PROMOTE WATER LITERACY
Editorial . . . . . . .
The 2022 World Water Development Report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) captures the global concern regarding the sharp increase in freshwater withdrawal from streams, lakes, aquifers, and man-made reservoirs, impending water stress, and also water scarcity being experienced in various parts of the world. The latest water report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued a warning about this worldwide problem that is going unnoticed, warning that millions of people are going without the water they need to survive and support their way of life. Furthermore, the Water Scarcity Clock, an interactive web tool, demonstrates that nearly two billion people currently reside in regions with high water stress, and that figure will keep rising. Major regions of India, especially those in the west, center, and sections of peninsular India, are extremely water-stressed and experiencing water scarcity, according to the Global Drought Risk and Water Stress map (2019). More than 600 million people are experiencing severe water shortages, according to a 2018 NITI Aayog report titled “Composite Water Management Index,” which has sounded a warning about the country’s biggest water disaster. When there is a severe lack or scarcity of water, the typical reaction is to transport water from the hinterlands or upper catchments or to withdraw it from aquifers or surface water bodies that have been stored there. The movement of water between rural and urban areas is one such global topic that results in sectoral and regional competition. Water has no substitutes and cannot be replaced. One-fifth of the world’s aquifers are nearly dry, the rate of groundwater abstraction is rising by 1 to 2 per cent annually, and traditional water sources like tanks, ponds, and lakes are disappearing at a startling rate. Even while water covers almost 70% of the earth, only 2.5% of it is fresh water. The rest is salty and marine in nature. Only 1% of our freshwater is readily available even then, with the majority of it being trapped in glaciers and snowfields. The statistics from India are all the more astounding as a result.
The absence of safe drinking water is one of India’s main problems. Currently, 5% of the population of India—roughly 77 million people—does not have access. The majority of those without access to clean drinking water, according to UK-based NGO Water Aid, are from underdeveloped areas where the daily income is around Rs 300. They spend 17% of their income on water that they purchase from water tankers. According to estimates from the World Bank, unclean water and a lack of hygiene practices are to blame for 21% of infectious diseases in India. Additionally, diarrhea kills more than 500 children under the age of five every day in India alone. There is an urgent need to make an effort to institutionalize and improve community-based water management. Making the age-old practice of gathering, storing, and harvesting rainwater required is a good idea. There should be a movement to promote water literacy. Additionally, the government especially Jammu and Kashmir, needs to act quickly to refurbish, restore, and fix historic water bodies. Prior to the water shortage scenario getting out of hand, it is necessary to make difficult decisions. Don’t let the summertime water conservation campaigns just be catchphrases during the rainy season.
