World Water Day: Per capita water availability on the decline

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, March 21

The per capita water availability per year has declined to 1,486 cubic metre in 2021 from 1,820 cubic metre in 2001, said Lupinder Kumar, Sub-Divisional Soil Conservation Officer, Jalandhar, in conversation with The Tribune.

He said the per capita availability of water was estimated to decline further to 1,367 cubic meter by 2031 and 1,228 cubic meter by 2051. “If it declines further to around 1,000-1,100 cubic metre, then the country can be declared water-stressed,” he warned. He stressed on the conservation of rainwater and community awareness to overcome water shortage in the country.

“Water conservation is not just the responsibility of the Central or state governments but that of everyone’s,” he said, laying emphasis on National Water Mission’s (NWM) campaign ‘Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls’.

He said under this initiative, efforts were being made by the Soil and Water Department and municipal corporations to make as many rooftop RWHS on buildings, to maximise collection of rainwater falling on the ground within the premises. “This method of water collection helps in improving soil moisture and raising groundwater table, besides reducing water inundation in urban areas,” he said.

Lupinder said the Soil Department had already installed nearly 53 RWH plants that are recharging 12.5 million litres of water annually. Besides, as many as 40 more such plants are in the offing, which are expected to recharge the water table with an additional over 50 lakh litres of water each year.

Talking about how communities can contribute in saving water, Lupinder, said we all need to limit water consumption and maximise the use of sustainable water sources.

“Use of sprinkler or drip irrigation must be encouraged. Besides, one can install rainwater harvesting structures or store rainwater in tanks and use it to flush toilets, water plants, etc. Rainwater can also be harvested, to recharge groundwater through recharge pits, dug wells, bore wells, and recharge trenches,” he said.

He said we all need to adopt the concept of reduce, reuse and recycling of water in letter and spirit for a sustainable future. “We must not take the warnings regarding declining water tables lightly and should make efforts to save water to ensure its availability to future generations,” he said.