Scarcity of freshwater resource

 Gunin Borah

(The writer teaches Geography in Biswanath College. He can be reached at borah.gunin@gmail.com)

Water is a vital resource for all living beings on earth. Although it is a renewable resource, scarcity of quality water is felt in many parts of the world. We need water to grow food, keep cleanliness, generate electricity, control fire, and above all, to stay alive.

World ocean water covers about 71 percent of the surface of earth. Therefore, earth is called a water planet. Of all this water, only 2.5 percent is fresh water, whereas the other 97.5 percent is saline water. Almost 69 percent of fresh water resources come from glaciers and ice caps; about 30 percent is ground water; and a mere 0.27 percent is surface water. While all kinds of water resources are important for survival on the planet, accessible fresh water is especially important for humans. Global warming and perpetuating water pollution have made a considerable part of available freshwater unfit for human consumption. As a result, water is very scarce.

The Ministry of Water Resources, India has estimated that with 2.50 percent of global land mass, India has only 4% of the world’s total freshwater resources. This has, however, come under increasing demographic stress, since India is home to about 16% of the world population, and the distribution of freshwater is not even.

Water resources are used for agricultural, industrial, domestic, recreational, and environmental activities. A majority of the uses require freshwater from the surface as well as ground water.

Agriculture accounts for 69 percent of all water consumption in India. Agriculture, therefore, is the largest consumer of the freshwater available on earth. By 2050, the global water demand of agriculture is estimated to increase by a further 19 percent due to irrigational needs. Expanding irrigation needs are likely to put undue pressure on water shortage.

Water is the lifeblood of industry. It is used as a raw material coolant, a solvent, a transport agent, and as a source of energy. Manufacturing industries account for a considerable share in the total industrial water consumption. Besides, papers and allied products, chemicals, primary metals etc., are major industrial usages of water. Worldwide, the industry accounts for 19 percent of total consumption. In industrialized countries, however, industries use more than half of water available for human use.

Domestic use of water includes drinking, cleaning, personal hygiene, garden care, cooking, washing clothes, dishes, vehicles etc. Since the end of World War-II there has been a trend of people moving out of the countryside to the ever expanding cities. This trend has important implications on our water resources.

Governments and communities have to start building large water supply systems to deliver water to new populations and industries. Of all water consumption in the world, domestic use accounts for about 12 percent.

Electricity produced from water is known as hydropower. Hydropower is the leading renewable source of electricity in the world. Hydropower accounts for about 16 percent of the total electricity generation in the world. There are many opportunities for hydropower development throughout the world. Nowadays, the leading hydropower generating countries in the world are China, USA, Brazil, Canada, India and Russia.

Navigable water-ways are defined as water courses that have been used for transport of inter-state and international trade and commerce. Agricultural and commercial goods are transported on water on a large scale in a number of regions in the world.

Water is also used for recreational purposes such as boating, swimming, and sporting activities. These uses affect the quality of water and pollute it. Priority should be given to public health, and drinking water quality of these sources of water.

Water scarcity has become a burning global issue. The United Nations has held several conventions on water in recent decades. Continuous overutilization of surface and ground water has led to virtual water scarcity all over the world today. The depleting sources for high growth in human population over the centuries and increased man-induced water pollution across the world have created water scarcity around the globe. As a result, there has been continuous overutilization of the existing water sources due to increasing growth in world population.

Ground water is the major source of water in many parts of the world. However, there has been a continuous depletion of this source due to its overexploitation by rising human population, and the rapid rise in industrialization and urbanization in modern times.

Water scarcity now becomes an important topic in the world. Nearly three billion people in the world suffer from water scarcity. International, inter-state, and regional disputes of water are not new to the world. The inter-state issues, such as Cauvery water dispute in South India is still causing a periodic tension at national and regional level.

Scientists, environmentalists and biologists worldwide are now of the view that climate change can have an impact on drainage pattern and hydrological cycle on the earth by affecting the surface and ground water availability. Frequent floods and droughts are mostly due to climate change and global warming. Various environmental organizations all the world over are of the view that climate change is a long term change in weather patterns, in the distribution of extreme weather events.

Water is a renewable resource in the hydrological cycle, where water from the ocean moves on to the land and back again. Sometimes, human intervention in the form of dams, canals and pipelines divert natural water resources to meet the local needs of the people. As the need for water is growing, tension over the water resources are also likely to increase. The conservation measures and smarter technologies may help to ensure more equitable distribution of water around the globe.

Equitable and efficient use of water resource is the key to sustainable population growth in a country. Population growth of any country is ultimately dependent on that country’s access to freshwater resources, which also determine its capacity to produce food. A new study shows that population growth is likely to decline in countries with low water resources as water-rich countries reduce food exports in order to feed their own growing population.

The world’s population is growing rapidly, and it is expected to reach nine billion by 2050. Global freshwater supplies are coming under increasing pressure, and more frequent extreme weather events, including droughts, and floods make it increasingly difficult for water stressed nations to manage water resources. Water scarcity could have a major impact on the world’s ability to feed its growing population.

The growing population and increasing water use are making the freshwater scarce and polluted, and are posing a major threat to water resources in India. A new water revolution is needed to preserve, harness, develop, and manage water resources keeping in view both their quantity and quality. Water must meet the needs of the present population and those of future generations.

Water conservation is the careful use and preservation of water supply. It includes both the quality and quantity of water utilized. Water is an essential asset for the nourishment of all lives on earth. Since each of us depends on water to sustain life, it is our responsibility to learn more about water conservation and how we can help to keep our sources pure and safe for the next generations. It is up to each and every one of us to conserve water for a sustainable development.