Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (Water)

Sustainable development is defined as progress that satisfies the requirements of the current generation without endangering future generations’ potential to fulfil their necessities. Sustainable management of natural resources is the conscious use of resources, preventing pollution of the environment and taking steps to preserve the resources. Water is a necessary natural resource for life on Earth. Conscious water use without wasting it and preserving all the water from natural sources is essential for sustainable development. One of the ways of preserving water is through building Dams. They help in water harvesting and provide stored water during scarcity.

Sustainable Management of Water

Sustainable Management of Water involves using water in ways that fulfil present, environmental, social and financial requirements without risking the capacity to meet those needs for the future.

Water Conservation

Human intervention could change the availability of water in various regions worldwide
Generally, regions of water scarcity are nearly identified in the regions of acute poverty
Rains in India are primarily due to the monsoons and falls in certain months of the year
Despite nature’s monsoon bounty, failure to sustain water availability has mainly resulted in:
Loss of vegetation cover
Diversion of water towards high demanding crops
Pollution from industrial effluents and urban wastes
Irrigation methods like dams, tanks and canals have been utilised in various parts of India since the past
The maintenance of those irrigation systems was an area affair. This system changed when the British arrived
These mega-projects eventually led to the neglect of local irrigation methods that have been in practice since our past
Further, the government also took control over the administration of these systems leading to the loss of control over the local water sources by the local people

Dams

Large dams can ensure adequate water storage not only for irrigation but also for generating electricity
Canal systems leading from these dams can transfer large amounts of water over great distances
Indira Gandhi Canal Helped information of greenery in considerable areas of Rajasthan
However, the advantages are cornered by a couple of people as there’s no equitable water distribution
People on the brink of source grow water-intensive crops like sugarcane and rice, while people farther downstream don’t get any water

Issues related to large dams

Social problems: Dams immerse many peasants and tribes without adequate compensation or rehabilitation
Economic problems: Dams immerse vast public money without generating proportionate benefits
Environmental problems: Dams contribute enormously to deforestation and loss of biological diversity

Water Harvesting

Watershed management emphasises scientific soil and conservation of water to extend biomass production. The aim is to develop primary resources of land and water, to supply secondary resources of plants and animals to be used in a manner that would not cause ecological imbalance.

Watershed management extends the production and income generated by the watershed community
It mitigates droughts and floods and increases the lifetime of the downstream dam and reservoirs
Many organisations are rejuvenating ancient water harvesting systems, which can act as alternatives to the megaprojects like dams

Some indigenous water saving methods are:

Dug small pits and lakes
Simple watershed systems
Built small earthen dams
Sand and limestone reservoirs
Set up rooftop water-collecting units

Pollution of the River Ganga

The Ganga runs over 2500 km from Gangotri within the Himalayas to Ganga Sagar in the Bay of Bengal.

It is being drained by more than 100 towns and urban communities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal that empty their trash and excreta into it
Largely untreated sewage is unloaded into the Ganges daily
Industries contribute chemical effluents to the Ganga’s pollution load and therefore toxicity kills fish in large sections of the river

Initiatives Taken To Clean The Ganga

Ganga Action Plan: This multi-crore project came about in 1985 because the water quality in the Ganga deteriorated with a high presence of coliform count. Coliform is a rod-shaped bacteria found in human intestines, whose presence in water indicates contamination by disease-causing microorganisms
Namami Gange Programme: It’s an Integrated Conservation Mission approved as a Flagship Programme by the Union Government in June 2014
It was dispatched to achieve the vitally double targets of powerful reduction of contamination preservation and revival of River Ganga
The National Mission for Clean Ganga is the implementation wing brought in October 2016

Conclusion

Water is an essential need for all terrestrial living forms. Water bodies are polluted as a result of human interference. Human activity also alters the availability of water in different areas. Despite adequate monsoon, the inability to maintain underground water supply has been caused mainly through loss of plant cover and contamination from untreated wastewater. Dams and canals have been utilised for irrigation in various areas for a long time. Large dams can offer enough water storage not just for agriculture but also for electricity generation. Canal systems connecting these dams may transport significant volumes of water across long distances. Sustainable management of natural resources (water) is a necessity of the present to prevent water scarcity in the future.