Water Cooperation

Suresh Chugh (IFS)
The fulfillment of basic human needs, our environment, socio-economic development and poverty reduction are all heavily dependent on water.
World water day is being celebrated today all over the word. A day to commemorate the importance of water in our lives and a time to think over the judicious use of this most important natural resource. Water is getting scarce day by day. Population is increasing and the demand of water is also increasing along with it. Every drop now counts. Water needs to be saved is the slogan of the day.
The United Nations has declared 2013 as the ” International Year of Water Cooperation”. In designating so  the UNGA recognizes that cooperation is essential to strike a balance between the different needs and priorities and share this precious resource equitably, using water as an instrument of peace. Water is a shared resource and its management needs to take into account a wide variety of conflicting interests. This provides opportunities for cooperation among users.
A 2006 United Nations report stated that “there is enough water for everyone”, but that access to it is hampered by mismanagement and corruption.
Some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability.   A recent report (November 2009) suggests that by 2030, in some developing regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%.
We are a weather dependent economy and every thing revolves around agriculture. If monsoon is deficit, there are droughts in many parts and if the rains are more, we face floods in one or the other part of the country, because we have no mechanism in place to stop or store  water  in large quantities. In many states one can see large ques of ladies, gents and children standing with a tumbler in hand for taking drinking water or ladies spending large amount of their time on fetching drinking water. In future if things go, as they are, more such scenes will be witnessed. What do we do then?
We can’t produce water as it is a natural resource and gets recycled in a natural way called the water cycle. But yes we can save it for future and also reduce our demand by checking wasteful usage, because water saved is water produced. Good management of water is especially challenging due to some of its unique characteristics: it is unevenly distributed in time and space, the hydrological cycle is highly complex and perturbations have multiple effects.
Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, and is vital for all known forms of life On Earth. 96.5% of the planet’s water is found in oceans, 1.7% in groundwater, 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, a small fraction in other large water bodies, and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds , and precipitation. Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, and 98.8% of that water is in ice and groundwater.
If we talk at the global level, green house gases are causing Global Warming. The sea water level is increasing due to melting of snow at the poles. Our glaciers are  receding at a fast pace. As a result the prediction is that of more floods and droughts. Not only that but in an unexpected way, which is a cause of worry. It will impact our forests, agriculture, water regime, health sector, electricity production, dams, and every   thing that is connected with water and temperature.
Then what should be our strategy to save water. We should do water budgeting in our daily requirement as a nation and as an individual. Develop ways to stop water and reduce its speed. Store water for future, recharge wells , create water harvesting structures. Have green buildings with water harvesting and storage tanks and make it compulsory. And lastly plant more trees, because trees can bring in more water and also reduce Green House Gases.
On this day let us join hands and not let this day pass as another day of remorse, helplessness and deprival, waiting to see the end of this precious natural resource.
(The author is  Director Deptt.  Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, J&K)

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