From the previous blog post, we gained an understanding of the significance of water scarcity. Here, we’ll look at India’s water crisis to see why water scarcity is so relevant.
Key Takeaways:
South India – heat waves are causing water shortages in Chennai (6th biggest city).
Chennai has 3 rivers, 4 reservoirs, 5 wetlands and 6 forests – polluted and drying up.
Droughts impact water supplies – increased evaporation and reduction in precipitation.
Monsoons are failing – people are seeing shorter and lighter periods of rain compared to the normal intense monsoonal season. This is limiting how much water reservoirs are storing.
Social tensions arise due to differences in the allocation of water. People are having to find work elsewhere as agriculture is failing.
Longer-term question – How will Chennai manage water under climate change?
Why should we care about water scarcity?
First of all, water is necessary for human survival! Agriculture consumes 70% of the world’s freshwater globally. This is used to produce the food that we eat. If the availability of freshwater declines, then food production decreases as well, due to crop failure. It will negatively impact the health of many individuals and increase problems related to wellbeing. Eventually, water prices will rise and create inequalities on who is able to afford basic human rights and those who are not. This could lead to societal tensions and conflict, especially between transboundary water sources, such as the Rivers Brahmaputra and Ganges between India and Bangladesh.
More than half of India’s population rely on agricultural income. Climate change will increase temperatures, and the frequency and magnitude of droughts, impacting crop yield and income. This is significant as it will affect many livelihoods, reducing income and increasing poverty. Many believe that this is the cause of suicidal behaviour in India, as 130,000 lives are lost each year due to self-harm! We can see a positive correlation between climate change, water scarcity and human health.
Moreover, water is necessary for economic development! Industries such as energy, manufacturing and business all require water for sanitation purposes, cooling machinery and infrastructure. If water availability declines, then the quality of these facilities weakens and their economic output decreases. This can have serious impacts on the development of a country, especially if they are reliant on water-heavy sectors such as agriculture and industry, which consume 88% of global freshwater. Since India is very reliant on these sectors, there is lots of uncertainty on how India will manage water scarcity, to protect society, but also economic power under climate change?
What action can we take action to reduce water scarcity?
Sustainable schemes – rainwater harvesting, water treatment and water conservation.
Large scale schemes – water transfers and desalination plants. Not all schemes are environmentally friendly.
Long term – Efforts need to be made to reduce climate change to reduce the magnitude of water scarcity itself.
By studying India, we saw the societal implications of water scarcity. The next post will use this information to outline key stakeholders in research plans.
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