Dr. Arvind Kumar*
Currently most countries are placing unprecedented pressure on water resources. Water, air and birds know no boundaries, so we must know no boundaries in our efforts to address this pressure. It’s all a web, it’s connected, and we have to address it in a comprehensive way. The global population is growing fast, and estimates show that with current practices, the world will face a 40% shortfall between forecast demand and available supply of water by 2030. All of us want water, the moment tap opens but where does this water come from? By 2025, 1.8 billion people are likely to face absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the global population is expected to be grappling with water stress. Furthermore, chronic water scarcity, hydrological uncertainty, and extreme weather events like floods and droughts are perceived as some of the biggest threats to global prosperity and stability.
Water, our planet’s lifeblood, and the ecosystems that store and supply it — rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers — have been consistently undervalued. The total value of water in 2021 was around $58 trillion, or 60% of the global GDP. That figure takes into account all the ways that society benefits from water, from consumption to soil fertility to carbon sequestration in swamps. Along with climate change, the crisis is being fed by unchecked urbanization, rapid population growth, pollution and land development. Water shortfalls already affect everything from food security to biodiversity and in the coming years, they are poised to become more common. Yet every year during peak summer season we have shortage of water. We hanker about tanker mafia, why are they operating unchecked?
Acknowledgment of the role that water scarcity and drought are playing in aggravating fragility and conflict is increasing. Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 will require a 50% increase in agricultural production, (which consumes 70% of the resource today), and a 15% increase in water withdrawals. Besides this increasing demand, the resource is already scarce in many parts of the world. Estimates indicate that over 40% of the world population live in water scarce areas, and approximately ¼ of world’s GDP is exposed to this challenge. By 2040, an estimated one in four children will live in areas with extreme water shortages especially the countries of global South. Water security is a major – and often growing –challenge for many countries today. Countries across the globe will therefore need to be more creative in the way they manage, conserve and secure water sources in the years to come. Using unconventional water sources wisely, and in harmony with nature, will be essential for accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why every peak summer season we face acute water shortage despite sufficient rains?
Why freshwater ecosystems not restored and rejuvenated to get water from source to tap?
The journey from source to tap
The journey of water from source to tap is remarkable, however, as we move forward it is crucial to address challenges and ensure sustainability of our water sources or freshwater ecosystems. About 30 percent of Earth’s fresh water lies deep underground in aquifers. And it’s extracted daily for farming, drinking and industrial processes – often at dangerously unsustainable rates. Nowhere is this more evident than India, which guzzles more groundwater than any other country. 54 percent of India’s groundwater wells are decreasing, meaning that water is used faster than it’s replenished. Unless patterns shift, in 20 years, 60 percent of India’s aquifers will be in critical condition. Having enough water to go around is only the beginning. That water also needs to be transported, treated, and discharged. Around the world, water infrastructure―treatment plants, pipes, and sewer systems―is in a state of disrepair. Gallons of treated water are lost per day from leaky pipes alone. Built infrastructure is notoriously expensive to install and repair, meaning that many localities ignore growing infrastructure issues until disaster strikes.
Healthy ecosystems are “Natural Infrastructure” and vital to clean, plentiful water. They filter pollutants, buffer against floods and storms, and regulate water supply. Plants and trees are essential for replenishing groundwater; without them, rainfall will slide across dry land, instead of seeping into the soil. Loss of vegetation from deforestation, overgrazing and urbanization is limiting our natural infrastructure and the benefits that it provides. Forested watersheds around the world are under threat: watersheds have lost up to 22 percent of their forests in the past 14 years. Globally, water is seriously undervalued. Its price does not reflect the true, total cost of service, from its transport via infrastructure to its treatment and disposal. This has led to misallocation of water, and a lack of investments in infrastructure and new water technologies that use water more efficiently.
Nearly every water-related intervention involves some kind of cooperation. Growing crops require shared irrigation systems among farmers. Providing safe and affordable water to cities and rural areas is only possible through a communal management of water-supply and sanitation systems. And cooperation between these urban and rural communities is essential to maintaining both food security and uphold farmer incomes. Managing rivers and aquifers crossing international borders makes matters all the more complex. Cooperation over transboundary basins and aquifers has been shown to deliver many benefits beyond water security, including opening additional diplomatic channels. Yet only 6 of the world’s 468 internationally shared aquifers are subject to a formal cooperative agreement.
Way Forward
We have to bring more solutions – like using wastewater for energy, using restoration to bring water back to dry topographies, and monitoring groundwater levels more closely. However, even the best solutions will not implement themselves. Governments need to reconsider how they include freshwater conservation in their policies and plans. That could include improving data collection that leads to better decision-making, improving maintenance of groundwater — including usage and contamination prevention — and investing in the protection of natural water resources like rivers and lakes that are used for storage. We need integrated water governance solutions. Having global agreements provide frameworks for the conservation and sustainable use of freshwater resources. These agreements facilitate international cooperation and coordination in addressing transboundary water issues. Measures such as water recycling and reuse, rainwater harvesting, and implementing water-saving technologies in agriculture, industry, and urban areas should be made mandatory. Adopting sustainable consumption and production is an imperative to save this precious resource and had to be turned into a public movement. Along with fresh water, political will and public pressure are critical resources in ensuring a sustainable future for all.
*Editor, India Water Foundation
