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Water Challenges in India

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37 views

Water Challenges in India

Uploaded by

crispaj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Water challenges of

India
The World: How Much Water?

1386 million km3

35.03 million km3

Usable water for humans and ecosystems = 200000 km3


Growing crisis
•In 1950, water availability was
very low only in North Africa, and
was average or above average in
the rest of the world.
•In 2001, more than 75% of the
world population has low water
availability.
•In the last hundred years world
population tripled
.. But human use of water
increased six times
•Worldwide, the consumption of
water is doubling every 20 years -
more than twice the rate of
increase in population
India: How much water?
Immediate
Annual precipitation
evaporation – 700 km3
4000 km3

Percolation into soil Surface flows


1431 km3 1869 km3

Utilisable groundwater Utilisable surface flows


399 km3 690 km3

Total available for use


1089 km3 Only one-fourth of rainfall is
Annual rainfall of more than
being used
1000mm: one of the highest in
the world
Water crisis in India: Today
• Drought is becoming more or less permanent. Even in
“good” rainfall years, there is water stress; even after a
flood there is a drought
• Polluted water. Every river, every lake and water body is
used as a receptacle for waste and sewage. Dirty water is
the largest killer of babies.
• Decline in groundwater. Across the country, there is rapid
decline of groundwater, which is the main source of
drinking water for large parts of India
6000
5177 Population (Million)
water availability Cubic meter

4732
5000

Population (million)
Per Capita Water Availability
4000 (Cubic Metres)

3000 2209
1820 1341 1140
2000

1000

0
1951 1955 1991 2001 2025 2050
Year
Water crisis in India: what is coming

Changes in annual number of


rainy days
India: Categorization of Ground Water Assessment
Units
Water crisis in India: what is coming
The already water stressed regions of Western India
will become even more stressed
Incidences of extreme rainfall events will increase
leading to floods.
Increased snow melt will lead to increase in floods
initially and later to drying up of Himalayan rivers.
All this even as demand for water will go up due to
increasing population, urbanisation, industrialisation
and agricultural modernisation
The urban water crisis
• Most cities are water stressed
• Every summer, there are riots,
protests and sometimes killings
• Urban water bodies disappearing
• Is available water safe?
• When rains come, it leads to
flooding

Water supply (no of hours)


Early 1980s Early 1990s Early 2000s
Chennai 10-15 8-10 1.5
Vizag 20-24 10-12 1-4
Hyderabad 15-24 1-5 1-2
Bangalore 20-24 5-10 2-4
The urban water crisis – why?
Growth of million plus cities
• Growing urban population
• Urban water demands are
higher (135 lpcd)
• Growing industrial &
commercial use
• Growing water use leads to
growing water waste (80% of
water supply)
• Increasing pollution
• Reduced recharge of And yet …
groundwater When rains come
• Needs greater investments it is a curse rather
than a blessing
Source of Water & Cost of Water Supplied

City Source Distance Per kl cost

Aizwal Tlwang river 1000 metres down the Rs 53.93


valley

Bangalore Cauvery 95 km from the city Rs 11.26

Chennai Lakes, Groundwater and Veeranam lake. 60 to 245 km Rs 16.19

Delhi Yamuna and groundwater Rs 11.33

Dhandabd Panchet and the Tenughat dams across 25 km Rs 28.99


Damodar dam

Indore Narmada river 70 km Rs 10.96

Jodhpur Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal 240 km Rs 8.73

Mussorrie Spring water Bhilaru, Jinsi, Khandighat, Murray 6 to 7 km down Rs 18.13


rose and Dhobighat

Mumbai Bhatsa, Vihar, Tulsi, Tansa, Upper Vaitarna 100 to 160 km Rs 9.27

Hyderabad Krishna water 116 km Rs 18

Hubli-Dharwad Neersagar and Malaprabha reservoir 20 and 55 km Rs 6.66

Rajkot Narmada water 90 km Rs 8


Urban water paradigm –cause & effect
Supply Treatment Sewerage

Water is imported Raw water quality Supplied water


– pipes, tankers, is very poor turned into polluted
trains water
Costs of
Costs for treatment for Costs of collection
government government and treatment for
government
Cannot meet Cannot meet
the demand the demand Cannot meet
the demand
Indiscriminate High health impacts
groundwater among poor Polluted rivers and
mining within and lakes. Further
Growth of bottled
outside the city reduction of water
water industry
Inefficiencies of water supply and use
• Distribution losses in water supply – up to 50 per cent.
• Increased pollution of source water adds to cost of
treatment.
• Inefficiencies in cost recovery leading poor
maintenance of systems & more inefficiency
• Cannot invest in efficiencies and clean water for all –
rich are served while poor are left out
• Only 20 per cent of the water is used for drinking,
cooking; 80 per cent is used for bathing, washing and
flushing down the toilet
• Literally, water down the drain….80% potable water
ends up as waste-water
What is the answer?
Reinvent
• Borrow water
from themanagement
past
• Rainwater harvesting – tanks,
ponds, rooftop rain harvesting --
to rebuild local water aquifers.
Make water everybody’s business
•India’s water wealth comes from only 100 hours of rain;
river flows are equally seasonal.
•Rain may soon be the only source of clean water
•NEED FOR CAPTURING RAINFALL AND STORING IT
FOR LATER USE
•Huge potential - 1 ha of land X 100 mm of rainfall = 1
million litres of water
The state need not be the sole investor; everyone can
do it – houses, institutions, industries
•India has a rich legacy of rainwater harvesting systems
Principles of rainwater harvesting
• Uses decentralised structures, which
reduce cost and losses of delivery. Aids
local use and local recharge
• Uses diverse technologies – most
appropriate for ecological system
• Uses local communities as managers as
scale is too small for centralised
bureaucracies
• Uses fiscal incentives to promote
rainwater harvesting

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