Tag: rain water

Rainwater harvesting a lifeline for 900 families

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Photo Courtesy : The Hindu

UDAIPUR: Capturing rainwater is the most sustainable solution to deal with water scarcity in Rajasthan and specially when the technique is the traditional wisdom of the desert state.
According to Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), out of 243 blocks in Rajasthan, 196 fall in the critical zone. This means that in these regions, the annual withdrawal of water from underground is more than what falls as rain. There is growing imbalance between demand and supply of water in the state.

As per international standards, availability of water below 500 cubic meter is considered as absolute water scarcity. The annual per capita availability of water in the state is expected to go down to 439 m3 by 2050 which was 840 m3 in 2001 and against the national average of 1,140 m3 by 2050. Wells for India, (WI) a UK-based NGO which have been working for three decades for the water cause, has helped people to deal with water scarcity through rainwater capturing techniques. WI with its partner GRAVIS, another NGO helped construction and repair of 895 taankas in Pabupura cluster in the Phalodi block of Jodhpur district which has ensured water security to 900 families. These Taankas have of 21,000 litre capacity.

Now 900 families have water source at their doorstep for a period varying from 9 to 12 months. “The intervention has helped women in saving time, money and labour. Their working hours have reduced from 18 to 15 hours and now they can relax for around nine hours a day as compared six hours in the past. The increased water availability for a longer duration has reduced physical workload, mental stress and health related problems of women,” says OP Sharma, country director, WI.

Photo Courtesy : engineering and architecture

Tanka beneficiaries started to take bath and wash clothes more frequently. The water use in washing clothes and taking bath has increased by more than 4 times, whereas the water used by animals has increased by 2.5 times. Moreover, daily cleaning of utensils and water storage pots has substantially increased. Above 70% of the tanka families have started using alum/chlorine tablets to purify their drinking water, whereas more than 80% of the families have started using ladle to take water from the pot. Last but not least, expenditure incurred on water for drinking and domestic purpose including the water for animals reduced from 2 to 3 times.

Similarly in Hilly regions of Bhinder block of Udaipur seen the significant impacton increase in irrigated area on account of mainly ground water / well rechargedue to construction of small water harvesting works such as loose stone checkdams, masonry dams etc. Prior to construction of these structures the totalirrigated area under the command of these 39 existing wells (i.e in 2004) was only 23 hectare, which has now been (up to Rabi 2016 ) increased to 80 hectare. Irrigated area is showing the significant impact of these small water harvesting works on increasing the availability of water.

NeeRain is proud to republish this blog to spread awareness about the situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This blog is published by:

Times Of India

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Author : Times Of India

Published On : 22 Mar, 2017

A world without water: Scary future lies ahead

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We are living in water-stressed times; there are water-haves and a rising tide of water have-nots.

Photo Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle

In his 2015 sci-fi thriller, The Water Knife, set in Phoenix, Arizona, sometimein the near, dystopian future, novelist Paolo aacigalupi talks about placesthat are catastrophically water-starved, where suburbs have morphed intoghost towns and where people are fleeing drought. A riveting character in the book called Angel is a “water knife”, tasked to infiltrate and sabotage the water supplies of competing states.

I read excerpts of the book. It is racy, graphic, and terrifying, and not in the realm of the implausible anymore. We are living in water-stressed times; there are water-haves and a rising tide of water have-nots. A friend who lives in Gurgaon recently tweeted that in upscale condominiums in his city, there is free, unmetered, unlimited water for residents and one can actually leave a tap running and go off for a week with no charge and minimal consequences.

Meanwhile, the residents of Chennai, India’s sixth largest city, are livingthrough horrific times, though it rained a little earlier this week. Chennai has basically almost run out of water. The city is almost entirely dependent on the northeast monsoon, which starts in October. Last year, it received very little rainfall. Even thousands of kilometers away from Chennai, it is hard to insulate oneself against its troubles. All the four reservoirs that supply Chennai its water are running dry this summer because of scant rainfall in 2018.

Chennai’s water crisis is front-page news; friends’ Facebook posts describe in grim detail what is it is like to go without enough water day after day. There are images and video clips of long queues of people around water tankers in searing heat; there have been reports of scuffles over water. Many of Chennai’s hotels are rationing water for guests, and some private companies have reportedly asked their staff to work from home.

This week, the state government has announced that a train will bring water to Chennai from Jolarpettai in Vellore district, more than 200 km, away at a huge cost. The Opposition DMK leadership is against the idea. In short, more troubles lie ahead.

Chennai makes the headlines because it is a metropolitan city. But it is by no means the only place suffering acute water stress. Nearly half the country is grappling with drought-like conditions, and this has been particularly bad this year in western and southern India because of the below-average rainfall.

The question that interests me most about Chennai is how did it get to this sorry state? Tamil Nadu was perhaps the first state in India to make rainwater harvesting (RWH) mandatory for all buildings in 2003. Chennai has more than eight lakh RWH structures. So why are so many people in that city facing such an acute water shortage?

