Water conservation in Maharashtra
Water is the elixir of life and its demand is enhanced with every developmental activity. In the last few years, water resources have become scarce all over the world because of various reasons. Many countries across the world are facing water scarcity. Water Scarcity in India Water scarcity is a major problem in India. India accounts for 17% of the world’s population but only 4% of the world’s water resources. Population explosion in the past few decades and mismanagement of water resources have contributed to this scarcity of water. It is estimated that by 2040, many cities will run out of both surface level and groundwater development programmes. Reasons for water scarcity● ● ● ●
Overuse of water- People tend to overuse water for unnecessary things. Using more than our needs has led to water scarcity in many places. Increasing Demand- Water is a limited resource but its demand is rapidly increasing due to the increasing population and insatiable needs of humans. Water pollution- Water pollution contaminates the water that is otherwise fit for drinking. Some of the major water pollutants are- domestic sewage, toxic waste, sediment, thermal pollution. Global Warming- Climate change and global warming have severely changed water access around the world. The prolonged monsoon this year in several states of India is evidence of the same.
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Poor Management and infrastructure- Another major reason for water scarcity is the collapsed infrastructure and the inability of the authorities to do their work has led to water scarcity in many cities across the world.
Water scarcity in Maharashtra Maharashtra has also been severely affected by water scarcity. In the last few years, many villages and cities have witnessed some major droughts. A large part of the state solely depends upon water tankers for meeting their needs. The water scarcity in Maharashtra has intensified over the years. Droughts, depletion of water in dams and reservoirs, over-exploitation of groundwater are some of the major factors that have contributed to this situation. This situation demands immediate attention from authorities and various organizations. There are many NGOs working for water conservation in Maharashtra. One such NGO is WOTR, which has been working since 1993 to create more sustainable and vibrant ecosystems across various villages in the country. The organization has helped over 3500 villages throughout the country and has transformed the lives of millions of people over the course of time. Water conservation is a major field that the organization works on. It has helped many villages over the years with water restoration by using sustainable and viable methods.
Water Conservation Methods Adopted By WOTR in Maharashtra WOTR has adopted various water conservation techniques in Maharashtra and has been able to help many villages with water restoration and management. Water Budgeting- It’s a management tool that estimates the amount of water required by a landscape that ensures optimum and efficient use of water. Following things are considered while estimating the water budget of any area● water availability, ● existing water needs ● requirement of water ● crop planning based on water availability ● optimizing irrigation ● equitable sharing of water ● groundwater use. WOTR appoints its Jal Sevaks (water volunteers) to different villages. The main role of these volunteers is to supervise and implement water budgeting activities in these villages. Every volunteer is trained for various challenges that they might face on the projects. Each volunteer works on implementing water conservation activities in his/her and neighboring villages.
Groundwater Mapping & Aquifer Management- The population explosion has put a lot of stress on the availability of groundwater. In the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in the use of groundwater for various purposes. WOTR is dealing with this by educating and motivating village communities to come together to better understand their water resources so as to enhance the supply through water harvesting structures and manage the use of water. The main objective of WOTR is the sustainability of water. It is, therefore, such techniques that ensure the long-term availability of water and also meet the current needs. Water harvesting and conservation- Many villages in the country don’t have access to clean drinking water. Many factors have contributed to this situation. Women in these places have to spend 2-3 hours every day just for securing potable water. The sanitation projects by WOTR provide clean drinking water. The project aims at providing new drinking water storage tanks are constructed. Borewells have been dug based on the existing aquifer in the village, new drinking water wells excavated and old drinking wells repaired. Besides, submersible electric pumps have been installed in the bore well to pump the water to storage tanks. Underground PVC pipelines are provided as well in order to transport water from the water source to the storage tanks.
NGOs and government organizations have been consistently working towards improving water access to people all over the country. With proper management of water resources and implementation of different water conservation techniques, the problem of scarcity of water can be curbed in the country. WOTR has transformed many villages since 1993 by implementing sustainable techniques for the conservation of the environment.