh water resources. The nation needs to think beyond supply-based solutions and innovate in conservation, restoration, and reuse

Water is really important for life on Earth. Having too much water, too little water, or water that’s too dirty can be a big problem. Summer comes, and we have a water shortage. We have already seen water woes in Bengaluru, parts of Delhi, and Chennai this year. Local bodies are not able to supply enough water for citizens’ needs. In many areas, people are often seen standing in queues in front of their high-rise apartments and residential complexes to get water from tankers. And these tankers don’t come cheap. In times of scarcity, the price doubles and goes up to `1500–2000. One water tanker lasts just five days for a family of six.

Hypothetically, if such a situation remains for a month, the monthly expenditure of water per family would go up to 12,000. Just to put things in perspective, India’s per capita income is just a little above 15,000 a month. Of course, this is an imaginary situation where we considered a crisis to remain so for one long month. But just imagine if that happens. India cannot afford this. To avert such a situation in the future, we must act now.

Forecasts indicate that the yearly water availability for each person in India, which stood at 1,486 cubic metres in 2021, is expected to decrease to 1,367 cubic metres by 2031. This trend is particularly concerning when compared to the worldwide average of 5,500 cubic metres per individual. The stark contrast alarms a bell for an acute water shortage crisis in the coming future.

Water crises and cities

Water is one of the most important basic things we need to survive in a city or, for that matter, anywhere. We need water for our daily chores, industries, and even for growing food. We all know if there is water rationing or water supply is down, even for a day in our apartments and homes, we are agitated and feel helpless. Recently, we have seen social media flooded with memes about employees asking for work from home or leaving Bengaluru amidst the recent water crisis. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Karnataka, especially its capital Bengaluru, is facing one of the worst water crises in recent years due to poor rainfall in 2023. IMD has attributed the scanty rains to the El Nino effect.

Of course, this is not a good sign, but it is an indicator for us to make strategic efforts at the government and community levels for sustainable water management. As we all know, for thousands of years, civilisations evolved around water bodies. That is why many of our important urban centres emerged and thrived near water bodies. Not just that, they disappeared when the water stress drove them out.

A recent study by IIT Kharagpur reveals, “A long-lasting drought gradually caused the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The dry spell, lasting 900 years, slowly destroyed its irrigation systems, devastated agriculture, and eventually forced Indus people in places such as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro to abandon the thriving urban culture. Looking for favourable climate and water resources, the drought-hit people migrated towards the Ganga-Yamuna plains and tried to hang on by resorting to village culture.” The study was published in the prestigious Quaternary International Journal by Elsevier in 2018. This study underlines the importance of ensuring water sustainability.

A year later, the Niti Ayog report predicted that 21 Indian cities would run out of groundwater by 2020. These cities included Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Thank God. It did not happen to this extreme, but that does not mean water stress is not a serious issue in India. The report may have miscalculated the timing, but the situation is worsening. It may worsen as predicted if the governments do not focus on sustainable water management. Chennai in 2019 became one of the major cities that ran out of water and had to truck in 10 million litres a day for the daily water needs of its citizens. The same city had floods six years ago, when a large part of the city remained sunk for days and the water flew into the ocean rather than recharging groundwater and water reserves. It is not just Chennai. It happens in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and many other cities.

To solve urban water issues, cities and concerned parastatal agencies must focus on judicial use of surface and groundwater resources, making water supply systems efficient to avoid any supply loss, and conservation and restoration of water resources. Storm water management is also an area where they must work. Plus, it’s important to spend money on new technology that can clean waste water so we can use it again. By doing all this, we can make sure we have enough water for everyone now and in the future.

Local solutions

India has comparatively fewer freshwater resources than many other countries to sustain its water demands. It is often reflected in the frequent water crises in Indian cities during the summer. The case in point is the recent water crisis in many metros in India. Every stakeholder, including governments, communities, and corporations, needs to work together to address the looming crisis.

As we know, cities are also the places where solutions emerge. The concerned communities are coming forward and pitching solutions in urban centers. In the bustling city of Bengaluru, which is often lauded for its technological prowess, a different kind of innovation is taking root to solve the water problem. The United Way of Bengaluru, an institution with a history spanning over a century, is planning to construct 10,000 percolation wells by 2026. These wells aren’t just holes in the ground; they are lifelines to a city gasping for water sustainability. Designed to capture the monsoon’s bounty, they serve as subterranean sponges, soaking up rainwater and replenishing the parched aquifers below. It’s a solution that’s as elegant as it is essential, ensuring that every drop of rain is conserved and every reservoir of groundwater is recharged.

Within two years of starting the initiative, the progress is palpable—with 3,600 wells already dotting the cityscape. Spearheaded by the United Way of Bengaluru, this endeavour is a testament to the power of community-driven solutions in our urban enters. It’s a reminder that sometimes the answers we seek lie not in the complex machinations of modernity but in the simple wisdom of the past.

According to a news article published in The Hindu newspaper, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has roped in UWBe to construct 300 percolation wells. The report also highlights that the BWSSB oversees a vast network of nearly 12,000 borewells, yet only a mere half of these are active. The rest? They stand as silent witnesses to a crisis, with over 2,000 having succumbed to aridity, while another 3,700 trickle with but a shadow of their potential. Also, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which currently has 16,000 borewells, has engaged the NGO to augment nearly half of these dry borewells through percolation wells. UWB isn’t just digging wells; they’re planting the seeds of hope for a city in dire need of respite.

In another recent initiative, BWSSB is supplying zero-bacterial-treated water to Wipro after the water board adopted advanced technology to generate bacteria-free water in its treatment plants. The board will be supplying 3 lakh litres of water every day to Wipro using water tankers. After Wipro, about 40 more IT parks have shown interest in purchasing the water, and a discussion on the same is underway, according to a BWSSB release.

The evidence suggests that the public and communities are poised to take action once viable solutions are presented. It is imperative for urban local bodies and relevant water authorities to engage in dialogue with all involved parties to tackle the challenges in a unified manner. If we act, cities will not run out of water and will continue to propel nations’ economic growth.

One of the world’s first urbanised civilisations, the Indus Valley, was wiped out because of water stress. According to research by IIT Kharagpur, a 900-year-long drought damaged their water system and irrigation, which hurt their agriculture. This made life difficult for people living in places like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. They had to leave behind their bustling city life and gradually move to the Gangetic Plains in north India.