World Water Day 22/03

Every year on 22nd of march, World Water Day is celebrated. Growing up, I noticed my mom always filled up a drinking glass or a bottle only to its half. She works as a school teacher and always takes a water bottle filled to just a little more than half. I’d ask, “Why don’t you take a full bottle of water?” she’d just dismiss, saying, “It’s easier to carry.” But watching all she does to save and reuse used water in my home, I’d say that taking a half bottle to work is also her way of conserving water, which she’d fill up again only when she needs more water. The theory is that we always empty first and then refill the water bottles or glasses. I read about a school online where they placed a big blue drum that every student and teacher passes before leaving the school, which is used to empty their bottles and reuse water to clean utensils. That’s an ingenious way to conserve water.

Other ways my mom saves water are:

-washes fruits and vegetables in a water bowl and later uses that to water plants.
-cleans not-so-dirty utensils immediately after usage with little water so that they don’t require more washing with the same amount of water as the dirtier dishes require.
-continuously collects the wastewater from the water purifier at home and uses it to clean things and mop.
-She always brushes her teeth with just a bottle of water. Yes, she doesn’t use a running tap.
-always clean plates/glasses before eating, using a palm full of water to wipe the surface instead of rinsing it under a running tap.
She doesn’t even turn any tap to its fullest to avoid wastage.
She’s been following such practices for many years, and they seemed insignificant and hassled until I started living in a metro city like Bangalore, now struggling with a severe water crisis threatening sustainability. These practices appear to save a few liters of water. Still, if followed regularly and collectively, it contributes in big numbers to the ecosystem that is trying its best to provide safe water for 1.3 billion people in the country.

World Water Day: Water Crisis in India.

With 70 percent of water being contaminated, it is said that nearly 600 million people in India are facing high to extreme water stress in several parts of India, including most of the metro cities. According to the Composite Water Management Index(CWMI) report released by the Niti Aayog in 2018, 21 major cities, like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and others, are racing to reach zero groundwater levels by 2020, affecting access for 100 million people. As predicted, Bengaluru has reached its severe point today, pushing everyone to evaluate and reexamine the water management situation in their towns and territories. While there is a list of reasons that brought drought upon Bengaluru like rapid urbanization, failed monsoon, over-exploitation of groundwater, encroachment into natural water bodies by building societies over dried up lakes, poor implementation of water schemes, absence of adequate water utility services, depletion of borewells and heavy dependency on unregulated water distributing networks providing expensive water-tanker services is only exacerbating the situation even more. Several other cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad are on their way to face such a crisis.

ALSO READ: Water Scarcity- An inevitable problem.
The water crisis in such cities disrupts the economy in a way no one would imagine. These cities are the economic hubs, and a shortage of water here could impact the smooth functioning of industries, businesses, and other economic activities, leading to significant economic losses. Water crisis will impact the health and well-being of citizens, particularly the vulnerable sections of the society that will be pushed to deal with problems arising from dehydration and poor sanitation. Not having access to clean water increases the risk of water-borne diseases, resulting in fatalities.

World Water Day: Current Situation

Looking at the current situation, there’s a need for a paradigm shift. It’s not just about supplying and supplying more water or conserving water; it should be about improving and continuing to lay and administer better water management measures and schemes. Did you know that every drop of water can be used up to 5 times? However, less than half of the wastewater generated in cities is treated for reuse because of the hindering infrastructure. About 48% of the drinking water supplied through utility networks is lost because of leakages and illegal connections. About 80 percent of the water that enters the households is grossly left as waste and pollutes the surrounding water bodies. Even though there is a huge potential in reusing and recycling this treated wastewater, at least for non-potable purposes, a decentralized approach needs to be formulated to achieve this. With the key focus on water conservation, source sustainability, storage, and water reuse are to be realized.
Even when all plans fall into place, sustenance is achievable when one understands that managing the water situation is not just the job of engineers or government but all the stakeholders, including hydrogeologists, economists, operators, supervisors, distributors, and most importantly, communities.

Today, the emphasis on behavioral change is not getting enough attention while dealing with a crisis because it is nuanced and complex. But be it local citizens or communities, all individuals have a huge part to play in fighting the crisis. By keeping our usage and actions in check, we can contribute. We can contribute with little changes in our daily lives by saving every other drop. We teach our children and drive our peers to follow certain practices to use the least water possible, reduce wastage, and conserve for tomorrow. Conscious water usage is how to deal with the increasing threat of water scarcity and ensure that the future has access to JUST ENOUGH usable water. Despite the earth’s surface being largely covered by water, only 3% is fresh, less than 1% is drinkable, and more than 25% of the world’s population is close to the ‘Day Zero’ drought.
This March 22, while celebrating World Water Day, sit with family or friends, find out, and formulate how you can save water, bring change in your neighborhood, and commit to working towards a sustainable future. And write your thoughts to Winspire Magazine.

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