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Indians beware, water shortage ahead: UNICEF report

UNITED NEWS OF

INDIA

NEW DELHI, April 26: India is headed inexorably towards a water crisis, a new United Nations report warns. According to the report brought out by the UN Childrens' Fund (UNICEF), by the year 2017 there would not only be acute shortage of ground water but also drinking water particularly in the summer months.

Already 44 million people suffer the consequences of drinking contaminated water thereby seriously affecting the health of future generations who are growing up with bouts of debilitating diarrhoeal diseases. UNICEF officials here say one of the many reasons for high levels of undernourishment among Indian children is the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases which, in turn, is because of consumption of unsafe water and poor sanitation.

The problem of water scarcity is worsened because of sheer wastage and mismanagement. Too much water is lost either through seepage or diverted towards irrigation and urban settlements.

By 2017, per capita availability of water will decline to 1,600 cubic metres -- alevel defined by the UN as significantly ``water-stressed'' and holding out the threat of serious water-borne diseases.

In conjunction with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNICEF has already surveyed sites in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to discover the causes of water shortage and come up with remedial measures.

Broadly, the UNICEF report lays blame on the principle that the water below an individual's property is his which has resulted in uncontrolled extraction of water using borewells for irrigation and cash crops. The UNICEF-WWF report also blames subsidised electricity which allows farmers to pump water out of their property with impunity thereby dangerously lowering the water table. The report suggests a tax on ground water to prevent misuse. Indiscriminate sinking of bore wells has already rendered ground water in states like Punjab unfit for agriculture and other uses because of high mineral content, according to government reports. Interestingly, thereport predicted that socio-economic aspects including caste and gender would have great bearing on the impending water crisis.

Women, who are usually burdened with the job of fetching water from remote sources, may walk up to 5 km a day to fetch about 150 litres of water. Their troubles are not bettered by the fact that two-thirds of handpumps on which almost 400 million Indians depend for their water supplies are in some stage of disrepair.

Caste considerations prevent Dalits from accessing water in the Garhwal region and their women may have to walk several extra km to get it. One suggestion made by the report is for communities to be put in charge of their own water sources for ensuring awareness of the need for preservation and protection.

What is the Clean

Water Campaign?

The Clean Water

Campaign is a cooperative,

multi-agency public education

initiative spearheaded by local

governments in metro Atlanta,

supported by the Metropolitan North Georgia

Water Planning District and managed by the

Atlanta Regional Commission. Its mission is to

build awareness of water quality problems and

solutions in the 16-county District.

Why should you care

about clean water?

Imagine no longer being able to fish, swim or

wade through your favorite stream, river or lake.

It might surprise you, but many waters in the

metro Atlanta area are degraded due to polluted

stormwater runoff.

Each time it rains, the resulting stormwater runoff

picks up debris such as litter, pesticides, chemicals,

motor oil and dirt as it flows across rooftops

and lawns, streets and parking lots.These pollutants

are deposited, untreated, into our waterways.

Increased runoff from developed areas can also

cause flooding and erosion of stream banks,

which creates even more sediment that enters

our streams.

Stormwater pollution can make monitoring and

treatment of our drinking water more difficult

and costly. In addition, it can hinder the health

of the aquatic ecosystem. If polluted stormwater

contaminates our water sources, the result can

be the closing of our rivers, lakes and streams

to the public.

How can I get involved?

There are many different opportunities for

involvement in the Clean Water Campaign.

Here are just a few:

Invite a speaker from our Speakers Bureau

to your next civic club or neighborhood

association meeting.

Visit www.cleanwatercampaign.com for

more detailed information on stormwater

pollution prevention.

Become a volunteer.

Become a corporate sponsor.

Public Education and

Awareness Program

Now there is a way you can help spread the

word to your friends, neighbors and local

businesses about how all of us can be a solution

to stormwater pollution.

The Clean Water Campaign hopes to reach metro

Atlanta residents through a broad-based public

information and education effort that includes:

A Web site, www.cleanwatercampaign.com

Storm drain stenciling program

Fact sheets and brochures

Corporate partnerships

Media and public service campaign

Community workshop program

We need your help to expand this effort and make

clean water in metro Atlanta a reality!