Water

Water - scarcity and pollution
Water is the basic necessity for all life. Water received as rainfall has been estimated to be 4000 km3 annually. But it has been possible to harness only 690 km3 for beneficial use. The ground water potential is estimated at 450 km3. The pattern of water use in India is such that 93% is used by the agricultural sector and 3.73% by the domestic sector. 80% of the 14 perennial rivers in India are polluted with sewage. Industrial effluents, agricultural run-off, dumping of toxic wastes in rivers and other large water bodies are the cause of water pollution. Water scarcity due to ground water depletion is the major problem in India. The population has tripled since 1950 and the water demand has multiplied to double the sustainable yield of the aquifers. Aquifer depletion could bring down India's potential crop harvest by 25%. More than 230 blocks in our country are facing a severe shortage of water resources. Vanishing wetlands, heavily silted tanks and shrinking reservoirs are the other problems concerned with water resources in India.
Water management practices like desilting of tanks, afforestation, creation of percolation ponds, rainwater harvesting systems and irrigation practices like drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation are the remedies or solutions available to ease the problems of scarcity.
To control water pollution, effluent treatment plants must be installed in industries. Water quality monitoring stations must be created in all the major river systems. A legal provision to prevent and control water pollution is also provided in the form of the Water Act.

To use or to misuse : That is the question industries need to think over
Water use in industry is a double-edged sword. On one hand it puts immense pressure on local water resources. On the other, wastewater discharged from the industry pollutes the local environment. Water is required, often in large volumes, by industries as process inputs in most industries. In other cases, like food and beverage and chlor-alkali industry, water is used as a raw material: turned into a manufactured product and exported out of the local water system. However, in most industries it is essentially used as input and mass and heat transfer media. In these industries a very small fraction of water is actually consumed and lost. Most of the water is actually meant for non-consumptive process uses and is ultimately discharged as effluent.Read More

All about water use in industry (Download pdf)

Importance of Inland water systems : Inland water systems can be fresh or saline within continental and island boundaries. They include lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, groundwater, springs, cave waters, floodplains, as well as bogs, marshes and swamps, which are traditionally grouped as inland wetlands. Biodiversity of inland waters is an important source of food, income and livelihood, particularly in rural areas in developing countries. Other values of these ecosystems include: water supply, energy production, transport, recreation and tourism, maintenance of the hydrological balance, retention of sediments and nutrients, and provision of habitats for various fauna and flora.
Status and trends and causes of biodiversity loss
Inland water ecosystems are often extensively modified by man, more so than marine or terrestrial systems, and are amongst the most threatened ecosystem types of all. Physical alteration, habitat loss and degradation, water withdrawal, overexploitation, pollution and the introduction of Invasive Alien Species are main threats to these ecosystems and their associated biological resources. 41 percent of the world’s population lives in river basins under water stress. More than 20 percent of the world’s 10,000 freshwater fish species have become extinct, threatened or endangered in recent decades. This is a far greater proportion than for marine species.
Industrialisation, rapid economic development and population growth, have brought about transformations of these ecosystems and biodiversity loss on an unprecedented scale. There is an increasing concern for maintenance of the richness of inland water biodiversity and reducing the risks many species face so that the goods and services they deliver will be maintained. Whilst there is an ever increasing need and urgency for improved management of inland water ecosystems, demand for freshwater is rapidly increasing.
Read about how the issue is being addressed under the CBD

Water : NGOs Interventions

BNHS : Human Dam: Ecological and Social Viability

BNHS : UCIL: Can we risk our wildlife and water

Atree : Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme
The Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme at ATREE focuses on the development of approaches to marine conservation that are participatory, appropriate and which promote the sustainable use of marine resources. There is a need to examine and revise approaches to marine conservation in India, since current approaches are essentially exclusionary and protectionist which alienate coastal communities from the management of their livelihood resources. Read more...

TERI : Integrated water management solutions for the software parks (Source)
Sponsor(s): Hewlett-Packard
Start Date: October 2005
The study will focus on providing integrated water management services for software parks with a view to conserve water resource, effective utilization, recycle/reuse, and explore options to the maximum extent. All water-related areas are covered in the study.