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Home My WebLink About02-2018 Water Issues in IndiaWater Issues in India FAWZIA TARANNUM HUBERT H. HUMPHREY FELLOW TERI SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDIES, INDIA Jawaharlal Nehru in his book “Discovery of India” says- “ The story of the Ganges from her source to the sea is the story of India’s civilization and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man………………” Water Stress Area of the country as % of world area 2.4% Population as % of world population (Census, 2011)17.1% Water as % of world water 4% Average annual rainfall (India Meteorological Dept.) 1160 mm ( world average 1110 mm) Range of distribution 150-11690 mm Range Rainy days 5-150 days Per capita water availability (Census,2011) Has decreased from 5200 m3 in 1951 to 1545 m3 in 2011 Source: Water Resources Information System of India Source: World Resources Institute, 2016 Groundwater Largest user of groundwater in the world-uses an estimated 230 cubic kilometers of groundwater per year -over a quarter of the global total. More than 60% of irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies are dependent on groundwater. If current trend continues, in 20 years, about 60% of all India’s aquifers will be in a critical condition. (Source: The World Bank 2012) Water Quality Fluoride 13725 habitations in 16 states1 Arsenic 13819 habitations in 8 states1 Iron 1,04,477 habitations in 24 States2 Nitrate 19,387 habitations in 10 States2 Salinity 12,425 habitations in 14 States2 1Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS), 2016 2Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), 2008 Per capita water availability (m3) Source: WRIS, India 9 Irrigation 85% Drinking Water 7% Industry 1% Energy 1% Other 6% Estimated Sector wise Water Use in 20103 •76 million people in India are without access to safe drinking water •Irrigation efficiency is low-only 9.2% of the total potential area under micro irrigation 1 •Average non-revenue water is 39% (2008-09)2 SOURCE: 1 Guidelines For Improving Water Use Efficiency in Irrigation, Domestic & Industrial Sectors, CWC, GoI, 2 Press Information Bureau, Government of India (2012), “Leakage of Water”, available at: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=84072; accessed 10 September 2012; 3 WATER AND RELATED STATISTICS 2015, CWC, GoI; Quick Facts Sanitation Source : Out Of Order: The State of the World’s Toilets, WaterAid 2017 https://thewire.in/197455/732-million-india-tops-list-number-people-without-access-toilets-report/ •Swachh Bharat Mission-increased the India’s sanitation coverage from 39% to 65% by November 2017 •52 million household toilets were built in rural India A women’s crisis….. Women spend 150 million work days every year for fetching water (UN Water) A health crisis….. •Forty five per cent of India's children are stunted and 600,000 children under the age of five die each year, largely because of inadequate water supply and poor sanitation. ( UNICEF, FAO) •50% of child malnutrition is associated with unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. (WHO 2008) •Universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene would reduce the global disease burden by 10%. (WHO 2012) An education crisis Children are often responsible for collecting water to help their families. Nearly 76% of India’s schools are operated by the government, but nearly half these schools don’t have usable toilet facilities for girl students (Annual status of education report, 2013) An economic crisis… Access to safe water and sanitation turns time spent into time saved, giving families more time to pursue education and work opportunities that will help break the cycle of poverty. •US $ 106.7 billion wiped off the GDP in 2015, due to lack of basic water and sanitation (True cost of sanitation, 2016) •Loss of productivity to water and sanitation related diseases costs many countries up to 5% of GDP (WHO 2012) •For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, an average of at least $4 is returned in increased productivity (WHO 2012) Source:True cost of sanitation, 2016 Too little water… More than 300 million people living in 256 districts are affected by drought in India after two years of sparse monsoon rains (BBC, 2016) Too much water… Caste and class system Water Sharing : India’s Inter-State and Transboundary Dynamics Inter-State Water Sharing Disputes The Narmada water sharing dispute between Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Krishna river water sharing dispute between Andhra Pradesh (AP), Maharashtra and Karnataka Cauvery river water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Ravi and Beas water sharing dispute between Punjab and Haryana Transboundary Water Sharing Disputes India and Pakistan –Indus water Treaty in 1960 India and Nepal-Mahakali Water Treaty in 1996 India and Bangladesh -Ganges Treaty signed in 1996 India and China have failed to forge a bilateral water sharing treaty- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2013 through which China agreed to provide more hydrological information to India at the start of the flood season Source: https://thelondonpost.net/indias-water-issues-with-bangladesh- nepal-and-bhutan/ http://offprint.in/en/articles/water-sharing-india-s-inter-state-and-transboundary-dynamics A glance at wastewater sector (CPCB,2009) Nearly 37,000 MLD (million litres per day) of untreated sewage flows into rivers across the country. Wide gap between sewage generation (57,000 MLD) and treatment capacity (20,358 MLD). 302 river stretches on 275 rivers across the country are polluted due to discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater over the years. Most treatment plants do not conform to the standards prescribed under the Environmental (Protection) Rules for discharge into streams. Treatment capacity present mostly in Tier I cities. Mixing of industrial effluents and domestic wastewater makes the treatment further difficult. Water Governance in India Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Additional Secretary Joint Secretaries Commissioners Advisors Organizational Heads Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Additional Secretary Joint Secretaries Commissioners Advisors Organizational Heads Ministry of Environment and Forest Secretary Additional Secretary Joint Secretaries Commissioners Advisors Organizational Head Ministry of Urban Development Secretary Additional Secretary Joint Secretaries Commissioners Advisors Organizational Head Ministry of Shipping Secretary Additional Secretary Joint Secretaries Commissioners Advisors Organizational Head Challenges in water governance Water Allocation ◦Greater benefits for some often determined by factors and actors outside the water sector ◦Government policies greatly affect water allocation and use Water Conflict ◦Transboundary water issues ◦Upstream /Downstream ◦Socio-economic Institutions and actors ◦Responsibilities are often unclear, with several different government agencies having overlapping responsibilities. ◦Poor resource management, corruption, bureaucratic inertia, insufficient human capacity ◦Lack of long-term sustainability plan of water infrastructure Groundwater Governance Millions of users; depleting levels Deteriorating quality, Access to reliable and affordable electricity Key Environment Management Challenges Little effort to understand ecosystem level ramifications-Rivers, forests, biodiversity, flood plains, watersheds Floods and Droughts: increasing frequency & extent Challenges in water governance Large Surface Irrigation Projects Silted and unable to add fresh areas under irrigation Water Pollution Weak enforcement of regulations - the problems are increasing, no solution in sight Food Production Cropping patterns The 5 Ps Of Water Security Prevention of losses, wastage and pollution Promotion of groundwater banking Preserve, conserve and restore wetlands, water bodies and traditional practices Power of Partnerships Pricing, market mechanisms and capitalization http://www.huffingtonpost.in/rana-kapoor/quenching-indias-thirst-the-5-ps-of-water-security_a_21437076/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0hk_5Plv5U THANK YOU From Green Revolution to Blue Revolution Contact fawziat@gmail.com +91 9811995471 +91 9968875742