Water Management: Sources, Scarcity, Importance and Methods of Water Conservation

Water Management: Water exists in all three states: solid, liquid, and gas. For example, snow, water, and gas. Living beings can only use water in their liquid state. And though water covers nearly three-fourths of the Earth’s surface, most of it is in the oceans. The oceans support a variety of organisms, but their salty water is of no use to us or land organisms.

All of us depend on freshwater, which comprises only \(2.6\% \) of the water on the Earth. Most of the freshwater is in the frozen state, so only a small fraction of freshwater is readily available. Therefore, it is important for us to manage our water resources carefully as well as conserve them. In this article, we will study in detail different ways of water management and conservation.

Sources of Water

We need water for our biological survival and for various other purposes like irrigation, in industries, cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. The sources of water are places from where we get water. Some of the sources of water are as follows:

Surface Water

Rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and man-made tanks for storing rainwater are called surface water bodies. Surface water has been used for domestic purposes and for irrigation.

Groundwater

A part of the rain falls over land, enters the soil, and fills up the spaces between soil particles. After saturating the soil or filling up the spaces between the soil particles, rainwater moves downwards and gets collected above impervious rocks. This reservoir of water collected above impervious rocks is called groundwater.

Traditionally, groundwater has been utilised by digging wells. The modern way is to pump it out with the help of power-operated tubewells.

Rainwater

Rain is our primary source of water and is termed precipitation, which includes rain and snow. It is rain that replenishes our source of surface water and groundwater.

Scarcity of Water

The lack of adequate available water resources to meet the demands within a region, whether natural or caused by humans, is known as water scarcity. Water is dispersed unevenly throughout time and space. Much of it is squandered, contaminated, and poorly managed.

Although there is no such thing as a global water shortage, a number of places and regions are chronically short of water due to global water demand growing at twice the population over the previous century.

Water Management

The process of planning, producing, distributing, and managing the most efficient use of water resources is known as water management. Water is an absolute necessity for all living beings. Water resources are getting depleted at a very fast rate, and also there is a shortage of water in many places due to various factors. To avoid this shortage of water, it needs to be managed efficiently.

Mismanagement of water resulting in wastage of water can be made clear by the following examples:

(i) Mismanagement of water by the water supply department

The water supply department provides water to a variety of locations through a well-planned network of pipes, and not all the water reaches the destination due to leakage and a lot of water gushing out of these pipes, which leads to wastage of precious water. Sewer water is sometimes mixed with drinking water.

(ii) Mismanagement of water at the individual level

Brushing teeth, shaving, bathing, washing clothing, washing utensils, watering plants, and a variety of other activities all waste a lot of water, whether we realise it or not. Another source of significant water waste in our homes is leaking taps.

(iii) Mismanagement of rainwater

During the rainy season, the majority of the precipitation that falls around us just flows away into dirty water drains and becomes useless. This is the wastage of precious natural resources of water.

Ways to Manage Water

Water scarcity can be overcome through proper management of available water, which aids in water conservation and reduces waste. Some of the steps which can be taken for the proper management of water are given below:

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is one method of improving water supply in order to eliminate the shortage. The essential method of rainwater harvesting is to increase the efficiency with which rainwater seeps into the Earth by constructing percolation pits and recharge wells to recharge groundwater. In times of water scarcity, this water can be pumped out.

Revival of Bawris

Bawri is a step-well in which a person can go down by using steps to fetch water. The ancient water storage and recharging systems were known as Bawris. Bawris were mostly built in cities and large towns to collect water and deliver it to the people during droughts. The Bawris went out of favour with the arrival of piped water, and waste began to pile up in them. The Bawris, on the other hand, is being repaired and resurrected due to severe water shortages in some areas. And because of the revival of Bawris, the people in these places are managing their water needs well in spite of scanty rains in their area.

Drip Irrigation

The ‘drip irrigation’ approach can be used to effectively manage water in agriculture. Drip irrigation is a method of watering plants that use a system of narrow pipes or tubes with small holes that transport water straight to the plant’s base. Drip irrigation delivers water to plants’ root zones at a moderate rate, allowing it to be absorbed by the soil without a runoff. Thus, drip irrigation minimises the use of water in agriculture.

Our Role in Minimising Water Wastage

We can save water at home by minimising its wastage. The various ways to minimise the wastage are given below:

1. Repair the leaky taps as soon as possible. Taps that leak waste a lot of water. After each use, quickly turn off the faucet. While brushing your teeth or washing your hands, do not leave the tap running all the time.
2. Take a bath by filling a bucket with water rather than standing directly under a running tap. Fill a basin with water and wash the cutlery there instead of beneath the running tap.
3. Use the water from washing rice, vegetables or fruits for watering the plants at home.
4. When a half flush from the toilet is sufficient, do not use the entire flush from the cistern.
5. Mop the floor daily instead of washing it daily.

To draw everyone’s attention to the issue of water conservation, \({\rm{2}}{{\rm{2}}^{{\rm{nd}}}}\) March is celebrated as World Water Day every year, and the International Year of Freshwater was declared in \(2003\) to raise awareness of this rapidly depleting natural resource.

Summary

In this article, we learned that it is important for us to manage our water resources carefully as well as conserve them. We also learned the various sources of water and how these sources are getting depleted by man as well as naturally. We also studied the ways in which we can conserve water at home, as well as we studied the long-term management like rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation. 

FAQs on Water Management

Q1. What is water management?
Ans: The process of planning, producing, distributing, and managing the most efficient use of water resources is known as water management. Water is an essential requirement for all living things. Water resources are getting depleted at a very fast rate, and also there is a shortage of water in many places due to various factors. To avoid this shortage of water, it needs to be managed efficiently.

Q2. What is water resource management?
Ans: Water Resources Management is the process of planning, developing, and managing water resources across all water uses, in terms of both quantity and quality. Water management is supported and guided by institutions, infrastructure, incentives, and information systems.

Q3. How will you manage wastewater?
Ans: Physical water treatment, biological water treatment, chemical treatment, and sludge treatment are four primary methods for treating wastewater.

Q4. Why is wastewater management important?
Ans: The amount of garbage that is normally released into the environment is reduced as a result of wastewater treatment, therefore increasing the environment’s health. As a result, the government decreases the health hazards associated with environmental pollution and the water loss caused by pollution.

Q5. How do we conserve and manage water?
Ans: We can save water at home by minimising its wastage. The various ways to minimise the wastage are given below:
i. When not in use, keep the tap closed.
ii. Examine the water distribution lines for any cracks or leaks.
iii. Make sure to use the rainwater you collect for gardening or laundry.
iv. Always keep track of how many buckets of water are wasted each day and make an effort to limit it.
v. When washing and cleaning clothes, kitchenware, and other items, do not use more water than is necessary.

Study Conservation of Natural Resources Here

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