CEO’s NoteYears of negligence and degradation of the

natural resources has become a bottleneck

for rapid growth and development. Water and

forests are major components of the eco-

system which are necessary for sustainable

development. Water and forest conservation

should be the top priority of the government,

especially when the nation is already

experiencing the consequences of global

warming. It is unfortunate that large parts of

India are reeling under water scarcity due to

two successive years of drought. Most of the reservoirs, barrages, wells

etc have either dried up or reached minimum levels. Therefore, water

conservation and afforestation at a massive scale has become the

need of hour.

As a nation we need to adopt sustainable measures to replenish water

and increase green cover with the help of the local communities. Before

the monsoons, India needs to develop water conservation structures

which will help revive the rivers and rivulets, recharge ground water and

fill our reservoirs. In the years to come India will have to ensure

sustainable lifestyle is being promoted to stop wastage of water and

deforestation. The corporations can help develop technologies for

desalination, recycle and purification of water. Huge investments will be

required to increase access to drinking water and deal with industrial

effluents. I believe this an opportunity for us to retrospect and work

towards sustainable development not only to fulfill our immediate needs

but to meet the demands of the future generations as well. Let's hope

that we are able to survive the crisis and dedicate ourselves specially

towards water conservation, else we might have to import water in the

years to come.

OverviewIndia might be facing the

worst water crisis in its history

due to successive droughts in

major regions of the country.

The gravity of the situation

can be understood by the fact

that there is only 24% water

availability in 91 reservoirs

(62% of India's storage

capacity). States such as

Maharashtra, Karnataka,

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,

Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan are

facing severe water crisis.

Water Trains are now being sent to the water starved regions in Maharashtra. Years of

ignorance towards water conservation has led to a situation of severe distress across

the country due to shortage of water for drinking and irrigation. There is large scale

migration taking place due to water crisis, especially from Bundelkhand.

Rather than focusing on short term solutions only, India needs to start water

conservation as a long term sustainability measure. Other than government

initiatives, the corporations can also lend their support towards this acute situation

which can passively effect the Indian Economy at large. Corporations like the Tata

Group, HUL, Godrej, Bisleri, Rallis India, RPG Enterprises, etc should actively

participate to ease the crisis in drought-prone regions. The government is also

collaborating with Germany, Israel and the UK to find possible answers to the water

management issues. The recent Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predictions

of above average monsoon have brought some respite for the Indian economy. It will

be interesting to see how India capitalises on the opportunities for preventive

measures for water conservation in the future. Rainwater harvesting, watershed

development, linking of major rivers, irrigation canals, reservoirs, open spaces,

bunding, etc are methods which needs to be implemented at large scale in regions of

water scarcity.

Retrospec�on - 54% of India faces high to extremely high water stress

Baseline water stress(withdrawals/available suppy)

Low(<10%)Low to Medium(10-20%)Medium to High(20-40%)High(40-80%)Extremely High(>80%)Arid & Low Water Use

Groundwater level, over exploited across India in 1,701 of 6,607 units. The national supply of water is predicted to fall 50% below demand by 2030.

54% of India faces High to Extremely High Water Stress levels. Almost 600 million people are at a higher risk of surface water supply disruptions.

The Extremely High Stress area lies in North-West India.

54% of India's groundwater wells are decreasing.

More than 100 million people exist in areas of poor water quality. More than 70% of India's surface water resources are polluted by human waste or toxic chemicals.

Over the next 20 years, 60% of the groundwater is predicted to be in a critical state of degradation.

It is estimated that the country would need 1,180 billion cubic meter (BCM) of water annually by 2050.

Water – The Not So Abundant ResourcePeople who believe that the next world war will be for water, have raised alarms for the need to focus on conservation of this precious resource. For a developing country like India, water scarcity is a hindrance to growth and certainly a catalyst to other social problems which can completely lead the country to disarray. The two successive years of less monsoon has put India on the back-foot. The situation has made it imperative to reconsider the policies on water conservation. Water scarcity with the influx of global warming has almost crippled life in major portions of rural India. The only hope left is the monsoon and the counter strategies to address the current scenario.

There are lessons that needs to be learnt from this grave situation. Rather than just wait for the rains to hide the tears, India needs to start water conservation efforts at an unprecedented scale. Financial support needs to be provided from the government, corporations and individuals. Community participation and diversion of development can ensure building of water conservation infrastructure. The government already has plans to initiate water conservation measures through the MGNREGA and is encouraging Public-Private-Partnership projects to ensure that such initiatives can be expedited. Corporations should be sensitize on water usage and recycling methodologies in their operations. Through sustainability and CSR initiatives corporations can lend their major support for water conservation and also incorporate their operations on sustainable water usage practices. Alternate technologies, recycling, desalination, etc are few of the processes which the corporations should genuinely emphasis apart from their contribution through CSR activities.

Contributions from individuals and communities to build water harvesting structures in their residence and locality will definitely be required. Concrete structures in urban areas often being used to preserve the rain water and to optimize the ground water level. A planned infrastructure development has to be brought in place to resort the problem. People should be encouraged to build rainwater harvesting structures in houses. This way we as citizens can also help solve the crisis other than reducing water wastage in our daily lives.

“Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children's lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land.” - Luna Leopold

Food for ThoughtPer-capita availability of fresh water is down to 1,121 cubic metres from 3,000 cubic metres over the past 50 years.

Keeping in view the “acute” water crisis in several parts of the country, the Centre has released Rs. 823 crore to tackle the situation.

The Central Water Commission said that India's major dams were at just 27% of their capacity and well short of the 10-year average, and 91 reservoirs were 30% below last year's levels.

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Issue: #22 | May 2016