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ater scarcity, or the lack of sufficient water resources to
meet demands, affects every continent. Around 1.2 billion
people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live
in areas of physical scarcity, with another 500 million
people approaching this situation (Amarsinghe & Sharma
2009, Sharma & Bharat 2009). Another 1.6 billion people, or almost one-fourth
INDIA SHOULD IMPLEMENT of the world’s population, face economic water shortage (i.e., where countries
ADAPTIVE GREEN AND GRAY
lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers). The
world population is expected to increase from 7.7 billion in 2018 to between
WATER MANAGEMENT
Layout imagery by Shutterstock.com/SmallWorldProduction
9.4 and 10.2 billion by 2050, with two-thirds of the population living in cities
STRATEGIES AS IT FACES AN (KPMG International 2010). The global demand for water has been increasing
UNCERTAIN WATER FUTURE.
at a rate of about 1% per year as a function of population growth, economic
development, and changing consumption patterns, among other factors, and it
will continue to grow significantly over the next two decades, resulting in water
scarcity in various parts of the world (WWAP 2018).
“Water scarcity” is defined as the point at which the aggregate impact of
all users impinges on the supply or quality of water under prevailing institu-
tional arrangements to the extent that the demand by all sectors, including
the environment, cannot be satisfied fully. Whenever there is a lack of access
to potable water for drinking and sanitation, water is scarce. “Water shortage”
42 CHAKRABORT I E T A L . | M AY 2 0 1 9 • 1 1 1 :5 | J O U R N A L AWWA
is a relative concept and can occur at Hydrologists typically assess scar- Situation and Prospects (UNICEF et
any level of supply or demand city by looking at the population– al. 2013), more than 1.1 billion peo-
(Batten 2018). Shortage may be a water equation (UNICEF et al. ple lack access to potable water. As
social construct—that is, a product 2013). A country is defined as suffer- more people put increasing demand
of affluence, expectations, and cus- ing high relative water stress if on existing water resources, the cost
tomary behavior—or the conse- demand is greater than 40% of the and effort to build or even maintain
quence of altered supply patterns, for
example, stemming from climate
change. Future water availability and
water quality will be affected by pro- At current consumption rates, two-thirds of
jected changes in flood and drought
the world’s population may face water
occurrences and risks (Vorosmarty
2000). The number of people at risk shortages by 2025.
from floods is projected to rise from
1.2 billion today to around 1.6 billion
in 2050, or nearly 20% of the
world’s population (WWAP 2018). renewable water supply (Kummu et access to water increase. At current
The concept of water shortage al. 2016). An area is experiencing consumption rates, two-thirds of the
may also refer to the difficulty in water stress when annual water sup- world’s population may face water
obtaining freshwater sources and the plies drop below 0.45 mil gal per shortages by 2025.
deterioration and depletion of avail- person. When annual water supplies Water shortage is both a natural
able water sources (Sharma & drop below 0.30 mil gal per person, and a human-made phenomenon.
Bharat 2009). Some of the factors the population faces water scarcity, There is enough freshwater on the
contributing to water scarcity are and below 0.13 mil gal, it faces planet for 7 billion people, but it’s
climate change, overuse, and “absolute scarcity.” At present, an distributed unevenly and too much of
increased pollution. Worldwide estimated 3.6 billion people (nearly it is wasted, polluted, and unsustain-
about 2.7 billion people experience half the global population) live in ably managed (WWAP 2012). Glob-
water scarcity every year (WWAP areas that are potentially water- ally, water use is expected to continue
2012). Water use has been growing scarce at least one month per year, increasing as a function of population
at more than twice the rate of popu- and this population could increase to growth, economic development, and
lation increases in the last century some 4.8–5.7 billion by 2050 changing consumption patterns,
and, although there is no global (WWAP 2018). among other factors (WWAP 2018).
water scarcity as such, an increasing Safe water, or good-quality water, Figure 1 presents water use disparities
number of regions are chronically is essential for a healthy human life, among various sectors in the devel-
Three
short column (UNICEF
of water figure max width
et al.=2013).
