Water Pollution is a major environmental issue in India. The largest source of water pollution in India is untreated sewage Other sources of pollution include agricultural runoff and unregulated small-scale industry. Most rivers, lakes and surface water in India are polluted due to industries, untreated sewage and solid wastes.
As India grows and urbanizes, its water bodies are getting toxic. It is estimated that around 70% of surface water is unfit for consumption. Every almost 40 million litre of waste water enter river and other bodies with only a tiny fraction adequately treated. A recent world bank suggests that such a release of pollution upstream lowers economic growth in downstream areas, reducing GDP growth in these regions by up to a third. To make it worse, in middle-income countries like India where water pollution is a bigger problem, the impact increases to a loss of almost half of GDP growth. Another Study Estimate that being downstream of polluted stretches in India is associated with a 9% reduction in agricultural revenues and a 16% drop in downstream agricultural yields.
The Central Pollution Control Board, a Ministry of Environment & Forests Government of India entity, has established a National Water Quality Monitoring Network comprising 1,429 monitoring stations in 28 states and 6 in Union Territories on various rivers and water bodies across the country. This effort monitors water quality year round. The monitoring network covers 293 rivers, 94 lakes, 9 tanks, 41 ponds, 8 creeks, 23 canals, 18 drains and 411 wells distributed across India. Water samples are routinely analysed for 28 parameters including dissolved oxygen, bacteriological and other internationally established parameters for water quality. Additionally 9 trace metals parameters and 28 pesticide residues are analysed. Biomonitoring is also carried out on specific locations.
The scientific analysis of water samples from 1995 to 2008 indicates that the organic and bacterial contamination is severe in water bodies of India. This is mainly due to discharge of domestic waste water in untreated form, mostly from the urban centres of India.
Water Conservation – Solutions
- Reusing Water
- Water left after washing vegetables can be used for gardening.
- Water drained from RO filters at home can be used for mopping the floor.
- Preventing Wastage
- Not leaving taps running while brushing.
- Aerators save nearly 35-40% of water a minute when compared to normal taps.
- Doing laundry when washing machine is fully loaded.
- Trying bathing with one bucket of water instead of taking shower or installing water-saving shower heads to cut down 80% of water usage.
- Installation of composting toilets.
- Checking for leakages in the house.
Global Water Crisis
- 844 million people lack access to clean water. Out of this, 159 million people depend on surface water to meet their basic needs.
- Over 2 billion people live without access to improved sanitation.
- Scarcity of clean water is also a health crisis as statistics indicate that a child dies every two minutes from a water related disease.
- Each year, at least one million people are killed by water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases.
- In 2017, water played a major role in conflict in at least 45 countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Yemen had the most water related conflicts with at least 28 individual events reported.
- By 2040, it is predicted that 33 countries are likely to face extremely high water stress including 15 in the Middle East, most of Northern Africa, Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan.
- Many including India, China, South Africa, U.S.A and Australia will also face high water stress.
