All you need to know about the shrinking reservoirs in India

By Elton Gomes

Shrinking reservoirs in India, Iraq, Spain, and Morocco could lead to the next global water crisis, according to a satellite warning system for dams. The system has named countries in which shrinking reservoirs could lead to water taps drying up, as per media reports.

According to a report by Business Standard ”poor rains” in 2017 has left the upstream Indira Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh a third below its seasonal average. When some of this shortfall transferred to the downstream Sardar Sarovar reservoir, it resulted in public outrage, the Sarfar Sarovar reservoir acts as a drinking water supply for around 30 million people.

Shrinking reservoirs have now become a significant cause of concern for India, as the country is heavily reliant on reservoirs and dams to support agriculture.

Here’s what happened:

Water crisis around the world

Cape Town might just be the first city where taps might soon run completely dry. Officials have claimed that Cape Town’s taps will run have dried out by April 12, 2018, which is now being deemed as Day Zero.

In Cape Town, residents are now recycling bath water to flush their toilets. They are being told to shower for only 90 seconds, and ”unwashed hair is now a sign of social responsibility,” a resident was quoted by CNN. The alarming situation in Cape Town has raised concerns over depleting water resources. However, Cape Town is just one example of a city facing acute water shortage.

According to BBC, all over the world, over a billion people do not have access to water, and another 2.7 billion suffer severe scarcity of water for at least one month every year.

The United Nations (UN) claims that the global demand for fresh water will exceed the available supply by 40% in the year 2030. A combination of climate change, human action, and population growth is to be blamed for this inconsistency between supply and demand.

Water shortage in India

Citing the Central Water Commission, an article in Scroll mentions that water storage in India’s reservoirs have drastically reduced. In 91 reservoirs across India water storage was at only 32% of the total storage capacity. The current figure is 12% lower than the amount of water that was stored in these reservoirs in 2017.

India seems to be staring at a water shortage disaster due to lack of appropriate action from the Centre or state governments. A serious lack of sustained attempts to manage the quantity and the quality of water has put India in a precarious position, according to a report by Quartz.

What is more, the lack of adoption of cost-effective water conservation technologies have hindered any measures to save water.

At present, Bengaluru appears to be hit hard by the water shortage crisis. The city’s rise as the new technological hub has led to a rise in property development, and local officials are struggling to meet Bengaluru’s water demands. The city currently ranks second on the list of cities likely to run out of drinking water soon, BBC reported.

Courtesy: News18

As India is largely an agricultural economy, such critical water shortage issues should be addressed immediately. If appropriate measures are not properly and rapidly implemented, India could be facing a severe water crisis, and the country might just experience its own Day Zero.

Why you should care

Saving a precious resource like water should be the social responsibility of every individual. Turning taps off when not required can be one of the simplest ways of saving water.

As India now appears to be on the brink of a major water shortage crisis, a consolidated effort is required to save enough water for future generations. Something as easy and affordable as fixing leaks can help save water. According to the Better India, even a minor leak—20 drops in a minute—can waste up to six litres of water per day.

Yet another water-saving method involves bucket baths are considered to be a more efficient way of saving water than showering, which uses 8.5 times more water. However, if you still wish to shower, keep it to under 5 minutes, and you could save up to 2,000 litres of water per month.

Substantial amounts of water can be also be saved by hotels, by recycling the drinking water that customers have only sipped at, instead of throwing away an entire glass of water.

Prajakta Samant, a Mumbai resident, highlighted the need to conserve water and began the #JitniPyaasUtnaGlass campaign.

Credit: Twitter/@jalmarket_

Washing cars with just a bucket of water can also save a significant amount of water as well. Citizens need to be informed about the ill effects of wasting water. The simplest of water conservation measures can sometimes be the most effective.