There hangs a tale which explains just about every mess that you see in nurban India. A building with a rainwater harvesting system on paper does not mean it actually works. A bit like the existence of a toilet does not mean it is used.

It will not work if it is not maintained properly. Friends in Chennai tell me there is huge apathy among a lot of people towards maintaining these structures. The water crisis had never been this acute. Many of the rainwater harvesting structures in Chennai are also inefficient.

If Chennai and so many other cities are facing a water crisis today, one bigreason is that neither policymakers nor many people living in these places truly realise the horrors of running out of water. If it starts raining anytime soon, people will forget their recent sufferings. That’s why the inefficiencies in the water sector remain, and rainwater storage and reuse and treatment of greywater are not given the importance that they deserve.

Here is one scandalous statistic about water losses. Lack of proper maintenance of infrastructure causes losses of almost 40 per cent of piped water in urban India.

Photo Courtesy : Quizlet

Chennai is currently in the news, but the big picture regarding water in India is grim. The Niti Aayog, the government’s think tank, acknowledges that nearly 600 million people in the country face high-to extreme water stress. There is a deepening national groundwater crisis, with 54 per cent of wells declining in level due to unsustainable withdrawals for irrigation.

The Narendra Modi government’s new Jal Shakti (water) ministry has announced a grand plan to provide piped water connections to every household in India by 2024. But the key question remains — what will happen if there is no water to give?

What will it take to realise that time is running out and we have to also wake up to simple ideas about conserving water. India captures only eight per cent of its annual rainfall. This is among the lowest in the world. Our ancestors used to capture far more. But those traditional methods have been neglected to the point where most are in ruins. We also don’t use our wastewater well.

There is much talk about security. It is time to realise that water is a security issue. Millions of Indians are not water-secure. Fights are breaking out over water. In Madhya Pradesh, the state government has reportedly asked the police in all its 52 districts to guard water sources. An existential threat hovers over many prosperous pockets of India. A drought is a huge part of the problem. The situation is getting steadily worse with unregulated extraction of groundwater, which is depleting underground aquifers. Take Bengaluru. Whoever has money drills a borewell to tap groundwater in the newer suburban areas where tech companies are clustered in the city.

A few years ago, I remember meeting a young hip technocrat who told me that “l fear the day when I will have soap all over my face and there is not a drop of water coming out of the tap”.

But I also saw a fascinating initiative called the Participatory Aquifer Mapping Project, which sought to involve Bengaluru’s residents in sharing information about borewells in their communities so that the city’s policymakers could learn what was happening underground and begin to craft a suitable response.

Today, in this country, demand for water vastly outstrips supply; the situation can deteriorate sharply unless we realise that this is an emergency and we must treat water as a precious resource and everyone must work towards conserving it.

The future could well resemble dystopian fiction.

NeeRain is proud to republish this blog to spread awareness about the situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This blog is published by:

Deccan Chronicle

We would like to spread this for the benefit of fellow Indians.

Author : Patralekha Chatterjee

Published On: 28, June, 2019

Five environmental entrepreneurs making money sustainably

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An underlying theme of sustainable businesses is innovation – through either a product, service or a combination of both. Here are five environmental entrepreneurs saving the environment and promoting sustainability through their startups.

Photo Courtesy : 30 Stades

Many entrepreneurs today are setting up sustainable businesses that solve environmental problems and still make money because that’s the only way to keep any enterprise going.

An underlying theme of sustainable businesses is innovation – through either a product or a service or a combination of both. Environmental entrepreneurs solve the pressing problem of saving the environment and aiding ecological balance.

Here are five entrepreneurs who are contributing immensely to the cause of the environment through their unique products:

1. Nitin Sharma, Go Waterless, Pune

Water scarcity left Nitin’s family car wash business high and dry in 2016. After the problem continued well into 2017, Nitin began to research products that could wash cars without water.

Finally, in 2019, he developed eco-friendly high-lubricity sprays that clean car interiors and exteriors without water. Go Waterless has been profitable since its inception in 2019 and is present in 22 states.

More importantly, it is saving 12 lakh liters of water daily and earning Rs 2.5 crore in annual revenues.

2. Ashvin Patil and Chaitanya Korgaonkar, Biofuels Junction, Mumbai

Ashvin is an MBA and engineer who quit his job as an equity market analyst to set up Biofuels with his friend Chaitanya.

The duo started Biofuels in 2018 with the dual aim of solving farmers’ problem of agri waste disposal and providing clean fuel to enterprises. Most farmers, after harvest, burn residues like rice stubble, cotton stalks, and coconut husks, causing pollution.

Biofuels procures agri waste from farmers and it is then processed into solid biofuels at the nearest manufacturing facility in the startup’s network. The company’s field staff monitors the quality and consistency of biofuels, which replace coal, diesel and furnace oil at industrial plants, reducing the burden on non-renewable resources.

The sustainable startup works with 25,000 farmers and over 100 top companies. In just four years of launch, it is clocking Rs67 crore in annual revenues.

