Water For All: Importance, Conservation Methods, Rainwater Harvesting & Sustainable Management

Water for All: Water is the basic necessity for all life forms on the Earth. Almost 70% of the Earth’s surface is made up of water, but only 1% of the total of it is fit for use. Human intervention pollutes the water bodies and is also responsible for the changes in the availability of it in different regions. The regions with good water availability are developing rapidly and successfully in the field of agriculture and industries.

Why Is Water Important?

Water meets a large number of requirements of all living beings. Listed below are some major importance of water:

1. Water is required in our daily routine that includes cleaning, bathing, cooking, etc.
2. It constitutes about 75% of the total body fluid and serves as a medium of several metabolic activities.
3. It improves blood circulation, helps to produce saliva, and protects internal body organs from injuries.
4. Plants require water for photosynthesis, seed germination, and transportation of minerals and nutrients.
5. It prevents the wilting of leaves due to transpiration.
6. It also serves as a habitat for several organisms such as fishes, amphibians, etc.

What are the Main Sources of Water?

There are several sources of water. However, rivers, oceans, lakes, wells, glaciers, and rains are the main sources of water. Rainfall mainly occurs during the monsoon season. The rainwater fills lakes, ponds and flows into rivers. Some amount of rainwater seeps into the ground and becomes available as groundwater or subsoil water.

Why is the Conservation of Water Needed?

Despite good rainfall, we are not able to meet the water demand of the population due to the following reasons:

1. Exponential increase in population.
2. Lack of vegetation covers on the Earth causes the surface runoff of water; instead, beings seep into the soil and get stored as groundwater.
3. Industrialization and improper wastewater treatment result in water pollution due to the discharge of sewage and industrial wastes in the water bodies rendering them useless.
4. Some crops require a large amount of water for irrigation that results in a shortage of water.

These are some of the reasons why it is important for us to focus more on water conservation.

Methods of Conservation of Water

There are two methods that are widely used for the conservation of water. They are as follows:

1. Construction of Dams

The barriers constructed across the river to regulate its flow are called dams. The dam has a reservoir attached to it that stores the river water and releases it at the desired rate whenever required. Canal systems leading from these dams can transfer large amounts of water over long distances for irrigation. Indian government commissioned the construction of several dams, including Hirakud (1957), Gandhisagar (1960), Bhakhra-Nagal (1963), and Nagarjuna Sagar (1967).

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Advantages of Dams

• I. Water from the dam reservoir is used for irrigation and generating hydroelectricity.
• II. Dams help in the prevention of floods.
• III. The electricity produced by the dam system does not produce greenhouse gases and hence does not pollute the atmosphere.
• IV. Water from dams is also supplied to towns and cities through a pipeline.

Disadvantages of Dams

• I. A large population is displaced from the sites where dams need to be constructed. These people are not given appropriate compensation, and they are also not rehabilitated. It is a social problem due to the construction of dams.
• II. The construction of dams entails huge expenditure, while the return benefits are meagre. High-cost dams take several decades to become profitable.
• III. Soil erosion is one of the major environmental issues caused due to the construction of dams. The downstream water flow erodes the river banks.
• IV. Dam areas also serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and flies that are the vectors of several diseases.
• V. Waterlogging and siltation are the other problems caused due to the construction of Dams.

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2. Water Harvesting

Collection and storage of water during its abundant supply are called water harvesting. The water harvesting method involves collecting runoff water and using it for productive purposes like groundwater recharge, ecological balance, etc.

A large amount of freshwater is available and collected during rain through a rainwater harvesting system that comprises catchment, transporting pipes, flush tank, filtration tank, and storage tank.

Methods of Rainwater Harvesting

The following two methods are implied for rainwater harvesting:

• I. Surface runoff harvesting
• II. Rooftop harvesting

The water from surface runoff and rooftop is firstly collected into the catchment. The water is then transferred to the flush tank to drain out the first spell of rain. Further, the water reaches the filtration tank for the removal of pollutants. The water, at last, reaches the storage tank. The stored water can be used for the following purposes:

1. For drinking after fine filtration or microbial filtration.
2. For daily household chores.
3. For agricultural and industrial purposes.
4. It maintains the ecological balance.

