We drive through the winding roads of Pauri, Uttarakhand, at the behest of a concerned minister. We stop at a dozen water treatment plants on the banks of rivers, sample water, and test it. The results are the same — excellent physical and chemical properties but all test positive for E.coli, an indicative bacterium for faecal contamination. The villages we traverse either have open gutters, filled with plastic, or none at all. Sewage finds its way into clean water. A ray of hope here is the pine trees being replaced by the local bhaanj which retains water in its deep taproots and provides potable water round the year — a lesson in sustainability. Humans seem to have gone back to their roots, rejecting ‘modern’ ways of managing forests and water.
Families in the villages have to walk fifty to a hundred metres to fetch water for daily use. The sanitation facilities are common but kept clean. The water from the common toilets is let out without treatment. The thriving shrubs downstream of the discharge are a testament to the presence of nutrient-rich untreated sewage.
Towards the end of the journey, we stop at the local kirana store to buy a bottle of water. It is closed. A neighbour proudly offers us ‘pure’ water from his proud new possession, an RO water purifier, a sign of new-found prosperity from selling land. We drink the almost-distilled water without bacteria and head towards Rishikesh.
A road trip to Vrindavan is a reality check on the water situation. An ashram, a social net for the elderly, is in need of an economical water solution. We stop at a prosperous-looking farm on the banks of the river Yamuna. A crop of mustard is being sowed. The owner comes with an earthy grin and offers us hot tea. We chat and learn that electricity is erratic, so he leaves his pumps on for irrigation and floods the farm. We talk about productivity, water, irrigation and fertilizer. He is oblivious to most of it, including drip irrigation. After all, water is ample and electricity is free, so why bother about such things? We have practised this for generations. Isn’t the government paying to use it? Further small talk over a hot kachori reveals that the water table has been falling, pump failures are frequent, and the water smells bad, but it seems to be working well for the crop. What the farmer is pumping is the discharged sewage from upstream which has contaminated the groundwater. It reminds me of a cousin saying, “The rivers of India are in direct communication with the lower end of the gastrointestinal tract of those who live upstream and with the upper end of those who live downstream.” For me, the trip yields no business. I am ridiculed for the water budget and treatment scheme. The learned managing committee of retired professionals resonates: “If water is free, the treatment scheme should be free too!”
The story of the village Ter in Maharashtra involves a large lake full of water and a well-kept water treatment plant lying idle due to electricity arrears which no one wants to clear. The villages around struggle to find water at their doorsteps. One hand pump for 100 households wastes almost 200 productive man-hours daily, and in return, is doubtful of adequate and safe water. The drinking water agenda is hijacked by an RO ATM selling water at the princely sum of Rs 3 per litre – but at least it is cheaper than Rail Neer! The sarpanch of the village struggles to bring in piped water and too many vested interests wear him down. The sewage does not even get attention as everyone is too occupied to get water for their daily chores.
We shift gears to the affluence of Mumbai. Alibaug, the Hamptons of Bombay, is a quiet hamlet located 14 km as the crow flies south of Mumbai. The million-plus dollar weekend homes have a perennial problem of seeking the elixir of life, either from wells on their property or from the tankers which roam the potholed roads as a messiah for their lush green lawns and swimming pools. There is no piped water in Alibaug! Sewage and waste management do not even get an honourable mention and rainwater harvesting is a great topic for the ‘WhatsApp University’! After all, there is no payback for rain harvesting and storage compared to the cost of a tanker! The locals have their hand pumps and the gram panchayats provide a ¾” line for one hour of water. The irony is that the area receives one of the highest rainfalls, at almost 2400 mm per year.
India receives 4,000 km3 of precipitation every year through a fairly predictable monsoon. The majority of it occurs in the four months from June through September. The intensity and the patterns vary because of geography and regional climates. Half of the precipitation runs off to the sea, and the balance is used to charge the surface and groundwater. Agriculture is the largest consumer of water at 83%, followed by the power and industrial sectors at 6% each, and potable use at about 5%.
