Water As Resource

Water As Resource. Renewable or Non-Renewable?.

Water on Earth. “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” -Thomas Fuller, 1782.

‘Resources are not, they become.’ - Zimmerman, 1951.

Rainfall, the main source of fresh water, does not always occur where it is needed. Largest body of freshwater, containing 1/5 th of the world’s available supplies, is lake Baikal – located in Siberia; remote from the centres of population and ‘off the map’..

Where is the water?. Iceland, gets enough rain to fill a small reservoir for each member of its 2,50000 inhabitants; whereas Kuwait, with 7 times the number of people scarcely receives any at all! Kuwait gets its freshwater from a desalination plant, the cost of which is 10 times the cost from a conventional source. There are 7500 such desalination plants around the world!.

The consumption…. Since the start of the 20 th C, world water withdrawals have accelerated sharply, increasing in rates in excess of population growth. Water consumption is generally higher in the developed world – economic development – more water consumed in industrial and domestic sectors..

Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of the total water withdrawals. Increase in output due to Green Revolution – increased water supply During same period, construction of big dams increased rapidly..

World water availability. EliJah Probst ENVS 220 This map plots freshwater availabil ty per capita in terms of thousands of cubic meters per person. The per capita voilme of water resources available is a good indicator of a countries ability to support the needs of its population The model used to gather this information is based on over 30 years of global hydrological data. Legend ESI 2005 WATAVL 0-5 17 -46 46 - 110 110 - 265 265 - 543 Pac#ic æan 'n•w eo•w 2-O•W 0' 20'E '20'E O Indån eo•w O; 20'E Pacif Ocean ean Freshwater Availability Per Capita.

Water resource, though renewable, is limited. Water that can be made available to various groups of people, depends on the precipitation. Augmenting water supply in one area, impacts supplies elsewhere. Not only quantity, but quality also needs to be considered..

How is water depleted due to agriculture?. Rainfall not enough for growing crops. Irrigation makes use of 75% of world’s freshwater. Water lost due to evaporation or seepage before it reaches the fields. Production of 1kg of wheat by normal rainfall – 500 litres of water; 1kg of irrigated rice – 1,800 litres.

How is water depleted due to industries?. Manufacture of 1 tonne of cement - 3,600 litres of water 1 tonne of steel – 8,000-12,000 litres of water 1 tonne of paper – 27,000 litres of water A car – 38,000 litres of water 1000 litres of beer in UK needs 4,200 litres of water, while the same in USA needs 15,000 litres of water for production!.

The issue of water contamination. Industries use fresh water – let out contaminated warm water which is harmful for water ecosystems Run offs from agricultural fertilizers into nearby water bodies cause ‘ Eutrophication ’ – presence of algae blooms whose decay robs the water of oxygen Domestic sewage let into water causing a range of diseases – typhoid, food poisoning and hepatitis. 25% of the world population affected by water contamination – causing 5 million deaths a year!.

A Case Study: Water in Maharashtra. The recent drought in Maharashtra – a clear case of mismanagement of water resources in the state Bad planning and design, substandard construction, poor physical status of canals and distribution networks, corruption, etc – responsible for the biggest drought in Maharashtra in the last century..

The Recent Drought. The drought-affected area received 60 to 70 per cent rainfall this year against the state average of 90 to 92 per cent. This is deficient but not deficient enough to cause drought of this magnitude. Fourteen districts in Marathwada , Khandesh and south Maharashtra were declared drought-hit. More than 11,000 villages were facing water crisis and 3,905 villages suffered more than 50 per cent crop loss..

A Greenpeace Report. The Maharashtra government has been diverting water meant for irrigating farmlands in drought-prone Vidarbha region and supplying it to coal-based power plants set up by private companies. At least 398.87 million cubic metre ( mcm ) water was diverted each year between 2003 and 2011. This water could have helped irrigate approximately 79,774 hectares (ha) of farmland. Lack of irrigation facilities have been linked to suicides and agricultural distress in the region for long. In the six most distressed districts of Vidarbha , 6,084 farmers killed themselves between 2001 and 2010. Coal-based power generation is extremely water-intensive. A typical coal plant operating in India consumes between five and seven cubic metres of water per MW per hour..

At the same time…. Water was being wasted in golf courses, water parks and swimming pools. Breweries and distilleries in Aurangabad flourished..

Maharashtra has 36% of India’s total dams. Where does this water go? Water being provided to industries, agriculture and then for drinking purposes..

Who’s water is it?. In November 2012, water in Jayakwadi dam, on the Godavari river in Aurangabad, dropped to two per cent of its storage capacity of 107 thousand million cubic feet ( tmc ). But upstream dams in Pune and Nashik regions, which were 81 to 92 per cent full, did not release water. Jayakwadi dam supplies water to four cities, 200 villages, the 1,130-megawatt Parli power plant in Beed , and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporations (MIDCs) in five districts. While Jayakwadi dam had less water for use, Ujni dam in southern Maharashtra, the third largest in Maharashtra, had no water that could be used. Again, upstream dams did not release water. Ujni provides water to Solapur town and about 40 villages. Angry farmers and civil society groups launched a fierce agitation, asking for release of water even as they faced stiff resistance from political and farmers’ groups upstream. On November 27, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan asked for release of water to Jayakwadi . A total of 8.5 tmc was released from four dams, that too under heavy police protection. “The resistance is shocking. The water was not for industry or agriculture. It was for drinking,” says Vijay Diwan of non-profit Nisarga Mitra Mandal in Aurangabad..

What is happening to our groundwater?. Water intensive crops like sugarcane, grown in Vidarbha , a highly drought prone area. Irritation mainly through groundwater reserves – resulting in fast depleting groundwater. Also, use of excessive fertilizers is contaminating the existing groundwater..

Sharing of water resources?. Krishna and Godavari River dispute – between Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Building dams on the upper course lessens flow of water in the lower course..

No wonder water has been called ‘the oil of the future’. Unlike oil, there are no alternatives to replace water!.

Thanks for your co-operation! - Ms. Richa Karve.