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Water Management in India
Sustaining the elixir of life Come monsoons; our streets get flooded and we blame the rain gods for working overtime. Come summer; our taps get dry and we blame the rain gods for not having worked enough. As the summer peaks, newspapers promptly update us about the water levels at various reservoirs and how long we could survive with the water available. Is the erratic monsoon really responsible for our water woes? Experts say no. India gets substantial rainfall most of the year to satisfy our water needs. The issue is improper management – both at the macro and micro levels. A good share of the rainwater we receive gets drained into the sea. Many of our aquifers are not recharged adequately as unplanned developmental activities have blocked or rendered them useless. Add to this the unaccounted for distribution losses. Ultimately, only a small percentage of the rainwater is available for consumption. Careless usage and illegal connections are another bane. Integrated water management based on the needs of environmental sustainability and economic efficiency along with equitable supply of good quality water is essential to achieve the long-term water goals of India. Our water resources are managed by the Central and State governments. However, it’s imperative to get local bodies and individuals involved in conserving and managing these resources. What can be done on a macro level? When there is concentrated heavy rainfall in a short period of time, floods happen. These are seasonal and natural. Floods also happen when the rainwater does not find ways to get drained into soil and nearby water bodies. Presently, there is very little open soil in our cities to absorb rainwater; drains are inadequate or blocked; and most lakes and rivers have been filled up and reclaimed as land. These changes that happened over the years are mostly irreversible. Floods and its aftermaths cannot be controlled, but can be managed to lessen its effects on people’s lives. If flood management is done in a holistic way, it will moderate the intensity of floods and take care of the water needs during the drought season. Flood forecasting and flood-proofing the flood zones will minimize the losses and reduce the outlay for relief operations. De-silting rivers and canals and clearing choked drains will prevent water logging and ensure smooth flow of rainwater. Removing illegal structures and encroachments along riverbanks, preserving catchment areas of rivers, and maintaining available wetlands and tanks as well as creating more, will enable absorption of rainwater into the ground. In areas with heavy density of buildings, installing rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems is the best way to ensure adequate recharge of groundwater. To be more effective, RWH systems should be installed in all the buildings. Hence, government intervention is required to make it mandatory for all buildings, old and new, to install these systems. Recycling used water was a way of life until a few decades ago when there were very few apartment complexes in the cities. When open areas were lost in construction and government took over water supply and sewage, natural recycling came to an end. Little of the waste water from our bathrooms and kitchen sinks made its way back to its source. Grey water recycling gains importance in this scenario. Grey water is the water used for bathing, washing clothes and utensils, and floor cleaning. Currently, grey water, which forms 60–70% of our total usage, is drained into the same sewage system that handles black water, i.e., the used water from toilets, making it unsuitable for human consumption even after treatment. It is a known fact that efficiency and effectiveness of our sewage treatments plants is not within acceptable standards. The treated water might still contain harmful pathogens when it is released to our water bodies. If grey water and black water are segregated at the source and treated separately, the former becomes fit for human consumption, though not potable, whereas the latter can be treated more effectively and supplied for irrigation and industrial uses. Now, suppose there is enough water in our reservoirs to take care of everyone’s needs. Are we wisely managing it? Sadly, huge distribution losses during the journey of water from the collections points to treatment plants to the end users are common in most cities, leading to shortage of water. This may be due to illegal tapping and leakages. A thorough and scientific metering of the input and output of treatment plants and distribution centers is required to measure distribution losses. The water needs of people living in illegal settlements are met through illegal connections and unauthorized usage of public water supply. Such non-revenue generating usage of water puts pressure on the system already buckling under various operating constraints. Regular maintenance of distribution lines and political will to curb illegal use are required to tackle this issue. On a basic level, proper functioning of water meters at the end users needs to be ensured. Our mentality is to take anything free or subsidized for granted. It has been found that the poor pay more for the water than the rich because of the inequity of supply. Subsidized water tariffs should be replaced by a tariff structure with rates proportional to usage. What can be done on a micro level? In urban areas, the best way to get individuals involved is the inclusion of residents’ welfare associations in water management. Since we get water at the turn of a tap, we thoughtlessly use it without much care. End-user accountability is essential for judicious usage of water, which will come only with increased awareness. Welfare associations can spread awareness about the necessity of water conservation and management at an individual level. Rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling systems can be set up for apartment complexes or even independent houses. Black water can be piped out to the sewage system and grey water can be recycled within the premises through soil bed treatment process to recharge ground water or treated properly to use for flushing of toilets. In housing complexes where different qualities of water are available, a prerequisite for the efficient utilization of water is two- or three- compartment overhead water tanks. One compartment can be used for storing potable water, the second for non-potable needs, and if a third quality of water is available, it can be stored in the third compartment for flushing of toilets. Supply lines from each compartment should be connected to the respective usage points. The system can be set up with interconnecting valves on supply lines to provide the flexibility to mix the water as and when required. Fixing the leaking taps and flushes as early as possible, rinsing vegetables in a pan of water and running washing machine on full load are some of the simple and easy-to-implement water saving measures. Water saving devices such as low-flow flushing systems can be installed. For cistern-type flushes, water usage can be reduced by placing a brick or a plastic bottle filled with sand inside the cistern. Soapy water from washing machines can be collected and used for cleaning bathrooms, while the water from the second rinse can be used to mop floors and water plants. Servants who use tap water at full force for their convenience are responsible for a huge amount of wastage. As it is difficult to stop them from doing this, water flow from taps can be controlled by installing control valves. These measures might look too simple to make any considerable changes. But as the saying goes, a unit saved is a unit produced. Efficient conservation, distribution, and consumption will eventually lead to self-reliance in water. Come rain or shine, we can have water and drink it too.
>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:1. Articles related to Content and Outsourcing
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