23 March 2024 – The Hindu

World Water Day 2024

• March 22nd is World Water Day, an annual global initiative supported by the United Nations that has been observed since 1993. The attempt has been made to educate stakeholders about the significance of freshwater under several themes. As is common knowledge, there was a period when wells, ponds, streams, rivers, and other sources provide clean water; however, things have changed significantly since then. Water scarcity or crisis is a symptom of an issue with water availability, either in terms of quantity or quality.
• Water has always been a vital resource for some of the greatest civilizations in history, including those that developed along the Indus, Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers. However, it is also true that this resource led to conflicts in these civilizations, as the well-known tensions between the Mesopotamian cities of Lagash and Umma attest to. One of the earliest wars in human history, this one was fought over fertile land and water resources.
• The 31st World Water Day is scheduled for March 22, 2024, with the theme “Leveraging water for peace.” As part of UN Water, an interagency coordination mechanism on water and sanitation that brings together 35 UN entities and 48 other international partners, UNESCO oversaw the development of the 2024 edition of the flagship United Nations World Water Development Report, “Water for Prosperity and Peace,” under the auspices of the “World Water Assessment Programme.”

What is the purpose of World Water Day?

• Goal: Water and sanitation for all by 2030 is the sixth Sustainable Development Goal that the Day seeks to promote.
• “Water for Peace” is the theme for 2024.

Past:

• The UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 served as the inspiration for this worldwide day.
• In the same year, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution designating March 22nd of every year as World Day for Water, which was first observed in 1993.
• Additional festivities and events were added later. The International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028, and the 2013 International Year of Cooperation in the Water Sphere are two examples.

Importance:

• The goal of the day is to encourage people everywhere to become more knowledgeable about issues pertaining to water and to take action to change the status quo.
• About 3% of the world is made up of freshwater, of which two thirds are frozen or otherwise unusable despite making up over 70% of the planet’s surface.
• These celebrations serve as a reminder that improving access to water and sanitation is essential for reducing poverty and promoting economic development and environmental sustainability.

Other Significant Days:

• Earth Day is April 22.
• World Biodiversity Day is May 22.
• What Are the Various Facets of the Water Crisis in India?
• Multifaceted Significance of the Water Crisis:
• A number of causes, such as growing urbanisation, industrialization, unsustainable farming practices, climate change, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and excessive water consumption, are contributing to the water crisis, which can be categorised as either physical or economic.
• In addition to these, ineffective water management, pollution, inadequate infrastructure, low stakeholder participation, and runoff made worse by heavy downpour, soil erosion, and sediment accumulation also have a big impact. In the end, water scarcity affects peace by upsetting ecological processes and endangering the security of food and water.

Problems with Water Stress:

• The World Resources Institute reports that 17 nations are experiencing “extremely high” levels of water stress, which poses a threat to international peace, harmony, and conflict. India is not exempt from these issues.
• Water availability in India is already so low as to be considered strained; by 2025, it is predicted to drop to 1341 m3 and by 2050, to 1140 m3. Additionally, communities use 16% of all water withdrawals for homes and services, 12% for industry, and 72% of all water withdrawals are used for agriculture.

Depletion of Groundwater Table:

• There is a decline in the groundwater table in practically all of India’s states and major cities. Bengaluru serves as one well-known example. Alarmingly, the ratio of groundwater usage to availability in Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana is 172%, 137%, 137%, and 133%, respectively.
• In comparison, it is 77%, 74% in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. 67%, 57%, and 53%, in that order. The majority of perennial rivers and streams now flow sporadically or have dried up. Water becomes scarcer in most places, even for drinking and other purposes, after April or May.

Silting of Wetlands and Reservoirs:

• In the highland regions of India, springs are nearly dry. There are 5,56,601 bodies of water in all in India, with 62,71,180 hectares of potential for irrigation. However, the majority of reservoirs, waterbodies, and wetlands have silted up as a result of inadequate or nonexistent catchment treatment procedures, poor water body design, and poor management, which has decreased their efficacy and decreased their storage capacity.