37p9 (actual but
2 column width = 39p9)
according to Water in India: oped and underdeveloped countries
FIGURE 1 Water use in various sectors for high-income (A) and lower-middle-income (B) countries
Agricultural use
Industrial use
Domestic use
High-income countries Lower-middle-income countries
22% 14%
28% 10%
50% 76%
44 CHAKRABORT I E T A L . | M AY 2 0 1 9 • 1 1 1 :5 | J O U R N A L AWWA
are some of the major causes of shown in Figure 2, the per capita deforestation. Sources of water pol-
water scarcity in India. water availability in 1951 was about lution include nonpoint sources,
Overpopulation. Population growth 1.4 mil gal but decreased to 0.6 mil such as pesticides and fertilizers from
is causing tremendous stress on water gal in 1991; by 2011, it had declined farms (Amarsinghe & Sharma 2009),
supply. India is the second most pop- to approximately 0.4 mil gal (Bhat along with point sources such as
ulous country in the world and had a 2014, Sharma & Bharat 2009). industrial and human waste, a sig-
population estimated at 1.31 billion About 54% of people in India are nificant amount of which is directly
as of July 2018 (US Census Bureau under the threat of water stress (Shiao dumped into rivers without treat-
Current Population 2019), and et al. 2015), and approximately 600 ment. In India, about 114 tril gal of
increased life expectancy and other million people in the northwestern groundwater is replenished yearly
factors contribute to rising popula- and southern regions of India are from rainfall and river flows, but
tion and overcrowding in many under “extremely high” to “high” 104 tril gal of that is used each year,
areas. In addition, because of various water-stress conditions. 82% for irrigation and agricultural
socioeconomic factors, many urban Data from India’s Ministry of Water purposes and 18% toward domestic
centers have seen large influxes from Resources, River Development, and and industrial water use (Bhat 2014).
rural areas. The resulting develop- Ganga Rejuvenation indicate per capita Agriculture remains the predominant
ment, too often poorly planned, has water availability in 2025, and 2050 is sector of employment, engaging
led to a loss of ecosystems and bio- estimated to decrease from 2001 levels more than half of India’s workforce
diversity. Rapid urbanization, with by 36 and 60%, respectively (Bhat in some way. The deteriorating state
the resulting increase in paved areas 2014, KPMG 2010); Figure 2 presents of water management systems, which
and decrease in reservoir capacity, the projected population and per capita serve the multiple needs of liveli-
drainage, and space for recharge water supply per year in India until hood, security, and irrigation for
areas, has resulted in an increase in 2050. If India can’t offset these future many small-scale farmers, has been
local urban flooding. water demands, its agricultural, indus- another concerning trend (UNICEF
As the population continues to trial, and domestic water users will et al. 2013).
Threeand
grow, column figure max
migration ofwidth = 37p9 (actual 2
population column
likely width
face = 39p9)
increasingly frequent and While oil spills and leakage from
in already-stressed urban centers more severe water shortages. landfills have seeped underground,
continues, demands for water will Water pollution. India’s increasing polluting the groundwater in some
put additional strains on over- population has resulted in excessive areas, the largest source of water pol-
allocated freshwater resources. As air and water pollution along with lution in India is untreated sewage.
FIGURE 2 Population and per capita water supply per year in India
Per capita water supply
Population
1,600,000 1,800
1,367,618
1,400,000 1,600
1,250,062
Per Capita Water Supply—gal/year
1,400
1,200,000
1,200
Population—millions
1,000,000
1,000
800,000
800
583,556
600,000 479,736
408,146 600
354,255
400,000 301,156
400
200,000 200
0
1951 1955 1991 2001 2011 2025 2050
Year
Data sources: KPMG International 2010; Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India
46 CHAKRABORT I E T A L . | M AY 2 0 1 9 • 1 1 1 :5 | J O U R N A L AWWA
infiltration, and transmission so Stormwater management and conser- Better water accounting would
that improvements are made in the vation. To encourage more pervious support more economically viable
location, timing, and quantity of areas for infiltration, recharge shafts water markets for an already stressed
water available for human needs. or trenches should be constructed in water sector, and to this end, the cre-
The various regulatory programs paved areas, use of pervious pave- ation of a robust water accounting
have the same goals—to use storm- ment should be encouraged, and framework is integral to a better
water as a resource and to reduce stormwater drainage must be imple- water policy for India. By contrast,
pollutants, fertilizers, debris, and mented along roads and footpaths. such policies as providing free elec-
other harmful materials draining In addition, dredging operations in tricity to farmers or giving financial
into rivers, lakes, and oceans. In large water bodies and reservoirs support for groundwater extraction
addition to the benefits to water should be promoted to increase have resulted in uncontrolled exploi-
quality, green infrastructure beauti- water storage capacity. The Indian tation and waste of resources.