3. Amit Doshi, NeeRain, Ahmedabad

When Amit Doshi was in class four, he and his brother would accompany their mother to fill water from a tap near their house in Kalol, about 35km from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The area’s borewells had dried up and the municipality supplied water every three days.

Growing up with water scarcity instilled in Amit a sense of purpose – to save every drop of water. One way to do it was through rainwater harvesting by collecting and storing rainwater that runs off from rooftops, roads, grounds, etc.

After a year of research and development, he designed an instrument to help people collect rainwater, which could be used to recharge borewells or stored, and named it NeeRain Rainwater Filter. This small filter unit with dimensions of 1x1x1.5 feet uses an engineering material called ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), and it was patented in 2018. Amit’s startup earns Rs 2 crore in revenues annually and is growing rapidly.

4. Vinayakumar Balakrishnan: Thooshan, Kochi

Having spent a large part of his life working in leadership roles in the banking and insurance sector, Vinayakumar decided to return from Dubai to India in 2013 and began research on food waste that could be used to make biodegradable plates.

He approached the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)’s National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) in Thiruvananthapuram and funded the research on making biodegradable food plates from rice bran. Once the technology was in place, he set up a fully integrated robotic plant in Kochi to make biodegradable cutlery and Thooshan went live in 2021.

According to estimates, producing just one pound of plastic cutlery can take up to 78 liters of water and release 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg) of carbon dioxide. This plastic is difficult to recycle and ends up choking animals and polluting water bodies and soil.

Thooshan cutlery can be decomposed into organic manure or can be used as cattle feed, fish feed, or poultry feed. The startup is sustainable and environment-friendly.

5. Bhavini Parikh, Bunko Junko, Mumbai

In 2016, while working on her garment manufacturing business, Bhavini came across research that textile waste is the third largest source of municipal solid waste in India. With landfills having a limited capacity to take on the load, she decided to minimize fabric waste at her level.

“I realized I was also hurting the environment by being part of the fashion industry. So I thought of up-cycling fabric scraps produced in my garment manufacturing unit,” she says.

Today, her ethical fashion brand Bunko Junko turns textile scrap into stylish clothing, home furnishings, and accessories. Since 2018, it has saved 38 tonnes of fabric from going to landfills and empowered thousands of women. And her profitable operations clock Rs. 40 lakh in revenues annually.

Neerain is proud to republish this blog to spread awareness about the situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This blog is published by: 30 Stades

We would like to spread this for the benefit of fellow Indians.

Author: Partho Burman and Bilal Khan

Published On: 29 Dec 2023

 

India’s clock is ticking: Water Crisis

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Photo courtesy:Deposit

With 139 crore population, water scarcity in India is on the rise. More than 50% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water and about 2,00,000 people die every year due to either water scarcity or because of diseases caused due to drinking unhygienic water. India is currently facing the biggest water crisis. As of June 2019, 65% of the country’s reservoirs were running dry.

In India, more than 600 million people are facing acute water scarcity. About three-quarter of households do not have a drinking water facility. Currently, India ranks 120th among 122 countries in the water quality index. By 2030, India’s water demand is expected to be double that of supply that implies not only water scarcity in India for numerous people but also a loss of around 6 per cent to GDP. This underscores the need for strategic interventions to promote water use efficiency, both at the micro and macro level.

You may not know it, or feel it yet, but every aspect of our society and economy is impacted by this worsening situation. In fact, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) described it as “the worst water crisis” in India’s history.

Photo courtesy:Istock

Many rural communities who are situated on the outskirts of urban sprawl also have little choice but to drill wells to access groundwater sources due to water scarcity in India. However, any water system adds to the overall depletion of water. There is no easy answer for water scarcity in India which must tap into water sources for food and human sustenance, but India’s overall water availability is running dry.

India needs solutions now. Children in 100 million homes in the country lack water and one out of every two children are malnourished. Environmental justice needs to be restored to India so that families can raise their children with dignity, and providing water to communities is one such way to best ensure that chance.

Neerain is proud to republish this article for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This article is published by:

GO Waterless

We would like to spread this for the benefit of fellow Indians.

Author:   NITIN SHARAM

Published On:  17/03/2021

10 things you need to know about the water crisis in India

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India is experiencing its worst ever water crisis. How did we get here?

News stories on India’s water crisis start peaking just as summer sets in. Images of wells and taps running dry, conflicts on drinking water, tankers being mobbed, parched earth, and failed crops dominate our news cycle. What’s missing in mainstream reporting is a comprehensive and informed understanding of what makes India’s water footprint both unique and challenging.

What underlies India’s insatiable thirst for water?

  1. India has a serious water problem

The 2030 Water Resources Group estimates that if we continue to consume water as per the current rate, India will have only half the water it needs by 2030—a flashpoint that’s only ten years away.

  1. Nearly 80 percent of India’s freshwater is used in agriculture

This is an unusually large water footprint for agriculture. China and South Africa use approximately 64 percent and 62 percent of their renewable freshwater resources for agriculture.

Photo courtesy: Flickr

Groundwater accounts for 90 percent of the drinking water requirements in rural India and nearly 50 percent in urban areas.

