How many of us know that out of the total volume of water on Earth, 97.5% is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh water. Of the freshwater, only 0.3% is in liquid form on the surface. Nearly 3x of the volume on the surface lies under it and is referred to as “ground water”.
By Dr Parag Agarwal
Every day the governments of the world are faced with the challenge of making safe drinking water available to their people. Whenever freshwater comes to mind, people think of rivers, wetlands, lakes or reservoirs. How many of us know that out of the total volume of water on Earth, 97.5% is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh water. Of the freshwater, only 0.3% is in liquid form on the surface. Nearly 3x of the volume on the surface lies under it and is referred to as “ground water”.
India stores only 6% of its annual rainfall hence relies excessively on ground water sources to meet the needs of its 1.3 Billion people. In spite of adequate average rainfall in India, there is a large area under the less water conditions/drought prone. There are a lot of places where the quality of groundwater is poor and not fit for human consumption. Another issue lies in interstate distribution of rivers. Water supply of 90% of India’s territory is served by inter-state rivers. It has created a growing number of conflicts across the States and in the entire country at large on water sharing issues. Therefore conserving groundwater and focussing on their recharge is essential as it is a critical resource to support our biodiversity, ever-growing food consumption by human beings, cattle, livestock and to meet other needs.
The theme for World Water Day 2022 is ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible’. However the seriousness of the situation must be amplified beyond the title. For a country that is witnessing a constant increase in its population, the management of groundwater is inevitable to fulfil the demand for freshwater. India’s problem is going to be water, not her population. I would like to illustrate by highlighting a couple of situations that are already upon us and must be put into perspective to understand the gravity of the problem.
It was recently reported that Taiwan and India have been working to ink a mega deal to set up a semiconductor chip manufacturing plant estimated at $7.5 billion in India. This would supply everything from 5G devices to electric cars. The surge in sales for electronic devices during the pandemic has created a huge demand for semiconductors. But COVID-19 is not the only factor behind the shortage. But how many of us know that water is fundamental to the manufacturing of semiconductors? Over a series of steps, semiconductors are built in layers on silicon wafers into integrated circuits that are also called microchips. To create one integrated circuit on a 30cm wafer, can consume approx. 2200 gallons of water. That is a whopping 8300 litres of the purest form of water for a 30cm wafer. To further provide a perspective, this amount of potable water can cater to one Indian household for a full year.
Since the past two years, China has been in conflict with India on the North Eastern border. Geographically China maintains an advantageous position and can build infrastructure to intentionally prevent water from flowing downstream into India. The Yarlung Tsangpo River flows through Tibet and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra River when it enters India. China has already approved a super dam in Tibet last year and has a total of 28 proposed dams in the basin. India’s water security is distinctly threatened.
Looking inwards, the rapid pace of urbanization poses a major threat to our groundwater resources. It not only affects the quantity of water available but also its quality and chokes the ground water tables due to the concrete poured into building foundations. The deteriorated quantity and quality of water is extremely harmful to the health of the people that are forced to consume it owing to lack of access to safe water. As a consequence, people have to deal with water-borne diseases that contribute to almost 70% of illnesses, especially to women and children. It is amply known that water-borne diseases have an adverse effect on the economic condition of families owing to loss of incomes and hefty medical expenses.
Depletion of groundwater tables cannot be afforded under any circumstances. Every citizen is a stakeholder and must give proper attention towards water conservation. It is important to understand that India is not running out of water; water is running out of India without extracting it full potential benefits.
Since 2019, the Government of India has built a laser focus on implementing the world’s largest public welfare scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Nal se Jal and Har Ghar Jal have now become synonymous with all States and Union territories that have been allocated thousands of crores of rupees for implementation of their respective annual targets. While building new water infrastructure is essential, it is also important to focus on utilising the existing water treatment infrastructure that is already installed to serve communities across semi-urban, rural and even urban areas. The only way to optimize water infrastructure is through use of technology to optimize the functioning and operations of utilities such as Jal Nigams and Jal Boards. Adopting decentralized water treatment and water distribution methodologies will have a force multiplier effect on outcomes and help the various administrations achieve their goals in a quick time.
Water cannot be produced in a laboratory. The only way to stretch its availability is through conservation, efficient water treatment and optimum utilization. Increasing accessibility in an affordable manner will raise the awareness towards consumption in the minds of people. For water to be valued, a value must be attached to water.
So it can easily be concluded that “Water is Life”. Of the 17 SDG goals drawn up by the United Nations, SDG 6 stands for Clean Water while water directly or indirectly affects another 9 SDGs. No tech disruption can ever substitute the need for human beings to consume safe water to survive. Tech can only augment its quality, availability and accessibility.
The only way, I believe, is to focus on recharging of ground water tables and harnessing existing water resources along with supporting water treatment and distribution infrastructure through a multi-pronged, multi-skilled and multilateral approach.
(The author is Founder & CEO, JanaJal. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the TheSpuzz Online.)