Date: 07/02/2023

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

Key Phrases: Water Resources, Central Groundwater Board, NITI Aayog’s, Composite Water Management Index, groundwater conservation fee, Rainwater harvesting system, groundwater balance, Water Scarcity and Third World War, Water Disputes, Tri-junction of India, Nepal, and Tibet

Context:

• The discharge of water from the sources of both Ganga and Yamuna rivers is growing at an accelerated pace as glaciers are melting quickly because of rising temperatures threatening the very existence of these rivers.

Key Highlights:

• Over the last decades, global warming has led to widespread shrinking of the cryosphere, with mass loss from ice sheets and glaciers, reductions in snow cover and Arctic sea ice extent and thickness, and increased permafrost temperature.
• Global mean sea level (GMSL) is rising, cryospheric and associated hydrological changes have impacted terrestrial and freshwater species and ecosystems, coastal ecosystems are affected by ocean warming, including intensified marine heatwaves, acidification, loss of oxygen, salinity intrusion and sea level rise, in combination with adverse effects from human activities on ocean and land.
• Impacts are already observed on habitat area and biodiversity, as well as ecosystem functioning and services.

Water Crisis in India:

• According to a report published on science.org, northwest and south India may face a serious water crisis by 2025 and by 2050, the whole country could face this dreadful predicament.
• India alone has 17% of the world’s population, but it has only 4% of the world’s total fresh water reserves to meet the needs of such a vast population.
• India exploits more groundwater than both the US and China combined.
  • According to the Central Ground Water Board, 256 of the country’s 700 districts are using self-sustaining groundwater.
• According to the NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index, 600 million people are affected by the water problem.
• In the next eight years, the needs will be more than doubled. The question then arises how will this demand be met?

Water Scarcity and Third World War:

• Years ago, it was said that water scarcity would cause the Third World War, partition in several nations, and massive displacement.
• As it was predicted, the devastating impact of exploitative policies of development by the nations has started showing the impact.
• People are already fleeing their homes in greater numbers and many countries are experiencing social unrest as a result.

Case of India:

• Many states are at odds over the distribution of river water.
• There is an ongoing conflict over the waters of rivers such as the Krishna, Kaveri, and Narmada among states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
• Moreover, any river in the west and south affects two or more states, and their water causes all sorts of problems. The southern states have seen violent clashes over the waters of Krishna and Kaveri.

Water and International Relations:

• As a nation, the relationships of India with its neighbours are strained over the waters of Brahmaputra, Indus, and other rivers.
• This is clearly visible in China's efforts in creating a water crisis in the North East by damming the Brahmaputra. China, by building a dam on the Brahmaputra, may weaponize water in the event of a war. It can be used to generate deadly floods in a number of places.
• The people of Pakistan have similar reservations about the Indus river.
• India also has ongoing disputes with Nepal and Bangladesh about the sharing of river water.

What needs to be done?

• Raising awareness and changing perceptions on water needs to be an important priority.
• Even today, water is regarded as an infinite resource and is abundantly wasted in many parts of the country, while others suffer drought-like conditions.
• Behaviour change communication initiatives for both internal and external stakeholders will be critical in changing attitudes towards water.
• All stakeholders, from state governments to citizens, must be taken on board and a national consensus will have to be built.
• To that effect, all integrated water management approaches would do well to borrow from the effective behaviour change communication initiatives of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and attempt to create an army of grass roots motivators on water, on the model of the swachhagrahis for sanitation.

Conclusion:

• One thing is certain: Nature is sending warnings to the people.
• Thus, all aspects of water usage must be revolutionized, including daily use.
• Water is essential for survival and people must learn to value every drop of it.
• It is a collective responsibility of the government and people of the country to save water and contribute to increasing the groundwater levels.
• The need of the hour, therefore, is to adopt innovative practices of groundwater augmentation by rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge, promoting water use efficiency, recycling and reusing water and creating awareness through people's participation in the targeted areas resulting in the sustainability of groundwater resources development, adequate capacity building amongst the stakeholders, etc.
• It is here that the responsibility of every citizen comes in, to make every effort locally to conserve, manage and augment our water resources.

Source: Live-Mint

Mains Question:

Q. China's plans for water and the fact that China and India are getting more and more competitive over water will lead to "water wars" between the two countries. Critically Examine. (150 words).