  1. Over half of India’s cultivated land is under water-intensive crops

Fifty-four percent of India’s 141.4 million hectares of cultivable land is under water-intensive crops—rice, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton. Farmers are incentivised to grow water-intensive crops as they are eligible for the government’s minimum support price (MSP), which protects them from the risk of fluctuating prices.

  1. India uses at least twice the amount of water to grow one unit of food versus comparable countries

For instance, for every 1000 litres of water, China produces 0.46 kilograms of rice and 1.08 kilograms of cereal. For that amount of water, India produces only 0.23 kilograms of rice and 0.36 kilograms of cereal.

  1. India’s farmers rely mainly on tube wells to extract groundwater for their crops

Despite India’s large dams and canal systems, groundwater accounts for 63 percent of water used for irrigation by farmers; canals account for only 26 percent.

  1. Conservative estimates suggest that India has over 30 million borewells today

Until 1960, Indian farmers accessed a few tens of thousands of mechanical pumps using diesel or electricity to pump water. As of 2009, for every four cultivator households, one owned a tube well and two purchased groundwater from tube well owners. A combination of incentives (such as MSP for water-intensive crops) and subsidies (such as free electricity) have encouraged large-scale extraction of groundwater.

  1. India draws nearly 25 percent of the world’s groundwater

That’s more groundwater than China and the United States combined. India withdraws two times the amount of groundwater compared to China, despite having a similar population size.

Photo courtesy: Indiamart

  1. Sixty percent of India’s districts have been declared critical on groundwater

This means that they either have scarce supply or poor quality of groundwater, or both. This has put 70 percent of rural households who depend on agriculture for their livelihood at risk.

  1. India’s depleting groundwater reserves also impact our drinking water

Groundwater accounts for 90 percent of the drinking water requirements in rural India and nearly 50 percent in urban areas. Excessive extraction has caused contamination. As a result, India is ranked 120 out of 122 countries in the global water quality index.

  1. The country’s water crisis has a significant economic cost

A NITI Aayog report suggests that severe water scarcity will eventually lead to a 6 percent loss in the country’s GDP.

For too long, we’ve taken a supply lens to address issues related to water, within a development paradigm that has focused on building infrastructure, such as dams, canals, minor irrigation structures, and now water pipes. India’s water story starts and ends in her farms. What India needs now is a movement to help her farmers use water judiciously for every unit of food that they grow. This holds the key to a water-secure future for the country and an end to stories of distress that mark each summer.

Neerain is proud to republish this article for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

Publish On:  IDR
Author: Arpit Jain & Reshma Anand
Published On: March 21, 2020

The water of 37 out of 38 districts of Bihar is not fit for drinking, the government admitted.

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Earlier in Bihar, arsenic, fluoride and iron were confirmed in groundwater in 28 districts, but now the Deputy Chief Minister admitted that the water in 37 districts was no longer fit for drinking.

In Dhamdaha village of Purnia district of Bihar, yellowness is visible near the hand pump due to excess of iron. Whereas this hand pump has been installed by the government to provide iron free water. Photo: Pushya Mitra

Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi has informed in one of his speeches that the water of 37 out of 38 districts of Bihar is not fit for drinking. These include contamination with fluoride, arsenic and iron. Despite all the efforts of the government, supply of quality drinking water in 31 thousand wards of the state still remains a challenge. He was addressing the 52nd annual conference of the Indian Water Works Association in the auditorium of NIT Patna on Sunday. This admission of Deputy Chief Minister Modi shows that a large population of the state is still in serious danger due to consuming infected drinking water. With this, the scope of infection has increased, because till just a few years ago only 28 districts of the state were under the scope of drinking water contamination.

Earlier there was infection in 28 districts

However, information is still available on the site of the state Public Health Engineering Department based on the 2009 groundwater quality status report only. Information has been given there that 13 districts of the state are affected by excess of arsenic, 11 fluoride and 9 iron. In some of these districts, there are two types of infections, thus the number of groundwater infected districts is said to be 28. Similarly, there is information about iron contamination in the water of 18673 tolas, fluoride contamination in the water of 4157 tolas and arsenic contamination in the water of 1590 tolas. In this way, groundwater of a total of 24,420 hamlets is reported to be infected.

According to the 2009 report, all the districts situated on the banks of Ganga in the state are under the influence of arsenic contamination. All the districts of South Bihar are fluoride infected and nine districts of East Bihar are at risk of iron infection. Some districts of North-West Bihar were till now said to be free from groundwater contamination. But according to new information, they too may have been infected with iron or arsenic. Yesterday the Deputy Chief Minister informed about the contamination of water in 31 thousand wards of 37 districts of the state.

Infection increased in 6,580 hamlets of nine districts

If this information is considered correct, then in the last ten years the infection has spread in the groundwater of 9 districts and 6,580 hamlets. Continuous efforts were made to get information in this regard from the department officials, but they were not available. According to a report available on the department’s site, the target is to provide pure drinking water in these tolas by March 2020. But how much this can be achieved remains to be seen.

