Still Time To Manage Water?

The world is witnessing tit-for-tat wars at regular intervals for the control of oil fields of oil rich nations of West Asia which has shoot up oil prices in the rest of the world. Looking at the current water crisis world over, the day is not far when this scene will be enacted for control of water. Before it is too late, a better water management such as reclaiming water from sewage and industrial wastewater and conserving rainwater holds the key to tackling water scarcity.

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Water is the most precious element available on earth. But unfortunately, it is depleting at a faster rate. The water crisis in major cities of India is grim and it is worsening day by day. According to the National Institution for Transforming India, a government think tank, which released a report, found that 21 cities, including Chennai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, could run out of water as early as 2020. In fact, Chennai, the country’s sixth-largest city - is facing a dire water shortage. The four reservoirs that provide the majority of the city’s water supply have dried up, forcing restaurants, businesses, and schools to close and leaving residents to wait in line for hours for water from municipal or private tankers. Recently, the Government of Tamil Nadu arranged special trains to ferry water from another district to Chennai. In 2015, Chennai was hit by extreme rainfalls resulting in massive floods which killed almost 100s of residents and left the city in economic disaster. A better water management would have enabled the city to conserve water for future use. Had they done that; water crisis would have been a passé. But unfortunately, India is far behind in conserving water though it has been practiced in India from time immemorial.