Addressing Water Issues: Need of the Hour

The water resources of a nation are invaluable assets which must be preserved and maintained. About 2.7 % of the total water available on the earth is fresh water, of which about 75.2 % lies frozen in polar regions and another 22.6 % is present as ground water. The rest is available in lakes, rivers, atmosphere, moisture, soil and vegetation. Depletion of available freshwater resources, falling ground water levels and deteriorating water quality are all posing a variety of challenges in managing Indias water resources. Excessive withdrawal from underground sources affects the chemical quality of water. We had also polluted many of the available water sources, and still continue to pollute them by discharging sewage and industrial waste into rivers. It is estimated that about 38, 000 million litres per day (mld) of wastewater are generated in the urban centres having population more than 50, 000 in India. Proper planning is, therefore necessary so as to obtain many benefits from it with minimum expenditure. Improving efficiencies and minimizing losses, recharging groundwater aquifers, abatement and treatment of pollution, reuse and recycling of wastewater, due to the complexity and urgency of the environmental challenges, these approaches need to be simultaneously pursued.