Risk of cancer, fluorosis and gas related diseases

The number of cancer patients is continuously increasing in Bihar due to arsenic contamination in groundwater. It is believed that one in every ten thousand people in an arsenic contaminated area is at risk of becoming a victim of cancer. The number of gall bladder cancer patients has increased rapidly in the last few years in Bihar, and arsenic is being considered a major reason behind this. Last year, a joint research by India and UK revealed that wheat grown in arsenic contaminated areas also poses a risk of cancer.

Similarly, fluorosis patients are seen in abundance in many fluoride infected villages of South Bihar. Their bones start becoming crooked. Gas and related diseases are prevalent in iron infected areas.

Neerain is proud to republish this article for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This article is published by: –

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/hindistory/water/ground-water/37-out-of-38-districts-of-bihar-s-water-is-not-drinkable-government-admitted-68775

 

Author:  Pushya Mitra

Publish On: 13 January 2020

Pune’s Water Crisis: Legal Notices Issued To PMC, PCMCPMRDA; Petitioners Threaten Contempt Petition In High Court

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The bench had gone into the details of the PIL and took note of the grave situation of water scarcity stated in the PIL in context to the urban areas of Pune district. The Bombay high court had taken note of the above information and had directed that a special committee be constituted separately for PMC and PCMC. And such committees shall attend to the complaints of the residents regarding water scarcity. The PMRDA was also directed to address the water problems faced by the residents coming under their jurisdiction.

Pune, 23rd November 2023: the PIL 126/2023 regarding water problem faced by the residents of urban areas of Pune district was last heard by the division bench headed by acting chief justice SV GANGAPURWALA and justice Sandeep Marne at Bombay high court on 10.04.2023.

The committee is to consist of 1) municipal commissioner 2) divisional commissioner 3) chief city engineer 4) member, secretary, district legal services authority. The committee therefore is to consist of people who are involved in the redressal of the water problem faced by the residents of the affected areas.

Where is the special committee? – citizens ask! Contempt of court petition to be filed.

Satya muley – advocate Bombay high court, stated that a notice was sent to the PMC, PCMC and PMRDA in the month of June 2023 requesting for information about formation of such a special committee. However, none of them responded by giving any information about the formation of the committee. Therefore, it is apparent that PMC, PCMC and PMRDA have not formed any such special committee. Therefore, a fresh legal notice has been issued on 22.11.2023 to PMC, PCMC and PMRDA. If we do not receive the information about formation of the special committee, then a contempt of court petition will be filed against all the respective office bearers who are supposed to be the members of the proposed committee.

PMC, PCMC & PMRDA not serious about water problems of the citizens.

In a similar PIL during 2016-17 the Bombay high court had directed the PMC to form a special committee to attend to the complaints of the residents regarding the water scarcity problem. Adv. Satya muley points PMC had formed such a committee in the past, but the committee met only for 4 times during 2017 and 2018, and very surprisingly was dissolved stating the reason that there was no water scarcity problem. He also pointed out that had such a committee been functional, today the grave situation of water scarcity would not have arisen in urban areas of Pune district. Earlier during the hearing of November 29, 2022, and December 15, 2022, the Bombay high court had expressed serious concerns about the issue and also had warned for imposing fine on the respondents for their slow response.

Water scarcity-current scenario

Several housing societies across Pune district are facing severe water shortages and spend huge amounts for purchase of water from private water tanker operators. Each and every neigh Bourhood of urban area of Pune district coming under PMC, PCMC and PMRDA are facing acute water shortage of drinking and domestic use water. As per ministry of housing and urban affairs, 135 Litres per capita per day (LPCD) has been suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply. The situation is so bad that in several areas of Pune residents are not getting even 20 litres of water supply per head per day. Baner- Balewadi, Wagholi, Hinjawadi, Bavdhan, Pashan, Pimpri Chinchwad, Wakad, Mudhwa and many regions of Pune district are facing severe water crunch, and the urban areas are now under the strong grip of private water tanker mafia. As per one estimate the housing societies in Pune district are spending over 300 to 400 crores per month to purchase daily need water from private water tanker operators. Does this figure provide the reason behind the artificial water scarcity in Pune district? People are forced to spend money for water in urban areas of Pune district.

STOP GIVING PERMISSIONS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTIONS

Speaking on behalf of the petitioners, adv Satya muley said, “water is a basic necessity of life, and the current state of water supply situation in urban areas of entire Pune district is pathetic. The PMC, PCMCPMRDA and the Pune Zilla parishad should stop giving permissions for new constructions if they are not able to provide water to the existing residents of Pune district. When a problem is existing and known, then in such a case these authorities do not have right to make the problem bigger. Before giving any fresh permission to any new construction, these authorities must attack and solve the water Scarcity problem on war footing. People are losing their patience if the special committee does not start functioning in next couple of weeks, a contempt petition to prosecute all the authorities shall be filed at Bombay high court. Supply of fresh potable water is a constitutional responsibility of all the local bodies under article 243w of the constitution of India and under the s 63 (20) of Maharashtra municipal corporations act. Article 21 of the constitution of India guarantees right to life, and water means life!”

