July 21, 2023

Natural solutions are tackling rural India's water crisis

topic:	Health and Sanitation
located:	India
editor:	Hanan Zaffar

The UN's sixth Sustainable Development Goal aimed to ensure clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. With seven years to meet the deadline, twenty per cent of the Indian rural population remains deprived of consumable water. 

India is home to nearly 20 per cent of the global population but just four per cent of the world's water resources, placing the country among the most water-stressed worldwide. 

And water shortages mean individuals with limited access to clean drinking water are less likely to exercise basic hygiene and more susceptible to contagious illnesses. 

The increasing unpredictability of climate conditions and the likelihood of flooding have further impacted the nation's water reserves and, not least, its farmers and agriculture sector, which use almost 90% of India's water supply.

As a result, substantial stretches of farmland have become infertile, preventing farming operations in affected areas.

The government's "Jal Shakti" ministry deals with water-related issues and has toyed with techniques like water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and more systematic irrigation. 

Some notable projects are making headway. Active in Chennai is the country's first desalination project, purifying salt water into drinking water. Coastal reservoirs are now dotted along India's coast, storing excess river flood waters for future use for irrigation, sanitation and drinking in local areas.

With the support of the World Bank, the government is also trying to limit the exploitation of groundwater - water present beneath the earth's surface in rock and soil - as it is the sole source of irrigation in many regions.

The program has saved 6 to 25 per cent of water without affecting yield. It focuses on balancing water availability and usage patterns to reduce water usage. 

Several non-government organisations and community members have also addressed water stress in India, particularly in Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, Chennai, and New Delhi. 

It is a member of the farming community that is regarded as one of the most significant contributors to tackling India'a water stress crisis. Mahadev Gomare from Latur, Maharashtra, started a movement via natural farming practices. He successfully removed a substantial amount of silt from the Manjara River in 2021, rejuvenating the river and its tributaries and helping 500,000 people in 900 villages. 

Gomare has taught natural farming practises to thousands of local farmers in Latur, like introducing cow urine as a pesticide. He cites his motivation behind organic agriculture to be a concern about the depletion of soil minerals, which impacts consumers' health. 

The government must enhance its initiatives to combat the increasing effects of water stress. Its current methods are being outpaced by climate change, making it necessary to adopt more effective solutions. One effective approach to addressing the issue is to follow the methods used by Maharashtra, which have successfully tackled the problem while minimising negative impacts on the environment.

Image by Abdulaziz Mohammed.

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