Forget nuclear wars, water wars are beginning at community levels and we're too blind to acknowledge them

In January, a report on how the players from the Indian team were told to take showers for not longer than two minutes during the first Test match at Cape Town did the rounds. At the time, many of us assumed that it was a small water crisis the South African city was facing, but subsequent reports revealed that Cape Town had reached a point where the city was officially claiming to be the first in the world without any fresh water.

United Nations Data from the past few years shows that around 2 billion people i.e. 20% of the world’s population live in areas of scarcity. The report adds that another 1.6 billion people face economic water shortage (where countries lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers).

While people look at the global picture, in India the problem begins at the village or the city levels. Most slums across big cities in India are non-notified, which means they do not have a regulated power supply or water supply. In December 2014, the Bombay High Court ordered the city government to extend access to Mumbai’s water supply to residents living in non-notified slums.

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However, the situation remains grim as Aparna Shukla, a freelance journalist, who once did a series of stories for DNA points out. While covering the drought situation in Maharashtra, Shukla visited Bhiwandi, a small township on the outskirts of Mumbai. “Due to the lack of a connection from the municipal corporation, residents were forced to construct their own water pumps. This was financially impossible, given their economic backgrounds, so the residents would collect money together and give it to one ‘chosen’ family that would construct the pump,” she said.

This eventually turned out to be problematic, as during a water cut, the family that had the pump would keep majority of the water, and divide the rest amongst the rest of the residents. “When people would go and collect water, it would be end up being a physical fight as each family member would want to be the first to get water. Some family members would put their young children in line so that others would not assault them,” she added.

While community level water wars have become an everyday situation in various parts of the country, the situation also exists between states, as the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have shown, as well as the issue with Brahmaputra River that flows from China into India. A 2014 DNA report showcased how for China’s Doctrine of Absolute Territorial Integrity over river waters will affect India in the long run. This doctrine calls for absolute control over river waters that originate from its territory, irrespective of what happens downstream, making them the sole stakeholder for Brahmaputra. For example, China has already started building a dam on the Brahmaputra, and is planning many more, which will affect both India and Bangladesh.

In India itself, the Cauvery water dispute showcases water wars between two states i.e. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The recent Supreme Court verdict also evoked several reactions, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to appeal once again to the apex court over which state gets more water. While that has been a legal turf between the two states, on ground, the situation has been more violent with rival gangs resorting to violence and forcing prompt police action.

A DRY FUTURE…

Speaking to DNA, Himanshu Thakkar of India Water Portal, South Asia Network on Dam, Rivers and People, admitted that while he didn’t want to sound like an alarmist, the situation was grim in India. “We will only know how the crisis pans out in summer. Take one of India’s most prosperous states, Gujarat, for example. A disaster is already developing in the downstream areas of the Narmada basin. We already witnessed what happened in Maharashtra in the past four out of six years. Keeping this in mind, also know that even in the best of times, sections of the poor do not have access to clean drinking water. None of the river plains in India have potable water, as the groundwater levels are depleting and quality is deteriorating,” he said.

Thakkar added, “Chennai has already faced serious problems several times already. Even New Delhi faces problems when water flowing upstream from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh blocked off the water supply. Nagpur is expected to face problems, while residents of Ahmedabad have been instructed to reduce their water use this year. In fact, Ahmedabad is dependent on Narmada water over which it has no right,” he said.

After reports of Cape Town did the rounds, BBC did a story on how 10 other cities faced a similar crisis. Among them were Bengaluru, London and Tokyo. However, Anshu Sharma, the co-founder of SEEDS, says that while there are water problems, the BBC report did not mention how it conducted its research. “There are several cities in India that have problems. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh comes close to running dry every year. However, the important thing is that attention has been drawn to the issue, which is great.  While we do not have specific statistics (though it can be derived at through analysis of existing data), my guess is that the situation will be even more grim in many other cities, in other parts of the country,” he said.