Heavy dependence on ground water

Pune’s heavy dependence on groundwater proves particularly problematic during Maharashtra’s recurrent seasonal droughts. Groundwater serves as a lifeline for lakhs of citizens during these dry spells. However, local authorities have failed to incorporate this essential basic necessity into their planning frameworks, leading to groundwater depletion and the drying up of most wells and borewells post-monsoon.

The ministry of Jal shakti’s guidelines for urban water conservation outlines measures for cities to:

  • increase rainwater harvesting
  • reuse treated grey water and sewage water
  • Rejuvenate urban water bodies, including step wells, ponds, and lakes.

Regrettably, the only noticeable activity is the rampant construction of new buildings, further increasing the Pune district’s population which will create severe water scarcity. The petitioners hope that the high court directed committees be constituted without delay and that they undertake public hearings where citizens can voice their grievances related to water scarcity. The petitioners expect that the committees take requisite steps to ensure that the citizens are provisioned and supplied their rightful water quota.

“we don’t get corporation supply and our dependence is on private water tankers. We don’t understand how building permissions are given without making basic water supply available”, said Tushar Sarode, resident of sus.

“since 2013 our residential buildings do not get a single drop of water from gram panchayat, zilla parishad or PMRDA. We spend lakhs every month to buy private water tankers, till today green olive apartments must have paid crores to local tanker suppliers. What is shocking is that nobody is bothered in the entire government to solve our problems in spite of more than 10 follow up to each authority every year”, added Amrut Khodke, chairman of green olive apartment Hinjawadi.

The petitioners who issued the legal notice and were the original petitioners in the PIL: wagholi housing societies association, Pune district co-operative housing societies and apartments federation, Akhil Bharatiya Grahak panchayat, Pimpri Chinchwad co-operative housing welfare societies federation ltd., Baner – Pashan link road welfare trust, Balewadi residency co-operative housing welfare federation ltd., dear society welfare association, Bavdhan citizens forum, Hinjawadi employees and residents trust, Aundh Vikas Mandal, and association of Nagar road citizens forum noting the outcry in the residents of all urban areas of Pune district due to water scarcity had filed the water PIL at Bombay high court through Satya muley – advocate the supreme court of India and the Bombay high court.

The following parties were made respondents in the water PIL: 1) union of India, department of water resources 2) central ground water board 3) state of Maharashtra – water resources department 4) Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran 5) Maharashtra water resources regulatory authority 6) Pune municipal corporation 7) Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation 8) Pune metropolitan region development authority 9) Zila parishad Pune PIL 126/2022 Satya muley advocate the supreme court & the Bombay high court

Neerain is proud to republish this blog for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stake holders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

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https://www.punekarnews.in/punes-water-crisis-petitioners-threaten-contempt-petition-as-pmc-pcmc-pmrda-stay-silent/

Published on: 23rd November 2023

42 to 79 percent of the world’s groundwater sources will be exhausted by 2050, scientists claim

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In a new study, researchers found that about 20 percent of river basins have already reached their limit, where groundwater extraction from the ground exceeds that of the stream.

Photo: Ankur Paliwal

Groundwater is the most commonly used source of fresh water throughout the world. According to statistics  , about 200 crore people globally today depend on it for their daily needs and irrigation. According to estimates, 20 percent of the world’s population depends on crops irrigated by groundwater. The pressure on these reserves, which are already under pressure to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population and the continuous increase in crop production, is increasing.

Due to the rapid and uncontrolled way in which we are exploiting groundwater, these groundwater sources are depleting rapidly. On the other hand, these groundwater sources are not being recharged by rain and rivers. Analysis of satellite data obtained by NASA has revealed that the water level of 13 of the world’s 37 major groundwater sources has reached the danger mark. The rate of recharge of groundwater there is much less than the rate of its exploitation. The problem of falling groundwater level is becoming more serious in areas where intensive agriculture is done. Also, due to this, the pressure on rivers to supply water to the agricultural sector is increasing day by day. Assessments show that by 2050, its widespread and serious impacts on rivers, lakes and wetlands around the world will become apparent.

To understand this, an international team of researchers has attempted to measure the rate at which existing groundwater is being mixed into rivers and lakes. Which is called flow of current. He has also studied how the exploitation of groundwater for agriculture has affected this process. The researchers found that about 20 percent of river basins have already reached their limit, where groundwater extraction from the ground exceeds that of the stream. This  study  has been published in the international journal Nature.

Scientists have also used climate change models to predict how river flows will decrease in the future. In which they found that 42 to 79 percent of the world’s groundwater sources will be exhausted by 2050. Due to which they will be unable to maintain their ecosystem. Inge de Graaf, chair of environmental and hydrological systems at the University of Freiburg in Germany, explained what devastating effects this could have in the future.

