May 28, 2020
Water scarcity is one of the biggest problems in modern days due to the increase in the human population and from the studies it is predicted that the world is going to face a water crisis in the future. People in the metro cities already pay water bills, and this is a clear indication that there is water scarcity. Without water, we cannot imagine our life, though water is a gift from nature and free to use we are still facing the scarcity of water as most of the water used is untreated and simply dumped back to the environment polluting lakes, rivers, and oceans. British poet W. H. Auden once noted, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water”, the sentence has a deep meaning and people need to think about the future on the usage of water.
India is a great country and rich in natural resources including water bodies like rivers, lakes, and sea. Since ancient times, glaciers and rivers are believed as God and are worshipped and many are considered holy. The majority of the names of the rivers in Indis represent the name of the Hindu Goddess. Rivers like The Ganga and The Yamuna are considered as holy and are worshipped by Hindus. But due to the increase in human activities for the betterment of lifestyle the use of the water has increased in the factories and its byproducts are not treated properly before dispatching into the rivers and oceans. This bad practice by humans is increasing the pollution level of water bodies and the pollution percentage is increasing rapidly.
Climate change across the world has a major impact on water. Scientists forecast that climate change will provoke new and less predictable precipitation patterns, these patterns will consist of prolonged periods of dryness punctuated by brief, intense periods of precipitation that may provoke flooding. Research suggests that since 1980, many of the most economically impactful weather and climate-related disasters were related to water. Our younger generations should be more educated on these.
The recent lockdown declared by the Government of various countries also has a direct impact on the water bodies. The water quality of the holy rivers like The Ganga and The Yamuna has improved a lot due to the shut down of the industries situated on the bank of the river Ganga and Yamuna. The discharge of the industrial effluents has minimized and thus there is a dip in the pollution level of the water and experts say that the water is now suitable for human consumption and this has happened after very long years. The Indian Government had already spent thousands of crores of rupees to clean the river Ganga but the outcome is not up to the mark, but the lockdown is more effective. Mother nature always finds her way to protect her resources and creatures. Humans should learn from this crisis.