Ineffective Use of Water as a Resource:

• Tubewell networks and density have risen in most regions. These days, groundwater discharge exceeds groundwater recharge. Water quality is declining as a result of the discharge of greywater from sources such as sewers and other sources into rivers and other bodies of water.
• Appropriate surface and groundwater management is lacking. In India, rainfed areas, which make up more than 48% of the country’s land area, generate about 45% of the country’s total agricultural product.

Absence of a Streamlined Approach in the Agricultural and Domestic Domains:

• Regarding domestic and agricultural uses, the government’s emphasis on “Per Drop More Crop,” “Gaon ka pani gaon mein,” “Khet ka pani khet mein,” and “Har Medh per ped” under a number of programmes, including the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), watershed management, Mission Amrit Sarovar, and the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, etc., takes a siloed approach.
• In this case, the adoption of a comprehensive and coordinated localist intervention programme that is suited to the requirements of various States and regions and places equal focus on all facets of water conservation and utilisation is required.

Experiencing Extreme Weather Conditions:

• Numerous extreme weather events, such as violent floods and extreme heat waves, are occurring all over the world these days, adding to worries about the climate catastrophe and its ongoing effects on water scarcity.
• For instance, in India, where agriculture is the backbone of the country’s USD 3 trillion economy, the monsoon has become increasingly unpredictable over time.

Common Problems with Water Discrimination:

• When it comes to getting access to clean water, discrimination is mostly motivated by age and gender. Children and women are the groups most severely impacted. In actuality, contaminated water makes youngsters more susceptible to illness.
• Discrimination in water can also be attributed to factors such as nationality, caste, language, race, ethnicity, and religion. Due to their age, health, social and economic standing, disability, or age, some persons are more disadvantaged than others.
• Marginalised people in society suffer for a variety of reasons, including forced migration, climate change, population expansion, and environmental degradation.

Persistent Invasion of Catchment Areas:

• The ongoing threat to small water bodies like lakes, ponds, and streams comes from encroachment on their catchment areas. In and around the catchment areas of these water bodies, people are developing residential and commercial structures, as well as other infrastructure, in response to the growing urbanisation.
• SWBs have suffered greatly as a result of the urban agglomeration that began in the 1990s, with many of them becoming landfills. In its sixteenth report, the Standing Committee on Water Resources (2012–13) emphasised that State agencies themselves have encroached into the majority of the nation’s water bodies.

What Kind of Actions Are Needed to Help Reduce the Water Crisis?

Using a Shrewd Combination of Old and New Technologies:

• India gets a significant portion of its food grains from the rainfed area. The government advocates for the effective use of every drop of water and places emphasis on having a sensible combination of “traditional indigenous and new technologies to improve soil health and conserve water.” Therefore, it’s crucial to pay attention to these points.

Stressing Quantity as well as Quality:

• Water is more than simply a basic human right, so increasing the amount and quality of available water as well as blue and green water is essential. Water also improves general quality of life and is a tool for fostering peace. Encouraging environmentally sound practices, guaranteeing water security, and preserving agricultural productivity are all becoming more and more crucial.

Using Various Approaches to Resource Conservation:

• Mitigation of the water crisis can be achieved by the implementation of various resource conservation strategies, with a focus on rainwater collection (both in-situ and ex-situ) and roof top harvesting in particular.
• By increasing recharge and facilitating irrigation, rainwater harvesting (RWH) promotes resilience against drought and water scarcity. The only practical ways to increase and sustain the existing level of food grain production are to make the best use of surface water through large-scale RWH facilities, use groundwater in conjunction with it, and safely reuse waste water.

A Protocol Is Required for the Revival of Water Bodies:

• A protocol for the restoration of ponds and other waterbodies is required. It is imperative to conduct research on the state of each waterbody, including its availability, quality, and ecological services it supports, in order to address all of these issues. In addition, more waterbodies must be created, and each village must revitalise its existing ones by examining each waterbody’s catchment, storage, and
• command area.

