As the summer season is on and the mighty sun is blistering in full swing, the obvious problem that we face is water scarcity. Water is the most important natural resource known to humans and other creatures with whom we share this mighty Earth. Right from quenching thirst, to domestic and household purposes, water has numerous uses. It is essential for farmland irrigation by which our hardworking cultivators provide the entire world with grains.
According to the World Economic Forum, in 2019, water scarcity is one of the largest global risks. We are already witnessing a water deficit in our daily lives. We read in newspapers about how Chennai, Maharashtra, the capital city Delhi and Rajasthan are facing the problem of acute water shortage. Women in Rajasthan travel miles to get water in the scorching heat, across the sandy desert.
Water scarcity occurs due to poor water management, water degradation owing to pollution, and depletion of the groundwater table due to very less rainfall. It is also said that “Wars of the 21st century will be fought over water”!
It is high time for us to shift our focus to the solutions for water scarcity. We shouldn’t resort to blaming the government for everything; it is also our individual duty to find solutions for water scarcity – check leakages, repair taps, and adopt rainwater harvesting. The government can check on water mafias which are active in Goa and Maharashtra, keeping the overall population of a nation below a certain limit as fewer people equals to less resource usage. Laws and policies should be strictly monitored to keep a check on those industries which highly pollute the water.
Our nation can take an example from countries like New Zealand where there is a strict water quality standard set by its Ministry of Health. China too has established a legal framework for water management which includes water licensing, evaluating water resources and monitoring polluted water discharge into rivers.
In conclusion, all I want to say is “Save water to save millions of lives”.