Watershed management is an important key to water harvesting that leads to the scientific conservation of soil and water to increase biomass production and maintain ecological balance. A watershed describes land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common large reservoir of water, such as rivers. The main objectives of watershed management include:

1. Increase in the level of groundwater and prevent the wastage of water.
2. Increases the well-being of the community by reducing the effect of floods and drought.

Watershed Management through water harvesting during the rainy season is an ancient concept in India.

Khadin is a water harvesting system that is designed to harvest surface runoff water for agriculture. It is about 100-300 m long, built across the lower hill slopes below gravelly uplands. It is designed for rainwater harvesting on farmland and further utilizes this water-saturated land for agriculture.

Fig: Khadin System of Watershed Management

Following are some best examples of watershed management in different states of India:

3. Khuls System

Sustainable Management of Water

Sustainable management is the key to conserving and consuming natural resources so as it does not cause harm to the environment and is also continuously available for future generations. The following measures are in action for the sustainable management of water:

1. River Cleaning Project – Ganga Action Plan (GAP)

Ganga and its tributaries form the largest river system in our country. Ganga waters are the main sources of irrigation in the Northern plains. Several cities near its bank are indiscriminately dumping their wastes in Ganga, making the water polluted. Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1986 to prevent the pollution of Ganga water. Some important aspects of GAP towards the prevention of water pollution are as follows:

• I. Wastewater treatment before it is released into the river.
• II. Treatment of industrial effluents before their release in Ganga.
• III. Construction of ghats and interceptions at strategic locations.
• IV. Marinating a quality check of water by measuring coliform (a group of bacteria) in MPN/100 ml. It determines the biological oxygen demand of the water.
• V. The water pH should be measured with a universal indicator and should maintain neutral. The pH of water less than 7 indicates acidic content in the river and hence a high pollution level.

2. Sewage Treatment Plants

The wastewater from homes is called sewage. It must be treated in a sewage plant and recycled back for re-utilization in household activities. The main objective of the sewage treatment plant is to reduce the regular drawing of water from various water resources. The sewage treatment often involves three stages:

• I. Primary treatment: It is the physical process that involves removing large debris followed by sedimentation in tanks or clarifiers.
• II. Secondary treatment: It is the biological process in which the water is pumped into oxidation ponds to oxidise organic matter through microbes. The process results in the release of carbon dioxide formation and sludge or biosolid. The sludge is continuously aerated due to oxidation.
• III. Tertiary treatment: It is a physicochemical process. It involves the chemical oxidation of wastewater by strong oxidizing agents, such as chlorine gas, perchlorate salts, ozone gas, and UV radiations.
• After tertiary treatment, the water can be released into natural water and used for irrigation.

Summary

Water is the basis of all the living beings on Earth. Imagining life without water is not possible. Water regulates the metabolic activities of plants and animals. Nowadays, the available water resources are being exploited and being polluted drastically by human intervention. This adversely affects the quality and quantity of water and is also responsible for the changes in the availability of water in different geographical regions. By keeping in mind the importance of water, certain steps should be taken towards the conservation of water and sustainable management of water. Rainwater harvesting, Ganga action plan are a few necessary steps that bring the phenomenon of water for all into reality.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS RELATED TO WATER

FAQs on Water For All

Q.1. Why is water important?
Ans: Water is an important liquid because of the following reasons:
1. It is a medium of metabolic activities in the body.
2. It improves blood circulation.
3. It helps in the production of saliva.
4. It is utilized in photosynthesis and prevents wilting of leaves.
5. It constitutes about 75% of the total body fluid.

Q.2. What is a dam?
Ans: Dams are the barriers across the flowing water that regulate the flow of water in a particular direction and speed.

Q.3. What is rainwater harvesting?
Ans: Rainwater harvesting is a method of water conservation that involves the collection, filtration of rainwater, and storage of rainwater for further use.

Q.4. Which dam is the largest in India?
Ans: Tehri Dam is the largest dam in India. It measures a height of about 260 meters.

Q.5. What was the need for Ganga Action Plan?
Ans: The Ganga Action Plan was projected to reduce the pollution of rivers.

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