Promoting International Collaboration in Governance:

• The world has to promote better collaboration over water-sharing and adopt universal rules for international water law in order to meet the additional challenges brought on by climate change. Water may be made a force for peace by regulating its use and promoting sustainable water use. This would help the world achieve greater water diplomacy.
• We all agree that water is a scarce resource that must be managed cooperatively in order to ensure fair and efficient water distribution among countries, promote peace and stability in the region, and comprehend the complex interactions that exist between water, climate, and global stability.

Using Inclusive Methodologies:

• In addition to recognising the vast transnational networks of indigenous and local communities, inclusive approaches to water diplomacy also call for the involvement of academic and civil society networks, which can be crucial in promoting political processes aimed at preventing, mitigating, and resolving water-related conflicts.

Taking Care of Rural Concerns and Encouraging Investments:

• In India, 70% of the rural populace still depends on agriculture as their primary source of income, and 70% of these households are water-dependent. This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that 70% of the freshwater used worldwide is used for agriculture.
• These disparities can be eliminated with better access to water, and more water investments in rural regions may have a favourable impact on jobs, health, and education in addition to meeting fundamental human needs and preserving dignity.

Encouraging the Agrarian Sector to Integrate Technology:

• Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology is being effectively applied in the agricultural sector to conserve water. This includes addressing crop and food loss, reducing the need for chemicals and fertilisers, and conserving water. These efforts are beginning to demonstrate the possibility of achieving sustainable and productive results.

Handling Transboundary River Problems:

• “Transboundary waters contain a large portion of the world’s freshwater resources,” including those in India. India has a vast area and a network of long rivers that it shares with its neighbours in addition to meeting its own requirements.
• Nevertheless, the level of water pollution in South Asia has significantly increased recently, particularly in the Meghna, Brahmaputra, Ganga, and Indus rivers.
• A sophisticated type of cross-border water governance that promotes fair and efficient water allocation among countries that share water resources is required to address these issues.

Keeping Little Water Bodies Healthy:

• The extensive network of little water features found throughout India, such as lakes, ponds, and tanks, is essential for replenishing groundwater and supplying irrigation water. According to the 5th Minor Irrigation Census, there are 6.42 lakh tiny bodies of water in India. The capacity of their storage has been decreasing as a result of improper maintenance.
• As a result, from 45.61 lakh hectares in 1960–1961 to 16.68 lakh hectares in 2019–20, the irrigated area of tanks has drastically decreased. India may contribute to water conservation efforts and enhance the accessibility of water for neighbouring people by preserving and repairing these tiny water bodies.

Using Interventions in Multiple Dimensions:

• India can achieve water security and reinforce the theme of World Water Day 2024 with the implementation of these suggested measures. As per the UN Water Development Report, 2024, these are additional measures to guarantee a world with greater peace:
• the cost of using water;
• having an economy of circular water;
• using integrated water resource management; ensuring efficient irrigation approaches, such as combining water resources with micro-irrigation devices and IOT-based automation;
• installing water metres to cut down on home water usage;
• Lack of free electricity, with line department links and convergence;
• promoting public participation and community awareness through water conservation awareness initiatives;
• ensuring neutral groundwater use;
• land neutrality, cultivating crops with little water requirements;
• crop plan with integrated farming system models that is optimal;
• enhancing climate change resilience and meeting the demands of an expanding populace through the inclusive and integrated management of water, a limited resource;
• lowering water distribution system losses and guaranteeing the development of tubewells and borewells, desalination, and safe wastewater reuse;
• facilitating the cooperation and integration of research, business, and academia to apply various newly created and innovative technologies.

Which Initiatives Are There to Encourage Water Conservation?

N. Water Conservation Initiatives:

• The crucial resource water was the subject of several major events, including the Earth Summit (1992), the International Conference on Water and the Environment (1992), the United Nations Water Conference (1977), and the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981–1990).
• In an effort to reach the Millennium Development Goals, the ‘Water for Life’ International Decade for Action 2005-2015 pushed advancements in sanitation and provided safe drinking water to about 1.3 billion people in developing nations.
• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the most current endeavour, with the goal of guaranteeing water availability and sustainable management for everyone by 2030.