With climate change, it’s now becoming almost impossible to keep track of extreme weather events: Their locations, number of lives lost, people affected, the economic loss and infrastructure damage. Disaster photos and videos from different geographic locations now flood the internet only to be replaced, with disturbing regularity, by images of yet another extreme weather event. Climate change is indeed changing the hydrological cycle at a rapid pace that’s difficult to keep up with, even on social media.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash
Many communities are watching their water supplies shift and shrink even as excessive water creates havoc. As severe storm events surge and sea levels rise, and unprecedented floods almost immediately follow drought, humanity is struggling to cope. These shifts are weakening economies and threatening public health, livelihoods and food security. Suddenly it appears no place is safe. Who knows where and when the next climate hit will take place?
Yet, we continue to undermine the security provided by nature with impunity, destroying forests, wetlands, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes, rapidly wearing out the shock absorbers that nature provides against weather-related shocks. With the boundaries of nature giving way because of unrestrained extractive and destructive – often avoidable – development, it makes even more sense now to protect and restore natural ecosystems by managing water responsibly and comprehensively.
Firstly, there is a need to replenish depleting groundwater aquifers, which provide nearly half of the water used for irrigation and drinking water for billions of people. Globally, an analysis of some 39 million wells across 40 countries reveals that up to 20 per cent of wells worldwide are at risk of running dry. India’s Central Groundwater Board estimates that some 167 per cent of groundwater blocks are overexploited, while 5 and 14 per cent respectively are at critical and semi-critical stages. Of the world’s 37 major aquifers, about 20 are past sustainability tipping points and correspond to our major food-producing regions. A 2021 study has found that winter harvests in some regions could fall up to two-thirds by 2025 in India due to groundwater overuse.
Photo Courtesy: Shuttershock
Groundwater reserves are veritable water banks that also contribute towards stream and river base flows and offer some protection against flooding and water scarcity. India can easily dive into its diverse eco-region-specific and time-tested decentralized technologies to replenish aquifers. Floodplains, natural recharge zones of rivers can be used as well. The successful cases that dot the Indian diverse landscape offer solutions that need to now be scaled up.
Secondly, the health of rivers needs to dramatically and drastically improve for securing water and for saving these climate shock absorbers. Sources of rivers need to be protected, rivers need to flow and not be used as dumping grounds for our waste, solid and liquid. In several states in India, communities are coming forward to clean up river banks, protect catchments, build water conservation structures to revive flow and rebuild people-river connects. Globally also, efforts are ongoing to improve the health of rivers and communities that reside alongside these rivers.
Thirdly, forests need protection and regeneration, since by doing so, we protect water, its availability and its flow. Forests help facilitate and control the water cycle and help reduce water-related risks such as landslides, floods and drought. While more than 100 countries pledged to reverse and halt deforestation by 2030 during COP 26 in Glasgow, the unnerving frequency with which extreme events have occurred around the world in the year 2021 alone begs for immediate action.
Fourthly, urban development needs rethinking. The increasing urban flooding in cities around the world have shown the Achilles heel in urban planning and infrastructure development. Already the urban scenario is such that streets are flooding with increasingly lesser amounts of rainfall. With the monsoons now dumping copious amounts of rain, cities are drowning.
But this is one side of the story. Extravagant and wasteful urban needs are sucking water from the river such as the Yamuna. Groundwater tables are declining. One major move should be to reduce the planned water demands for urban needs. Freshwater use can be significantly reduced using technologies, reuse of wastewater and storage of storm water for other needs. Reducing urban water needs will help in building up river flows and reducing groundwater extraction.
In urban areas also, groundwater aquifers need to be recharged at maximum possible locations along the storm water drainage systems to prevent flooding due to the overflow from these drains. Provision of lateral mechanical groundwater recharge systems below the built-up areas can help in creating massive groundwater storage. Steps to prevent pollution of aquifers by these measures will need to be undertaken.
Planning urbanization in new areas should keep intact the existing drainage channels and urban ponds and lakes. This will help curtail flooding and save water for the lean seasons, thus creating resilience and even lowering the temperatures of the built-up areas in hot climate zones. These waterbodies will add value to the prices of the properties.
Fifthly, the spotlight now needs to shine strongly on decentralized and ecology-centered livelihoods and economic growth. Cropping patterns must be based on the ecology – the type of soil, climate and water availability. Similarly, urban ecosystems also need to factor in ecological considerations, natural resources available, measures to protect these and carrying capacities. Tourism needs to factor in carrying capacity and benefit the locals.
Lastly, policy formulation and action must be based on evidence and ground realities. The COVID 19 pandemic and climate change are but two examples, where evidence to respect nature’s boundaries has been overlooked. Political action around mitigation, adaptation and building resilience as evident in COP 26 at Glasgow this year has not been commensurate with the compelling evidence of the destruction possible by climate change, in spite of thousands of scientists adding their signatures to appeals and massive protests by them.
Radical yet doable shifts are now needed, and unless these happen, local communities and national economies will continue to buckle under the burden of nature’s stress.
Vardhman Envirotech
India’s Passionate rainwater company
This blog is published by: – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/eco-sensitive/manage-water-better-climate-changes-clarion-call/
Author: Indira Khurana
Publish On: December 28, 2021