Save surface water for inclusive growth

Surface water is the chief ingredient of village growth and prosperity. India’s innumerable rivers, rivulets, lakes, natural springs, ponds and wells once helped villagers grow multiple crops, weave exotic clothes, maintain animal farms and increase fish production. Surface water maintained the plant diversity, protected topsoil, recharged groundwater and created a buffer food zone to feed people at the time of natural calamities. Over the decades, the condition of surface water across the country has deteriorated causing immense damage to the village economic fabric.

Nearly 70% of surface water in India has become unsuitable for human consumption; the water is not even good for farming and industries. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s assessment, there are 351 polluted-river stretches in the country. Urban India generates 40,000 litres of sewage every day and 80% of it flows into our rivers and lakes. The CWC data shows that except the Indus, the Narmada, and the west-bound rivers of the south, the water level in all the river basins is less than the average of the last 10 years. The river stretches in Karnataka receive 700 million litres of untreated sewage every day. A study by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India found that the highest chemical and bacterial infested drinking water in the country was found in Kerala. The study found iron, fluoride, salinity, nitrate, arsenic, and bacteria in 34% of the 1,02,900 samples collected from different sources in the state. Thirty years ago, the well water in Kerala was ideal for drinking. India is left with only 4% of the world’s fresh-water resources to sustain the life of 135 crore people. A Niti Aayog report warns that at least 40% of India’s population will have no access to drinking water by the year 2030.

Mountain springs give life and livelihood to millions of people on the hills of the Himalayas, the Western and the Eastern Ghats. Deforestation, aggressive construction activities around the origins of the springs and on the hill slopes have dried thousands of springs. The majority of the lakes in Jammu and Kashmir are terminally sick due to encroachment and pollution which adversely affects the tourism sector and the livelihood of local people. Indian states have failed to make proper use of water and attempt to earn revenue from real estate growth.

An analysis by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, suggests that about half of the country was in the grip of a drought in 2019. In the same year, between July and September, devastating floods hit 357 districts in 22 states, affecting the livelihood of 26 lakh people and taking more than 2,000 lives. The death toll in Maharashtra was the highest with 430 dead. Ironically, the state has the highest number of reservoirs and barrages in the country. Similarly, in Telangana, thousands of crores of rupees have been spent to build massive reservoirs which fail to prevent farmers’ suicides. Experts point out that the severe flood and droughts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra may be due to the disappearance of lakes and ponds. Droughts and floods can be attributed to poor water source management-- both geogenic as well as anthropogenic sources; mindless construction of dams and barrages ultimately kill rivers.

The Union Government’s Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide drinking water at an affordable cost to each rural household by 2024. Over the years, the cost of pure drinking water has skyrocketed. A family has to spend an average of Rs 15,000 to install a water purifier and pay Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 per year to change the water purifying cylinders. Only a minuscule percentage of the population can afford to spend on water purifiers. There is a mushrooming of drinking water industries; the majority of which supply impure water.

The Union Government’s Jal Jeevan mission will be possible if all state governments prevent water source pollution and protect water bodies since water is a state subject. Recently, Uttarakhand High Court has given living entity status to the river Ganga and the Yamuna. Similar status should be given to all rivers and lakes across the country.

The Central Water Commission states that we need a maximum of 3,000 billion cubic meters of water a year. What India receives is 1,000 billion cubic meters in excess. Only 8% of this water is captured, with the rest of the water being runoff. Instead of spending money on mega reservoirs, the nation should revive the existing rivers, lakes and ponds first to save the rainwater. During the rainy season, the water from hills flows down at a rapid pace; it not only goes to the sea but it carries excess soil and builders from the hill slopes. There is a need for a strong law to protect water bodies across the country. Close monitoring of water bodies through satellite imagery is the need of the hour. Besides, forestation, proper management of water sources, a dedicated census of water bodies and public awareness campaigns will let surface water last longer.