According to the graph, it is very clear that if there is no water in the stream then definitely the plants and animals living there will die. Also, more than half of the crops which depend on groundwater for irrigation will also be destroyed. According to this latest study published in Nature,  in the valleys of Ganga, Indus and Mexico, where dependence on groundwater for crop production is high, river flow is decreasing due to uncontrolled exploitation and as Africa and Southern Europe The demand for groundwater is increasing in the areas where the impact of serious water crisis will be visible in the coming few years.

The situation is serious in India also

Globally, groundwater is exploited the most in India, where 230 cubic kilometers of groundwater is used every year, which is about a quarter of the global use of groundwater. Scientists have estimated  that in North India, which is the main wheat and rice producing region of the country, groundwater is depleting at the rate of 5,400 crore cubic meters per year. A report released by NITI Aayog  had also expressed concern over the continuously decreasing groundwater level. According to him, by the year 2030, the decline in groundwater in the country will take the form of the biggest crisis. By 2020, groundwater in 21 cities including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad will be on the verge of depletion.

It is noteworthy that to deal with the groundwater crisis, the Modi government had proposed ‘Atal Groundwater Scheme’ in March 2018. Which was to be implemented with the help of the World Bank in a five-year period from 2018-19 to 2022-23. Its goal was to ensure proper and sustainable management of groundwater with everyone’s participation in the seven states of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which are facing serious groundwater crisis. But due to lack of Cabinet approval, this scheme has been stuck for the last one and a half years.

How can there be a solution?

Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had warned in one of its assessments that by 2050 the global population will cross 1,000 crore. It also explained how the threat of global warming can be tackled through proper water management in the agricultural sector. De Graaf noted that many places in the world have achieved success in limiting groundwater use through agricultural techniques, such as in parts of the Mekong Delta in Southeast Asia where water-intensive rice crops were grown as a pilot project. Coconut is being cultivated in place of sugarcane crops.

If we do not wake up today, our future generations will have to face such a groundwater crisis, the effects of which will be no less than a time bomb. Because of the uncontrolled way in which we are exploiting this resource, and due to this the pressure on groundwater sources is increasing. The consequences would be dire as it would take decades to refill these underground water systems.

Neerain is proud to republish this article for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This article is published by: –

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/hindistory/water/ground-water/new-study-on-ground-water-resources-67092

 

Author:  Lalit Maurya

Publish On: 04 October 2019

 

Solution to water crisis: This village set an example, opposing borewell

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The villagers surprised the government and administration by refusing to get a borewell constructed in their village.

Villagers digging wells in Kedia village of Jamui district of Bihar. Photo: Pushyamitra

Pushyamitra

There is a festive atmosphere these days in Kedia village of Jamui district of Bihar. Digging of wells is going on in full swing. 16 wells are to be dug in this only organic village of Bihar. Till now two wells have been completely ready, excavation of the remaining wells is going on. The villagers acquired these wells by fighting with the government. The government wanted to provide them the facility of two state borings, but they said that they only want wells. The underground water level will fall due to boring, some people will get immediate benefit from this, the rest will be deprived. The Bihar government had to bow down to the insistence of the villagers and give permission for the digging of sixteen wells in this village.

Anandi Yadav, a farmer of the village, says, it all started three years ago when Sudhir Kumar, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department, came to visit the village. By that time the village had completely adopted organic farming and the Principal Secretary was very happy about this. He had said at that time that when you people are doing so much work then why not give you two state borings for irrigation from the government. But the Principal Secretary was surprised when the people of the village unanimously opposed the state boring and said that if we have to give something then we should give the wells.

After this, a survey of the farmers of the village was conducted and most of the farmers agreed in favor of wells, however, during the survey, some farmers said yes to state boring and the district administration, considering the opinion of those farmers, is preparing to install state boring in Kedia village. Started doing. When the villagers came to know about this, they opposed this plan and gave a written application to the district administration and the state agriculture department that a well should be dug in the village and not a state boring.

After this, when State Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar also came to this village, people told him this. However, even after this the work was not done easily. He had to keep requesting the state government and the district administration. Only then was approval given for 16 wells for the village.

Photo courtesy: villagesquare.in

Today, when wells are being dug in the village, the villagers are very happy. Farmer Sumant Kumar says that ever since organic farming has started in the village, our attitude towards farming has changed. By forming an organization called Jeevit Mati Kisan Samiti, we continuously do new experiments in farming so that the quality of the soil is preserved and our farming can become sustainable. He says that the most interesting thing is that Jamui is considered a water stressed area in Bihar and the water level here is the lowest. But when we are digging wells, water is coming out only at a depth of 17 to 22 feet. We are finding it difficult to collect water.

On Thursday, June 13, State Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar is going to reach Kedia village to lay the foundation stone of these wells. Interestingly, the farmers of the village have also donated 80 decimal land to the state government for these wells at the rate of 5 decimal land per well.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, associated with the organic farming campaign, says that for water conservation, it is very important to conserve soil and increase the amount of organic carbon in it. In this respect, this experiment has its own importance and it is expected that farmers across the state will adopt it. This will help in better conservation of soil and water.

