China and India both have severe mismatches between the availability and demand for water. However, the latter’s water woes stem, not from scarcity, but from inefficient usage and ineffective Government policies
The World Economic Forum’s 10th global risks report, an annual survey of nearly 900 leaders in politics, business, and civic life about the world’s most critical issues, has for the first time, mentioned severe water crisis as the topmost risk that the world stands to face in the coming decade. The report lists inter-state conflict, the failure to adapt to climate change, and chronic unemployment as other additional risks that are likely to occur in the near future.
Interestingly, the WEF global risks report last year, mentioned water crisis and water scarcity at the third position. The rapidity with which the water crisis risk has climbed to the top position in just a year, is alarming, and indicative of the fact that more than nuclear weapons or a global disease pandemic, impairments to water supplies and punishing cycles of flood, drought, and water pollution are now viewed by heads of state, non-profit leaders, and chief executives as the most serious threat to business and society.
Water’s ascent in the risk list also reflects a remarkable shift in the thinking pattern of the global leaders and environmental activists about the growing concern for the diminishing supplies of reliable and clean water and the pressing need for effective management of the available resources. Recognising the increasing role of water to ensure a secure daily life in the near future, many developed nations are taking pro-active steps to connect the science of water with public policy.
The risks associated with the heightened water crisis seems even more likely as rising global temperatures, coupled with climate change, are expected to further cut water availability across the world, from southern Europe to West Asia and North Africa, while the American southwest is going to see increasing number of severe rainstorms. Moreover, the cycle of engulfing rains or deep droughts could slash crop yields 25 per cent by mid-century.
Besides the threat to food production and food security, there is a compelling connection between economic growth and hydrological stability. China and India are both apt examples of how water resources can play a crucial role in ensuring a healthy infrastructure and economic growth, if the vital resource is managed properly.
Home to more than one-third of the world’s population, the two countries have severe mismatches between water availability and water demands. Both nations rely on unsustainable supplies of groundwater in their prime food-growing regions, suffer from polluted rivers, and have hydropower ambitions that can be wrecked in an instant by mother nature.
For instance, as many as 30,000 people were killed and 10 hydropower stations were destroyed in a vicious June 2013 floods in Uttarakhand. In order to recover from this critical situation, India on its part must re-align its natural resource policies, especially pertaining to water and include the future perspective while planning and implementing them.
India has annual renewable water reserves of 1,608 billion cubic meters a year. With such robust back up and having the world’s ninth largest freshwater reserves, India’s water woes are unfortunately not stemming from scarcity but from inefficient usage practices and bureaucratic policies. This has to be remedied on an urgent basis.
The national campaign launched under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clean up the Ganga — a part of Swachch Bharat campaign — is a step in the right direction, coupled with the planned sanitation drive and proposals to set-up scores of setting up of new water treatment plants has made the world sit up and take notice.
In addition, to ensure river health and reduce pollution levels, the Government must also increase water usage efficiency and prevent wastage. This is the path being taken by developed nations such as the US. According to the latest US geological survey report issued in November 2014, the American water usage has dropped by 17 per cent since 2005 thanks to the various policies and best practices adopted by the American Government.
Additionally, the BJP-led NDA Government must limit its reliance on water for generation for hydroelectricity. This can be achieved by ramping up wind and solar power generation capacities besides improving natural gas production facilities.
It is time for India, to start thinking of ‘one water’ and not divide the resource into drinking water, agricultural water, waste water and storm water. This change in attitude will help to manage water as an integral and wholesome resource and to achieve this cutting edge technological innovations such as graphene filters can be used to help purify water on a large scale basis while using much less energy than reverse osmosis. With initiatives such as these India can surely transform water as a national asset and ensure economic growth and stability.