The water for agriculture is virtually free. Potable water is charged for but does not cover the cost of operations. Industries are charged for water and that partially subsidises other uses. As a consequence, crop patterns are skewed, productivity with respect to water is dismal, and the depletion of groundwater is alarming.
The case of access to water is even more disturbing. In rural areas, 12% of households have access to piped water. In urban areas, this number is 40%.
The sewage situation in India is dismal too. We generate 78 billion litres of sewage every day, out of which 23 billion litres is treated. The balance goes to our water bodies with partial or no treatment.
Storylines on water across India are similar, only the plots twist and turn. Water is available, access is not. Sources are drying up, but floods are galore, and yet, droughts are also rampant. Quality is dubious, but water treatment does not work. Water is not priced but de facto privatised through tanker lobbies. Agriculture receives virtually free water, but we buy some of the most expensive water in bottles. Meanwhile, the majority of the polity is oblivious to the nuances and complexity of water.
Water is essential for sustainable growth and public health, especially in times of climate change. But why can’t we deliver a life of abundant, clean and safe water for all? It is the empathy, will and innovation on which we have failed to act and thus, the dream of abundant, clean and safe water seems distant.
Climate change is a reality, not a point of debate. In the short span of the last 300 years, the earth has seen a million new chemical entities, greenhouse gas emissions, more fossil fuel burnt than at any other time in its life, concrete jungles and forest lands cleared for agriculture and urbanization. Global warming is a major outcome of it. The implications are dire: expansion of sea levels, dwindling freshwater resources, local hot spots, extinction of habitats and biodiversity and increased freshwater demand. Extreme weather events leading to storms, floods, droughts, soil erosion, seawater ingress and destruction of property and life are a daily affair now. All these affect the availability of freshwater for human use. Economically, more than 39% of Indian banks’ portfolios are exposed to sectors that face high levels of operational risk related to water and climate change, and worldwide, flood risk is a major risk factor for real estate.
A hundred-year vision
A nation of 1.3 billion people has to be fed and its thirst quenched. The economic growth which improves the health and standard of living needs to be addressed urgently. Water resources, some of which are shared with other countries, have to be addressed for longterm water security. A 100- year water vision is a necessity, not an also-ran agenda. Civilisations have died and thrived because of water. The vision needs to recognize that water is a basic necessity, not a political tool to manipulate the republic with for governance and winning elections.
Ownership and governance
Whom does the water belong to? This debate is indispensable for water sustainability. A clear answer is a must for governance. A central regulatory agency with geographical subdivisions may be a good idea, with the appropriate structures and human resources. Lucid and clear policies and laws are a necessity for sustainable water too. Data, water mapping and online water analytics should be used to govern water resources and usage. Water needs to be regulated, not politicised. How we bring about these changes would be a Herculean task.
Sustainable infrastructure
The current realisation of using natural systems for the storage of water and mitigating the effects of climate change are well recognized. Investments should be made in natural systems for water sustainability and mitigating the effects of climate change. A number of cases are quite promising. An oak forest over 10 km2 serves as a nice example of a watershed to provide potable water to the town of Shimla. Rather than damning the rivers through dams, an ecological flow should be ensured in the river systems of India for groundwater recharge, and the development of wetlands to mitigate floods and provide habitats for biodiversity. Rivers are like a rubber band. They flex themselves to find their way when fertile silt is deposited. Constricting them is a definite way to increase floods and destroy biodiversity. Can we reimagine the Narmada and Tehri projects to be far more sustainable? Can’t the immense solar potential of Kutch be unleashed to develop revolutionary solar desalination and create a pioneering industry? It could have alleviated the need to submerge vast forest cover and displace more than a million people from their lands.
Groundwater recharge
Groundwater should be considered as a water bank rather than a water source. The extremities of climate change will then allow us to draw from water reserves during droughts and replenish it in good years. For a successful ground resource strategy, the mapping of aquifers and the development of recharge methods and structures are essential along with withdrawal and groundwater management strategies. It has to be a key part of the 100-year vision and a major element for sustainable water.