Sharma adds that the seriousness of the situation will emerge from three root causes. Firstly, unplanned or poorly planned urban development, with exponentially rising water demand and slower and ad-hoc increase in water supply.

Secondly, low regional analysis while investing in urban growth, leading to mismatch in catchment capacity and urban demand.

Finally, climate variability - both due to cyclic climatic patterns and long term climate change, raising risks of periods of too much water and too little.

AWARENESS OR THE LACK OF IT

Speaking on how aware the average Indian was about the impeding water crisis that looms in the country, Sharma said, “We have not carried out or come across any statistical survey, but from exchanges with communities where we work I can say that the average Indian is grossly unaware of the imminent water crisis that most Indian cities (and villages) will face in the coming times.  Common perception is limited to local authorities supplying water in pipelines, and it arriving at the taps at home or in the community.  Where this water is sourced from, what are the gaps, and what it takes to clean and transport this water is something that most of us are blind to.  These aspects need to be understood in order for us to adequately value this critical resource that we so often take for granted,” he said. 

THE COAL PROBLEM

Last year, during one of his Mann Ki Baat speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need to revert to solar energy. He said that apart from the fact that it was an eco-friendly method of generating power to carry out daily needs, it also adhered to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals that spoke on the importance of clean energy.

Currently, several governments in the world over use coal energy and in the process, there are several power plants built across. A Greenpeace International report says, "The whole lifecycle of coal-generated electricity has an enormous impact on freshwater systems, from mining and washing to combustion and combustion waste management. A 500 MW coal-fired power plant, using once through cooling, can withdraw enough water to suck dry an Olympic-sized swimming pool roughly every three minutes, which results in the industry creating one of the largest demands on freshwater resources."

This use has impacted the Indian farmer for whom, water is a key component. As Thakkar points out, water is a matter of ‘life and death of the farmer.’

"With stagnant or reducing supply, increasing demands and pollution, decreasing dependability of rainfall, melting glaciers, rising seawater levels, farmers are already facing the impact. Cities and industries, in search of dependable supplies, are already encroaching on water reservoirs primarily built for irrigation. Farmers then have to make do with sewage or industrial effluents, which has an impact on their health and health of their soils and water sources,” added Thakkar.

Corroborating this Sharma adds, "On the whole the farmer will have lower priority than the cities, because a city running out of water makes a far bigger headline and causes a hue and cry as compared to farms running out of water.  Much is being pushed for the farmer in terms of extended irrigation coverage, crop insurance etc., but it will take years to trickle down to the last level, and the risks associated with the dependence on the Monsoon will hang on their heads for a long time to come."

THE ROAD AHEAD

When asked whether it was an initiative that local governments need to start with the backing of central and state governments, Thakkar said that the situation was far more complex. “We need a separate set of policies and programmes for different sectors based on whether they are urban, rural, industrial and agricultural. Each sector needs to work towards reducing demands, increasing use of rainwater, protecting and enhancing groundwater recharge systems and regulating groundwater use, reducing pollution and recycling the treated wastewater,” he said.

Sharma also cautions us about flash floods that have become a seasonal problem. “Another concern to be aware of is that many of the same cities will face flash floods in the coming months, and subsequently water-borne epidemic. It’s a vicious cycle,” he added.

As a parting shot, Shukla, who covered Maharashtra’s water crisis, along with Telangana and Karnataka, said that the problem wasn’t one that needed to be covered by mainstream media in the summer alone. “Water wars are a perennial issue, and it’s just covered in summer because it gets worse at the time. When I went to Bhiwandi, I remember locals mocking me about getting the annual ‘summer story’, which rattled me. Maybe we need to look at the way India looks at its water problem,” she added.

In the 21^st century where one talks of nations being nuclear powers, one would assume, from the way things are looking, it won’t be far long when a nation will announce its dominance by claiming it’s a water power.