Eklavya Prasad, who is engaged in developing water self-reliance in Bihar through the Megh Pine campaign, says that the way the farmer community has been accepted in Kedia is a big achievement in itself, because the well is the ideal of irrigation with self-management and regulation. The means are there, if anything happens to the well tomorrow, the farmers will not depend on anyone, they can repair it themselves. Under this pretext, the good thinking of the farmers there is also coming to the fore. If the government is digging 16 wells instead of 3-4, then it is also an initiative to promote decentralization, in this respect this decision of the government is also excellent. If water is available there at 17 to 22 feet, then obviously we need to think again about the wells and adopt it. This is positive news not just for Kedia but for entire Bihar. If this campaign is carried forward in a concrete manner then its results will be excellent.

Sanjay Kumar, Deputy Director, Planning and Soil Conservation, State Agriculture Department, calls this experiment very important and says that even though today farmers have to do irrigation through boring, sooner or later the farmers of the state will adopt this model.

Neerain is proud to republish this blog for spreading awareness about situation of water, for our stake holders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This blog is published by: –

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/hindistory/water/ground-water/maximum-depth-to-water-level-of-134-mbgl-is-observed-in-bikaner-district-of-rajasthan-65970

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Publish On: 11 June 2019

 

 

Water reserves are decreasing in north-west India, central Pakistan and north-west America.

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Among the users of groundwater, America is in the list with 31 percent of the worldwide total, while India is at 15 and Pakistan is at 13 percent.

Photo courtesy: down to earth

Water reserves are decreasing rapidly in North-West India, Central Pakistan and North-West America and water storage is also decreasing in the high plains and central valley of America. This matter has come to light in a new study. This study explains the Earth’s supply of fresh water and strategies to manage it sustainably.  

The study led by the University of Texas at Austin  highlights the relationship between surface and groundwater and suggests different strategies for managing both.

“I like to emphasize that there are multiple solutions and how to optimize them is important,” said Bridget Scanlon, a scientist with the UT Bureau of Economic Geology, a research unit in the Jackson School of Geosciences.

The study used data from satellites, climate models, monitoring networks and nearly 200 scientific papers to analyze Earth’s water supply. In this, it has been found out how water is changing in different areas and what are the reasons behind these changes. 

According to the study, people mainly depend on surface water. Globally, it accounts for 75 percent of irrigation and 83 percent of municipal and industrial supply annually. However, what we see on the surface is linked to groundwater flow. In the US, about 50 percent of annual runoff begins as groundwater. Worldwide, surface water that seeps into the ground accounts for about 30 percent of the annual groundwater supply.

Among the users of groundwater, America accounts for 31 percent of the world’s total, while India accounts for 15 percent and Pakistan accounts for 13 percent. Most of the groundwater is used for wheat, maize, rice, sugarcane, cotton and fodder etc.

Anthropogenic interference can significantly affect the exchange of water between surface and groundwater sources. About 85 percent of the groundwater pumped by people in the US is captured by surface water, causing declines in streamflow. Also, irrigation from surface water can increase groundwater recharge as irrigation water seeps back into the ground through the soil.

The study cites several examples of human activity affecting this flow between surface water and groundwater supplies. For example, surface water irrigation in the Columbia Plateau and Snake River Plain of the northwestern US recharged aquifers in the mid-1900s, while global models show that groundwater pumping has increased the amount of water moving into streams by 15 to 21 percent. The percentage has been greatly reduced. Global watersheds are at risk due to low flows.

Despite their interconnectedness, surface water and groundwater are often regulated and managed as separate resources. According to the researchers, future water availability depends on identifying whether surface water and groundwater are at an interface.

Photo courtesy: pinterest

The study describes various methods of managing water through both natural and engineered solutions that can help increase water supply, reduce demand, store water and keep it flowing. According to Scanlon, one of the best ways to adapt to increasing climate extremes is to store water during times of abundance and use it during times of drought.

He said that we  are facing the brunt of drought and are also struggling with floods. We’re trying to manage those extremes and one way to do that is to store water.

Annually, the world stores about 7,000–8,300 cubic kilometers of water in surface reservoirs. The researchers said it was also important to continue to develop groundwater supplies, as they are more resilient than surface aquifers during prolonged drought.

Managed groundwater recharge can help cities increase their groundwater supplies by collecting surface water and converting it into underground aquifers. Around 10,000 cubic kilometers of water is stored in this way every year around the world.

Photo courtesy: wordpress.com

Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, said this type of integrated research linking surface and groundwater is really needed to develop sustainable solutions to issues like freshwater use.

Matthew Rodale, a hydrologist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, said the research provides a useful overview of the results and potential solutions for managing water supplies while maintaining water quality. Water quality is one of the next goals in terms of being able to manage water resources , he said . This study has been published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.

Neerain is proud to republish this blog for spreading awareness about the situation of water, for our stakeholders. Credit whatsoever goes to the Author.

This blog is published by: –

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/hindistory/water/ground-water/how-to-manage-water-resources-around-the-world-study-88412

We would like to spread this for the benefit of fellow Indians.

Author: Dayanidhi

Publish On: March 23, 2023