Pricing water
Today, water is virtually free. It discourages any discretion in use. It needs to be priced for behaviour change and economic growth. A number of issues need to be addressed before a well thought out pricing strategy can be introduced. An equitable and affordable basic need has to be met. Water needs to be metered. An infrastructure to deliver has to be created. A block tariff model may be used to address equitable distribution as it has been done successfully in Durban. Priced water assures a number of advantages: the consumer can demand quality, quantity and uninterrupted supply, it allows for upkeep and modernisation of water supply and, importantly, forces a behaviour to use it responsibly. It also allows for improved public health. Reliable and confirmed water supply also reduces a large risk factor for farmers. It can help them earn a better living through multiple and high-margin crops. Thus, water pricing can make agricultural produce more market-driven.
The pricing of water allows for revenue generation, and thus, a market to raise funds for water infrastructure projects.
Human behaviour and resources
Besides economics, education is the second lever for behaviour change. Sustainability as a part of the high school curriculum will bring this change and create young minds who would be interested in working with water. They can be the agents of change. This approach can lay a strong foundation for developing water champions who will address all aspects of water.
Behaviour change has to go through a continuous path for it to be imbibed. Making small but continuous changes which do not drastically disrupt the lives of people is essential for successful behaviour change.
Sewage: A priced resource
Sewage treatments warrant incredibly urgent attention because only 30% of it is treated across the country. The two major implications of untreated sewage entering the environment are the contamination of clean water sources and becoming a public health hazard. Sewage is rich in nutrients for agriculture. It can be treated well with phytoremediation technologies for agriculture use or with hybrid technology for non-potable reuse such as cooling tower makeup. The enablers for realizing value out of sewage are metering, robust and well-managed infrastructure, and compliance with standards. These will allow for multiple uses of water before discharge, protection of clean water sources and improved public health.
The role of technology
Technology will play an increasing role in water sustainability. Agriculture consumes the largest quantum of water today. Presently, the penetration of microirrigation techniques is less than 3% for all irrigable land. A yearly target of bringing 2-3% of land under microirrigation will preserve water resources and improve agricultural productivity on all counts. The key to adaptation is creating conducive market conditions through metering, pricing and enabling free markets for agricultural free produce.
The price of decentralized solutions for water treatment is reducing. A costbenefit analysis of large pipe networks versus decentralized water solutions needs to be addressed too. Decentralised solutions reduce large capital outlays and allow for technology customization for water quality and upgradation.
India requires special technologies to address natural contaminants like arsenic, fluoride and iron. We have to deal with them as they are part of our geology. Increasing affluence will lead to the ingress of pesticides, drugs and excessive fertilizer in water sources. Advanced techniques for water treatment like ozonation will be needed in the future. We need to develop multiple approaches to address the issue of contaminants.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is an enigma for India. RO is an expensive technology. To successfully run it, trained manpower, energy, and significant maintenance are required. The environmental footprint of RO is poor too. It is power-hungry, generates substantial saline waste and the descalants are discharged into the environment as waste.
Using RO or desalination for salinity control, especially for industrial wastewater is necessary. Re-engineering wastewater generation is the need of the hour. However, as far as possible, RO is to be avoided for potable water treatment. Can’t we think of rainwater recharge to reduce salinity for landlocked regions? Or use solar energy for desalination using electrodialysis? The adaption of RO needs critical, integrated and holistic thinking before investment. It is an easy way out but a steep price to pay in the long run.
Reimagining water is like a Dickensian epic. This is the epoch of belief and incredulity, the spring of hope and the sewage of despair, as we see water before us, but cannot have water to drink. Securing water today will reflect the empathy, courage, imagination and innovation which have gone in providing a sustainable future for upcoming generations. It is for the future of sustainable water that we should endeavour.
The writer is the founder, promoter and CEO of Smaart Water, a company that provides affordable, integrated and holistic water solutions for industrial, institutional, residential, commercial and community markets in rural and urban India.
Edited by: Ambika Hiranandani