fies streets and neighborhoods while government needs to enhance its Water reuse. Water reuse can help
improving water and air quality and investment in technology and include alleviate water scarcity (Madaan
aesthetics. Therefore, green infra- all stakeholders at the planning level 2018). For example, nonpotable
structure could supplement gray to ensure efficient use of existing water (graywater) produced from
infrastructure for water supply in resources. Education and public reclaimed water should be used for
India in a positive, natural way. awareness campaigns must be put in car washing, landscape irrigation,
Irrigation techniques. Traditional place to curb the pollution of water industrial processing, and toilet
irrigation techniques result in sig- sources from domestic solid and flushing. Desalination of seawater or
nificant water loss from evapora- sewage wastes and to promote the brackish groundwater may be con-
tion, drainage, percolation, water conservation of freshwater. sidered; however, the high costs of
conveyance, and excessive ground- Nonrevenue water. The amount of capital, operations, and maintenance
water use. Potential solutions nonrevenue water (NRW) is high for may make wide-scale use of desali-
include educating farmers on best several reasons, including advanced nation technology unfeasible.
practices, including micro-irrigation system age, poor maintenance, illegal Overdevelopment. Unplanned and
techniques such as drip and sprinkler connections, leakage, and lack of unrestricted expansion of urban cen-
irrigation. A model developed by the proper mapping. Average NRW in ters must be curtailed. Leaks in the
International Water Management India has been estimated at almost water distribution systems as well as
Institute and Earthscan of water 32% (ADB 2007, MWR 2006). In in homes and businesses must be min-
demand and supply for 118 coun- some Indian cities, NRW is more than imized. Water conservation needs to be
tries, accounting for 93% of the half of water produced (ADB 2007). promoted among all water users.
world’s population, estimated that
a 50% increase in demand for
water by 2025 can be met by
increasing the efficiency of irriga- Many Indian cities and towns often run out of
tion (CAWMA 2007).
water during the summer because of the
Aquifer recharge. Rapid develop-
ment has ignored traditional water absence of sufficient surface water systems
bodies that have acted as groundwa-
ter recharging mechanisms, so this
and infrastructure, leaving groundwater as the
connection must be reinforced or only feasible source.
reestablished as areas grow. Govern-
ments and organizations can take
measures to recharge aquifers by
infiltrating or injecting treated sur- Part of the problem is a lack of Specific proposals for water con-
face water into the underground metered connections and the extent servation in India include wide-
aquifers. This may include restoring of distribution networks with inade- spread education and increased use
watersheds and wetlands and sup- quate pumping facilities. These are of green infrastructure like rainwater
porting green infrastructure aimed at major determinants of water utilities’ harvesting and stormwater capture.
reducing impervious surfaces. Per- successful performance. It is esti- Investments must be made to
mitting further construction of mated that the typical Indian munici- upgrade water distribution systems,
groundwater extraction structures pal water utility has the potential to data management, and metering
and registration of drilling agencies improve water pumping system effi- infrastructure. The utility budgets
should be made mandatory and ciency by 25%, thereby increasing should include a billing system put
enforced in India. supply reliability (ASE 2008). in place to ensure water use of all
48 CHAKRABORT I E T A L . | M AY 2 0 1 9 • 1 1 1 :5 | J O U R N A L AWWA
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