According to a report by the BBC, Bengaluru, among 10 other world cities, could soon run out of drinking water!
Doesn’t it sound unlikely given the lessons we learnt about 70% of Earth’s surface being covered by water? Well, only 3% of it is fresh water that we can use. With climate change, increasing population, and rapid urbanisation, this limited resource may soon become scare. This bit of news makes the observance of World Water Day this year all the more significant.
The report blames unchecked property development, poor management of water and sewage systems, and antiquated plumbing system for Bengaluru’s crisis, but these factors are not unique to the city.
Now, how do we tackle the water crisis across the world? Let’s turn to nature for help. Rightly so, the theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’. It involves exploring nature-based solutions like restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and creating buffers of vegetation along water courses to meet the present-day water challenges.
Fertile facelift
Sand dams are wall-like structures built across a seasonal river to collect and hold water. This simple, low-cost method is especially useful in dry, arid areas.
According to The Water Project website, sand dams are suited to many parts of the world’s drylands. Interestingly, drylands represent 40% of the Earth’s surface, produce 44% of the world’s food and are home to 80% of the world’s poor.
In Zimbabwe, sand dams built on the Sashane river have been fitted with solar-powered pumps that act as a source of water for agriculture activities as well, and the crop yield in turn promotes biodiversity in the area.
Community involvement
Decades ago, Alwar district in Rajasthan had dense forests and mud dams called johads that stored water. These were taken care of by the king and the citizens together.
But over the years, deforestation and lack of maintenance led to the deterioration of the region. It began to face severe water scarcity and land became unfit for agriculture.
It was then that Rajendra Singh, now famously known as the “Waterman of India”, and a few others, turned things around with simple methods like getting the community involved in rebuilding johads and reforesting the land. Now, through landscape restoration , the region boasts of productive farmland (increased from 20% to 80%), replenished groundwater, increased forest cover with the return of wildlife such as antelope and leopard, and the seasonal Arvari stream is now a perennial river.
Agriculture
Brazil’s farmers had a tough time getting a good yield because of soil erosion caused by rain storms that left the land unsuitable for cultivation. That is when the farmers turned to conservation agriculture. They decreased soil disturbance with no tilling; maintained a soil cover of organic mulch and/or plants through the year; and cultivated different plant species in turns. They found the soil became more stable, increased drainage, and the runoff was slow. All this reduced the pollution of nearby water sources. Water infiltration improved and the soil could retain water, reducing evaporation. Today, about 12.5% of global croplands follow conservation agriculture. An increase of almost 70% in the last 10 years.
City planning
The 2012 and 2016 floods in China rang the government’s alarm. Like the recent floods in Mumbai, these served to expose the poor drainage systems in cities that witness rapid concrete development. To tackle this, the Chinese government launched the ‘Sponge City’ initiative according to which by 2020, the 16 pilot cities will implement a range of measures like creating wetland areas, green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements, and increased green cover in urban areas. With this the government hopes to enable cities to absorb and reuse 70% rainwater, reduce urban water-logging, and improve local ecosystems.
