Water Stress

Written by Rabia Rahim • March 2011

The residents of Keti Bandar, one of the major villages of the Indus Delta, are helplessly seeing their village gradually drown as a result of the rising sea level. Their extreme apathy has no bounds when their fish income source is dead and a liter of drinking water is charged in double figures.

Water wars do not necessarily involve the rival armies of two countries but simply towns and cities are falling apart due to no safe water access. The occupation of other people’s space and resources is not welcoming for a sharing process, as the overall environmental condition is deteriorating.

The region of South Asia is blessed with the largest proportion of freshwater resources among other regions. But to utter disappointment, the densest region has failed to provide usable water to its population. A sorry quantity of only about 4,000 m3/year is the per capita water availability ratio.

The great Himalayas being the water source for South Asia are hit by worsening climatic conditions. But downwards the human mismanagement too has not left any stone unturned to endanger the water resources. According to the urban theme of World Water Day 2011, the haphazard urbanization patterns are a major focus to deal with.

The unplanned concentration of people in economy active regions has resulted in absence of control over water usage. Cities like Karachi and Mumbai are estimated to explode up to the top five ranking for most populated cities. Kathmandu, Dhaka, Colombo and major cities of Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan tell their distinct tales of heavy rural-urban migrations and depletion of water resources.

The United Nations and other international organizations are busy in educating the populace of South Asian countries for water conservation practices. But if the population density figures tell that Mumbai holds 29 persons per square kilometer, while Calcutta and Karachi hold 23 and 18 persons respectively, would not the logistics of conventional education practices fail? A far stronger leadership and innovative technology can be the answer. Education can go simultaneously.

The practices of water use in urban settlements are a major concern. For instance, in the older house constructions the toilets were built outside or away from the residing part of the house. There were cultural and religious factors associated with it carrying large benefits. However, the modern construction has completely ruled out the phenomenon. By building toilets in the backyard gardens the waste water can be reused for plants and grass. The bacterial germs can be avoided too in the personal spaces. For indoor toilets the shower water can be reused to flush the toilets. The urban dwellers can easily install such features to save the precious water.
Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, the Asia’s largest, offers an absence of piped water facility, where people are found taking bath by the broken water lines. The practice actually produces hygiene hazards for the people. Accumulated water invites mosquitoes and other bacteria to cultivate in the already congested area.

As a lamenting fact, South Asia is home to about 40% of global populace which does not use sanitation facilities and directly contaminate the water by defecation in the open. May be a surprise for many, but toilets come as an unnecessary luxury for many parts of 21st century rural and poor urban South Asia. Moreover, the waste of financially stable urban settings is directly disposed off into rivers, lakes and canals. This has heavily polluted the surrounding surface waters and devastated the water life.

All the South Asian countries have heavy monsoons. As a misperception of urban dwellers, the collection, storage and utilization of this rain water are a suited proposal for rural population only that has difficult water access. In actual the worsening climatic conditions have not left safety loops. Specific guidelines are available for the educated lot and increased training programs should be initiated in towns to cater the urban water needs.
The debates and expertise of developed world suggest that usable water must be charged. People should pay for water which they use, in this way they may learn not to waste it. But this maxim seems to be restricted to the developed world. It does not appear as a solution for the countries of South Asia. Like other commodities water will too be a possession of the wealthy only. They will keep wasting it in their bathtubs, swimming pools and rain shower parties. Each may claim that they are using it the way they want because they are paying for it.

If the corporate water companies switch their nature to non-profit organizations and motivate the public to pay more and collectively invest money back into the system, it may do wonders with people, happily strengthening the system. The idea of privatization initially seemed to be lucrative to South Asians looking for better management but the companies have failed to deliver. The national grid for water must be retained enabling a free quota per person. What ideally can be done is to charge the increasing use of this quota.

On the part of the States, we see that floods are endemic in the lower plains of South Asia. The sedimentation in the reservoirs of South Asia has deteriorated the storage capacity. Whether in the Kulekhani Reservoir of Nepal or Kaptai Reservoir of Bangladesh, their lives are speedily decreasing.

The two major countries of Pakistan and India have been historically involved in a water conflict beginning from the 1947 Boundary Award, where India kept the headwaters of Pakistani irrigation system under its boundary. The building of dams over these rivers has kept Pakistan under problems of artificial floods and droughts created by India. The Kashmir issue holds the water conflict as a strong basis as the region is the origin of major rivers of the Indus system.

Similarly, there has been no significant resolution found for India’s conflict with Bangladesh over eight rivers they share out of 54 in total. Nepal faces a similar scenario with India, none of the treaties from the 1927 Sharada dam construction up to the 1996 Mahkali Treaty could possibly resolve the water conflict. India holds a significant position by being the upper and lower riparian. This condition has brought India into direct conflicts with its neighboring countries except for Bhutan.

In the case of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India there are distinct geographical divisions of wet, intermediate and dry zones which can be well coordinated by the governments. The wet zones should be utilized to help the dry zones and likewise. If countries behave as a single unit and oppose the internal conflicts, much of the water issues can be solved.

Particularly in Pakistan, Manchhar Lake of Sindh Province is one of the many victims of human violence. Huge quantities of fluoride and arsenic from the chemical units get deposited in the water which is used for drinking and domestic uses by the locals. The fishes are found dead and floating on the surface. This same dead fish is sold in the market. The political unwillingness and corruption does not let the chemical analysts and engineers to implement low-cost and sustainable treatment solutions.

Reportedly, the fishermen use chemicals to kill the deep water fish. The poisonous water hazard is carried from fish to poultry feed and up to humans or even directly to humans. There is no control over river water storage due to lack of dams in the region. In the seasons when the rivers are nearly dried up, the discharge of poisonous water from these lakes is the most dangerous risk to life and environment.
Pakistan is hit by severe provincial and regional bias over building of dams. Kalabagh dam is the example of tussle between Sindh and Punjab, considering that the latter would take control of water. Nai Gaaj dam is also a source of similar conflict for Manchhar people who doubt that the dam would leave them with a dead lake.

Water translates into hundreds of connotations throughout the world. It is a major idea in all world religions. The greater the idea is, the more extensive the use of water becomes. South Asia is a highly vibrant region with the most diverse collection of people and religions. The Indian Ganges is now less considered as a great river but more as an organized sewer. The Indian government should make adequate modern arrangements to deal with hygiene hazards for the Hindu faith holders who observe their religious water practices.

Every religion calls for purity, be it Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists. Water has a central position in gaining the physical purity which leads to spiritual strength. Thus, the need of water conservation and adequate arrangements for its use becomes essential for a healthy diversity of beliefs in the region.

The lack of coordination among countries over water issues has resulted in the biggest failure of the 21st century on the part of global leaders. The estimates of next 25 and 50 years for extreme water stress should actually be taken positively and initiatives should be taken to enhance innovative strategies for saving water.