Water: The Elixir of Life
By: Dr. Satyawan Saurabh
India, with 18% of the world’s population and only 4% of fresh water resources, is facing a severe water crisis. Overexploitation of groundwater, pollution, unbalanced agriculture, and climate change are the major causes.
Despite government schemes and policies, the situation is worsening due to lack of implementation of policies and public participation. Making water conservation a mass movement, promoting micro irrigation, fixing water prices, and making recycling mandatory is the need of the hour. Unless policy, behavior, and consciousness change simultaneously, water crisis will continue to challenge India’s future.
The water crisis in India has become such an irony that it makes one wonder why we are yearning for every drop of water despite so many plans, announcements and policies.
When a country has 18% of the world’s population and has only 4% of the fresh water resources, then the possibility of a crisis is justified, but if huge number of policies on water conservation and water management plans have been made over the years then this is not just a natural crisis, it is a collective failure.
If we understand the water situation in India in terms of statistics, the horror is clearly visible. The Niti Aayog report says that India is the world’s largest consumer of groundwater.
India alone extracts about 25% of groundwater. More than 11% of groundwater blocks are in a state of ‘over-exploited’. 21 major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have been warned that groundwater will be exhausted by 2030. On the other hand, 70% of water sources are polluted. This water contaminated with fluoride, arsenic, nitrate and heavy metal is affecting more than 23 crore people. Every year about 2 lakh deaths occur only due to waterborne diseases – this is not just a statistic, it is the height of our insensitivity.
This water crisis is not limited to rural areas or the poor. In 2019, when a modern city like Chennai faced “Day Zero” and had to run water trains, it became clear that this problem is no longer at the doorstep, but inside the house. And yet we forget it every time, considering it a seasonal problem.
The question is that policies were made – National Water Policy (2012), Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Namami Gange, Jal Shakti Abhiyan – but why is the water level still falling? The answer is simple – our policies do not reach the ground, and there is no change in our behavior.
Even today, most farmers in the country grow water-guzzling crops. In water-scarce states like Punjab and Haryana, paddy and sugarcane are cultivated only because the government provides MSP and free electricity. The result — rapid exploitation of groundwater, erosion of fields and depletion of water sources. On the other hand, modern water conservation measures like drip irrigation or sprinklers are limited to only 9% of farms. Farmers know, but do not adopt — because there is a gap between policy and practice.
Talking about cities, leakage and wastage is everywhere, from pipelines to tanks. Smart metering is still a new word for most municipalities. Measures like recycling and rainwater harvesting are visible at some places, but are not adopted en masse.
The most worrying thing is that water crisis is still considered only a ‘natural problem’. Whereas it is clearly a ‘policy and moral’ crisis. Unless this attitude changes, no plan will be successful.
It is time for India to stop treating water as a “free resource” and look at it as a “life value”. This requires some deep and concrete reforms. First, there should be a price for water – whether it is for drinking or irrigation. The culture of free water has turned consumption into waste. Pricing water can strike a balance between social justice and environmental prudence.
Second, micro irrigation systems need to be taken out of planning papers and made a reality on the ground. For this, technical training, affordable availability, and a support system at the local level will have to be created.
Third, groundwater management should not be the responsibility of the government alone but also of the village panchayats and local communities. Atal Bhujal Yojana can be promoted as a successful model in this direction.
Fourth, farmers need water-based crop guidance, not just crop insurance or subsidies. This will happen only when the MSP framework promotes water-conserving crops. The country needs policy interventions that increase farmer incomes and also save water.
Fifth, make water recycling compulsory in cities. Municipalities that do not recycle wastewater should be brought to justice through both penalties and incentives. Rainwater harvesting should be made compulsory in large buildings, and compliance should be monitored.
Sixth, water conservation should not be taught as just an environmental chapter in children’s school curriculum, but as a behaviour change. If the next generation considers water ‘precious’, then today’s thirst can save the dry earth of the future.
Seventh, water conservation has to be made a ‘people’s movement’ – as the Prime Minister had called for. But this call should not be seen only in speeches but also in budget and administrative commitment. The Jal Shakti Ministry should not only be a tap-connecting ministry, but it will have to lead water policy, water education and water awareness.
At the same time, the role of the private sector also needs to be understood and enhanced. Promoting PPP models in services such as water ATMs, pipeline management, smart metering, and water recycling can not only bring in investment but also technological innovations.
And most importantly – we must understand that the water crisis is not just a matter of scientists and bureaucrats. It is a crisis of the common citizen. Every home, every hand must take the responsibility that water will not be wasted, and every drop will be respected.
In this era of climate change, when the amount of rainfall has become erratic, and the Himalayan glaciers are melting rapidly — we must consider water not as ‘infinite’ but as ‘limited and fragile’ resource. Water has been given the status of a deity in the cultural tradition of India — but the irony is that today the same water is flowing in the rivers in the form of excreta, or is poisoning the groundwater through dirty drains.
Therefore, today’s India is not just facing a ‘water crisis’, but it is also playing with its future. An India submerged in water crisis will weaken on every front of development – be it health, agriculture, industry or social harmony.
Ultimately it can be said that water crisis is not just a ‘problem’ – it is also a test of system, culture, education and intentions. If we do not take care even now, history will be witness to the fact that we lost a resource which was the basis of life and every drop of which was more precious than gold.
Now the time has come to come out of the barrage of policies and adopt a practical movement to save every drop of water. Because in the coming years, ‘water’ is going to become the biggest issue of ‘politics’, ‘economic power’ and ‘social justice’.
(The author is a social analyst and writes for several publications)
