India's Looming Zero Water Day: An Environmental Crisis | Insight | CNA Insider

Summary

Bengaluru, once known for its thriving IT industry and pleasant climate, faces an impending water crisis due to severe pollution of its lakes and dwindling groundwater. As the city's population continues to rise, the demand for water exceeds supply, with private tanker operators exploiting groundwater sources. Similarly, Delhi faces a dire water situation, with its rivers polluted and aquifers drained. Despite these challenges, innovative solutions like utilizing river floodplains for sustainable water supply are being explored, offering hope for a global-scale resolution to water scarcity.

Takeaways

• 😀 Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, is facing a severe water crisis with predictions of a 'zero water day' in the near future due to extreme pollution and overuse of water resources.
• 🌍 Bengaluru's rapid growth from 3 million to 12 million residents has strained its water resources, with 90% of its lakes severely polluted by untreated sewage and industrial waste.
• 🔥 Many of Bengaluru's lakes are literally on fire due to the dangerous mix of chemicals from domestic sewage and detergents, leading to toxic lava formation.
• 💧 Bengaluru heavily relies on the Kaveri River and groundwater, but these sources are insufficient to meet the city's growing demand, with groundwater levels dropping at an alarming rate.
• 🚰 Private tanker operators are extracting groundwater at unsustainable levels, exacerbating the problem and causing further depletion and contamination of water resources.
• 🏙 The city’s IT boom has contributed to its population explosion, but there has been little investment or awareness in sustainable water management despite the economic benefits of the sector.
• 🌊 Delhi, India's capital, is also facing a worsening water crisis, with the Yamuna River—once a vital water source—now heavily polluted and nearly uninhabitable.
• 🛑 As Delhi's population is set to reach 33-35 million by 2035, its water infrastructure struggles to meet the needs of its current population, let alone the future.
• 💧 In neighborhoods like Jai Hindi, many families rely on sporadic water deliveries, facing extreme scarcity with only a few buckets of water every 10 days.
• 🌍 India's rivers, once abundant with resources, are now dying due to pollution and mismanagement, leading to the country's worst water crisis in history, according to government agencies.
• 🔬 A potential solution lies in the use of floodplains for sustainable water supply. A pilot project on the Yamuna River's floodplains provides clean water to over a million people and could be scaled globally to address similar water issues in other countries.

Q & A

What is Bengaluru known for, and why is it facing a water crisis?

Bengaluru is known as India's Silicon Valley, home to many of the world's biggest software companies. The city is facing a water crisis due to the depletion of its lakes, which have been polluted with untreated sewage and industrial waste. Additionally, over-extraction of groundwater by private operators exacerbates the situation.

How much has Bengaluru's population grown in recent years?

Bengaluru's population has grown significantly from 3 million inhabitants to 12 million in a matter of years, contributing to the increasing demand for resources like water.

What is the status of the lakes in Bengaluru, and how are they contributing to the water crisis?

Bengaluru once had 285 lakes, but now only around 190 remain, most of which are dangerously polluted. These lakes are polluted with untreated sewage and industrial waste, and many are even on fire due to the toxic lava created when chemicals from domestic sewage mix with the water.

What is the source of Bengaluru's water, and why is it insufficient?

Bengaluru depends on the Kaveri river water and groundwater. However, the supply from the Kaveri River is much less than the demand, and the city largely depends on groundwater, which is being extracted at an exponential rate by private tanker operators.

What are the challenges associated with groundwater extraction in Bengaluru?

Groundwater extraction in Bengaluru is problematic because the water levels are dropping rapidly. In the past, groundwater was available at 400 feet, but now it has to be extracted from depths of up to 1,000 feet. This rapid depletion raises concerns about arsenic and other contaminants in the groundwater.

Why is Bengaluru's IT industry not involved in addressing the city's water crisis?

Despite Bengaluru's booming IT industry, which brings substantial revenue and population growth, the industry has not significantly contributed to solving the city's water crisis. This lack of participation has worsened the water issues, as the city's rapid growth has outpaced infrastructure and resource management.

How does Delhi compare to Bengaluru in terms of water crisis?

Like Bengaluru, Delhi is also grappling with a severe water crisis. The Yamuna River, a major tributary of the Ganga, is heavily polluted and the city's aquifers are being drained. Delhi is expected to have a population of 33-35 million by 2035, but it struggles to provide adequate water services even for its current population.

What is the living condition of people in water-scarce areas of Delhi?

In Delhi's Jai Hindi settlement, located near the Vasant Kunj neighborhood, 1,200 families live in squalor. They only receive water once every ten days and often scramble for water when it arrives, highlighting the severity of the city's water distribution issues.

What is the broader impact of India's water crisis on its rivers?

India's rivers, which were once seen as sources of wealth, livelihood, and biodiversity, are now dying due to widespread pollution. Many of these rivers are heavily contaminated with industrial and sewage pollutants, threatening both water availability and the health of ecosystems.

What solution has Professor Sony proposed to address India's water crisis?

Professor Sony has proposed utilizing the floodplains of rivers like the Yamuna as a solution to the water crisis. By extracting clean water from the sand layers in these floodplains, a non-invasive method has been developed that can supply clean water to millions of people, offering a sustainable solution to urban water shortages.