Water resources
The water cycle is one of the wonders of nature which enables life on earth. Rivers, lakes and ponds are formed through the processes of evaporation and precipitation, supporting our existence in different ways. Wetlands act as intermediate forms between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, wetlands provide habitat to millions of species of plants and animals which are moisture dependent.
Aquatic ecosystems are used by a large number of people for their daily needs such as drinking water, washing, cooking, watering animals and irrigating fields. Water covers 70% of the earth's surface, but only 3% is fresh water. Of this, 2% is in polar ice caps and only 1% is usable water in rivers, lakes and subsoil aquifers. Only a fraction of this can be actually used. Approximately, 70% of water is used for agriculture, about 25% for industry and 5% for domestic use. However, this varies in different countries. Industrialized countries use more water than others. India uses 90% for agriculture, 7% for industry and 3% for domestic requirements.
Management of water resources is one of the greatest challenges of modern times. The world population has crossed the 7 billion mark. Studies indicate that a person needs a minimum of 20 to 40 liters of water per day for drinking and sanitation. It is really paradoxical that we are in search of presence of water in other planets like Mars or Jupiter while millions of people on earth do not have access to clean water.
The United Nations has estimated that by the year 2050, 4 billion people will be seriously affected by water shortages. This would lead to multiple conflicts between countries over the sharing of water because there are many rivers passing through different countries. The river Nile flows through Egypt and Sudan, Amazon through Brazil, Peru and Columbia. The European river Danube flows through Germany, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia. The river Brahmaputra flows through India and Bangladesh. Therefore, fair distribution of water in such areas will become critical to world peace.
Within our country, there are many conflicts and water related disputes between different states, including Kerala-Tamilnadu, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu, etc. Moreover, there are many cities in India facing acute water shortage. It has been estimated that India will face critical levels of water stress by 2025.
OVERUTILIZATION AND POLLUTION OF WATER
Over utilization of water occurs at various levels. People use more water than actually they require. Most of us waste water at the time bathing, cleaning and washing of clothes. Many farmers use more water than necessary to grow crops. Releasing liquid wastes into streams, rivers and the sea is another major challenge associated with water. There are many ways in which we can reduce water consumption. For example, farming with the help of drip irrigation or mist irrigation systems can reduce water consumption to a great extent.
Agricultural operations quite often lead to pollution of surface water and underground water. Excessive use of chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers pollute the water sources.
Use of bio-fertilizers and nontoxic pesticides or integrated pest management systems will help to reduce the agricultural pollution of surface and groundwater. Shifting to 'green products' is the only alternative to reduce industrial waste. Public awareness is also very important in such initiatives. When people understand the serious health hazards caused by pesticides in their food, there will be a natural pressure on farmers and industrialists to reduce the use of chemicals harmful to public health.
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