World Water Day
The scarcity of water worldwide has led to concern and the UN has been addressing this issue by encouraging increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources.
March 22 is the ’World Water Day’. The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
Coping with Water Scarcity is the theme for World Water Day 2007, which is celebrated each year on 22nd of March. This year theme highlights the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.
It is essential to address equity and rights, cultural and ethical issues when dealing with limited water resources. Imbalances between availability and demand, the degradation of groundwater and surface water quality, inter-sector competition, inter-regional and international disputes, all centre around the question of how to cope with scarce water resources.
The theme was decided among all members of UN-Water at the World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2006. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) acts as coordinator, on behalf of all the UN agencies and programme members of UN-Water for the celebration of World Water Day 2007. It is assisted by the Secretariat for UN-Water, which is based at UN DESA in New York, and which is serving as point of contact within the UN system for freshwater-related issues.
Chief extracts from various prime sources, including the views expressed by Mumbai’s property developers to a leading day, are listed below to give a glimpse of the importance and prevailing situation of “water source”.
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Under the United Nations chapter, The Human Development Report 2006, launched on 9th of November in Cape Town, South Africa, is subtitled ‘Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis’. The report highlights that clean water and sanitation are amongst the most powerful drivers for human development. Access to water and sanitation extends opportunities, enhances dignity and helps create a virtuous cycle of improving health and rising wealth. The report highlights poverty, unequal access, wars, migration and unsustainable consumption patterns as the main contributors of the water crisis. It puts forward the important message that we are in the midst of a crisis in water and sanitation that overwhelmingly affects the poor – a crisis, in which too many people do not have access to enough water under the right conditions to live.
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In Thane, Mumbai, there were placards displayed warning intending buyers about picking up a new home in the Thane’s upmarket location near Vasant Vihar stating that water crisis had reached unbearable proportions.
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According to builders and developers in Mumbai suburbs and also the cities of Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli there is acceptance of the fact that the entire water supply of a housing project cannot be met from BMC or TMC supplied water, and “water management” is the new mantra.
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Milind Korde of Godrej Properties and Investments Ltd., points out that in Vikhroli, the Godrej Garden Enclave, a township of nine towers, has a dual system of water supply i.e. BMC supply for domestic use and recycled water for flushing, washing and gardening. He says, “The construction department of Godrej has taken the responsibility of designing the water supply system and also its trouble free maintenance.”
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Water requirement in any housing complex can be broadly classified into two categories – domestic demand and flushing/cleaning/gardening. While domestic water requirement is met by the BMC, water for flushing and such purposes is derived from sources including bore well water (ground water), rain water (during monsoon season) and recycled water from the water treatment plant. Mr. Korde adds – “one has to augment water requirements of complexes by these three methods”.
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According to Niranjan Hirandani, managing director Hirandani Construction, a leader in property development, World Water Day is a two-fold issue – “One, we have to augment water resources, and two, learn to use existing resources in an intelligent way.” He further adds, “Rainwater harvesting, having underground water tables to ensure bore wells don’t run dry and recycling water are among the issues that are relevant today.”
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According to Rudolf D’Souza, member associate of the Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment, “The current shortfall in supply of water to Mumbai is 1000 million litres a day. The new dams that have been proposed and planned are still some years away.” He explains that application of a concrete carpet and paving of open ground means rainwater runs off into the sea. This also results in contaminated water in the underground natural ’aquifers’ because of sea water ingress and pollutants. Ground water is being indiscriminately drawn by bore wells and tankers and not recharged. A situation like in Delhi or Chennai, where ground water situation is bad, can occur if steps to recharge ground water are not taken,” he explains.
Perhaps the World Water Day is the right time for all of us to start conserving and managing water better.