Ensuring Water Availability in Future through Revival of Indian Traditional Water Culture

Abstract

After the recurrent spells of weak monsoons, a big part of the country’s population, are affected by a severe drought obliging India to walk towards a water-stressed future. The drought has dried up wells and other water reservoirs already stressed by overuse resulting into crop failure to a reasonable extent of more than 60 per cent. The current water management systems particularly in rural areas are poorly equipped to deal with the issue in significant part because they do not promote distributed water collection, water conservation, and water reuse. Providentially, a combination of often forgotten traditional water practices and more recent innovations in water use and management can help resolve this growing water crisis. These include rainwater capture, water recycling and reuse, and innovative technologies to purify water. India’s history is witness to how well-planned cities of our ancient civilization were equipped with outstanding systems of water harvesting and drainage. These ancient structures synergized with well validated water practices were the strong support systems during the times when the modern infrastructural marvels did not exist, but they were more than efficient in managing the water resources even at the time. Today the traditional water practices and ancient but ignored water sources of the country are yearning to discharge the ancient traditions to revive the glorious history of their past for the dire need of the hour. If water strategists aim to spread the message of water conservation to the common people and want to ensure that every drop of water is conserved, then the proven and scientifically validated Indian traditional water culture will have to be revived. Coincidently, customary water bodies have always been subject of reverence for Indians, reviving these traditional water bodies by involving locals could be a strategy that every region needs to adopt. Stepping up these revival options will indispensably require change in legal and regulatory framework but will perceptibly offer policy makers a better chance to meet present demands and future needs in an increasingly water-constrained India.

Review of Water Crisis and Managemental Scope in India

“…The country has a strange diversity of climatic regions, ranging from cold temperate and alpine in the Himalayan north to the hot and humid tropical in the south, also cherishes a rich history of water heritage. Although there was diversity in the water harvesting systems, but on a large scale, reservoirs were constructed on a coordinated basis, the main objective of which was to create a wide range of water storage systems (Singh, 2021). In spite of all these bounties, the unfortunate aspect is that presently, India has become a house of a huge proportion of the world's water poor population (Sugam, 2018) and holds only 4% of the world's freshwater resources, but 18% of the global inhabitants.…”

“…They reflect the regional style of construction and typically were based on the provincial demand of water. Since last few decades, water bodies have been under continuous and unrelenting stress, caused primarily by unplanned growth and rapid urbanization (Singh, 2021). ment to desertification, pollution and loss of biodiversity (Singh, 2021).…”

“…Since last few decades, water bodies have been under continuous and unrelenting stress, caused primarily by unplanned growth and rapid urbanization (Singh, 2021). ment to desertification, pollution and loss of biodiversity (Singh, 2021). In this, we are not only monitoring the depletion of groundwater and pollution of surface water, but also vanishing water bodies -ponds, lakes, tanks, wetlands -due to encroachment.…”

“…Water pollution is another cause of water stress, leading to collateral losses in healthcare (News, 2022). This fact itself necessitates an urgent action towards the conservation of the already scanty resources in rural areas, deprived of which the situation is bound to worsen day by day (Singh, 2021). The scarcity of water directly affects the food and energy requirements (Fig.…”

“…Presently in the country, agitating climate variability, rapid urbanization, and competitive demand of water for agriculture, industry, energy production, and municipal supply puts tremendous pressure on underground reservoirs (Singh, 2021) Agriculture accounts for 70% of water abstractions worldwide (Mateo-Sagasta, 2017). India has 18% of world's population, having 4% of world's fresh water out of which 80% is used in agriculture, 15% by industries and only 5% is used for domestic purpose (Fig.…”