पानी के पॉवर - Pani ke Power?

Green is the new black. Quiet is the new loud. And…water is the new oil?

It has been said the next war will be fought over water, the liquid natural resource that covers seventy percent of the earth’s surface. And why not? We often overlook the intrinsic power that water has over us – without it, life cannot exist.

For us humans, though, we need fresh water – which only makes up two percent of the earth’s total available water, and even most of that is frozen in glaciers or underground.

You can see, then, why wasting it could be a problem.

The most accessible source of freshwater is underground. We use diesel pumps to extract the water fairly cheaply for use in the home, and also for irrigation of crops. The Midwest consumes the most groundwater for agriculture; most notably to produce corn, which is then used to feed cattle – they fetch a better price after butchering.

The problem is that we are pumping the water too fast. We have to wait for rains to replenish the source, but not only is rain an unpredictable faucet, but even with rainfall it is becoming progressively more and more difficult for water to be re-absorbed into the ground. Why? Well frankly, there’s little ground left. It has been covered with cement, tar, houses, parking lots, buildings, you name it.

(Thought: What would happen if we stopped eating beef?)

The consequences of a shortage of water are even direr for the poor. In India, the cost of women fetching water is equivalent to a national loss of Rs 1000 Crore, or approximately $214 million.
In a country where most people make less than two dollars a day, $214 million is an enormous sum. As if such an injustice weren’t enough, 1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea – 4,900 deaths per day. At any given time, nearly half the hospital patients in India are suffering from water-related diseases. Worst, people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more for water than do wealthier Indians living in the same city.

What can be done?

A new crop is on the market: rainwater harvesting. By capturing the runoff from buildings and sculpting the landscape to slow the flow of rain, we can ensure that we are collecting the water rather than wasting it. The water can then be used directly to refill empty tanks.

By installing water pipes on rooftops, in tanks or underground wells, urban families can conserve water while rural farmers can plant trees and create barriers on slopes to make the most of this precious resource.

“I think the simplicity of rainwater harvesting has made the water crisis much more approachable as a whole,” says Sweta P., a student in Udaipur. “When people feel daunted by new things, they tend not to get involved, but when the task seems to be fairly simple, their involvement level rises.”

“When I see people wasting water, it makes me really angry,” says Marttanda G., an economics student in Guwahati. “People here know there is a shortage of water. They see their neighbors suffering, but they still waste it.”

How can we reach out to people?

“People think the government will fix it; they have all the power. It’s so hard to make them realize that the government hasn’t – and won’t – do anything,” Sweta explains. “And even if they ever do, people will be dying of thirst by then.”

“Groups don’t understand,” says Marttanda. “But if you talk to an individual, you can explain the process to them, answer their questions. Really have a conversation. If they’re interested, they will tell others and the information will get passed on anyway.”

Though the shortage of water affects people in rural areas most harshly, it is those in cities that waste the most. Laws are being passed that require water pipes to be installed in urban homes and buildings.

Who knows? With heightened awareness and action, there may be a chance of having water for everyone in the years to come.