Floods and drought cause untold misery

Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat – the list is endless. The monsoon floods this year has not only killed hundreds of people but also has brought distress to a huge population in 11 states.

Ahead of the downpour, it was drought throughout   the country. The scantiness of water was so widespread that both the Centre and the states were gasping for solution. Water-trains and water-trucks were the common scenes in mid-May, and these vehicles were nothing short of ‘guardian angels.’

Perhaps for the first time in many years, governments across the board felt the pinch. Drought and parchedness sure are regular features in India. But this year it was different – security men had to be deployed in some states to guard water and there were cases of buckshot too.

Hardly had the spectre of drought erased came the deluge. For the people living in villages, there is always this double tragedy – relocation in summer and   evacuation in rain. If droughts are telling, floods   make lives even harsher. The big question is: why these   two countenances of water and why don’t they harmonise? Why the overflow isn’t put to deficiency’s use? The answer clearly lies in water conservation.

Take the case of precipitation. Irrespective of the extent of drought in a particular year, Gujarat and Rajasthan undeniably get 200 mm rain. If we look at hilly areas, 400-500 mm rain is the standard every year. Whenever there is a good monsoon, the precipitation even goes up the 2,000 mm level. So, India receives about 670 mm rain on an average.

The country, on an average, receives annual precipitation of about 4,000 km3. Out of the 4,000 km3 water, 1,869 km3 is the average annual potential flow in rivers that is available as water resource. From the total obtainable water, only 1,123 km3 is being utilised. According to an estimate, water demand in 2000 was 634 km3 and is likely to be 1,093 km3 by 2025. Logically, the annual precipitation is sufficient to meet the demand.

The moot point is: we are unable to save rain water and it simply drains off to the sea. The amount of rain each of the six lakh odd villages in the country is more than adequate to meet the water need. In fact, if just 14-15% of water is conserved, villages don’t have to scurry for the brook.

 Due to the rapid rise in population and a growing economy, there will be unremitting increase in the demand for water, and it will become scarcer in the coming decades. Also, the reality is that rain patterns will be severely disturbed in the coming years owing to global warming .Obviously, water conservation has to get priority of the governments at every level - from parish to parliament.

Urban affair

Till now, water conservation has unfortunately been only an urban affair but that prioritisation has to change. It is a tad easier to plan for water conservation in towns and cities, because these are the seats of power. But villages can’t be left out in this effort. Primarily, plans can be made only when there is water. It makes no sense to think of equitable distribution water when rivers and wells are fast drying up. In such a situation, no government policy will work.

There are three critical claimants to water: consumers, agriculturists and industry. And, there can be as many ways to make the provision. One, rain water can be conserved  at the ground level if  all the major sources – hill top to the pond – are inter-connected. Two, for drinking water, every house can conserve it on the rooftop. For industries too, surface water should be the source. The sooner industries stop extracting ground water for their plants the better. Indeed, it becomes the responsibility of every industry to tap its own water source instead of looking forward to governmental support.

A major part of the initiative in water conservation should have legal backing too. The biggest test is making every one aware of the importance of conserving water. Storing up of this precious element is going to be a major challenge in the time to come and no lip service will help.

Amazingly, we haven’t been able to convert inundation into opportunity. Time has come to seriously think about water preservation. Else, we will continue to face the twin tragedies of   flood and drought. Abundance and shortage of water has already made our lives miserable.