AWASH IN WATER CRISES
Why has this issue cropped up ?
This year’s World Water Development Report makes it clear that nature-based solutions can offer answers to our most pressing water-related challenges.
Water-related challenges we face today
- The world’s population is expected to increase to 10 billion (2050). More than half of this growth will be in Africa and Asia. Therefore, those most in need of water will be in developing or emerging economies.
- Climate change is also impacting the global water cycle with wetter regions generally becoming wetter and drier regions drier.
- Countries already facing water scarcity challenges may also be forced to cope with the decreased availability of surface water resources.
- India faces major threats to its water security, with most water bodies near urban centres heavily polluted.
- Inter-State disputes over river resources are also becoming more intense and widespread.
- Along with water scarcity, there is the issue of water quality. Since the 1990s, water pollution has worsened in most rivers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Way forward
- Given the transboundary nature of most river basins, regional cooperation will be critical to addressing projected water quality challenges.
- Environmentally-friendly agricultural systems like those which use practices such as conservation tillage, crop diversification, legume intensification and biological pest control work as well as intensive, high-input systems.
- Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment can also be a cost-effective, nature-based solution that provides effluent of adequate quality for several non-potable uses (irrigation) and additional benefits that include energy production.
- Watershed management is another nature-based solution that could also spur local economic development, job creation, biodiversity protection and climate resilience.
- Nature-based solutions are closely aligned with traditional and local knowledge including those held by indigenous and tribal peoples in the context of water variability and change.
Conclusion
Chennai is a textbook example of how nature is being ignored in urban development-posed challenges. Unplanned urban development and unwieldy growth with no hydrol ogical plan are causing many problems.Nature-based solutions are crucial to achieving our Sustainable Development Goals. Adopting them will not only improve water management but also achieve water security.
Relevance GS 3
