Water
Water- The Blue Gold
Water is going to be the most serious problem that the country will be facing in the 21st century. Many feel that the only solution to the problem of water shortage is the linking of rivers. Preserving rivers in free-flow condition is considered ecologically necessary and the construction of large dams is now legally prohibited in Sweden and also in parts of USA. In the major dams that have been constructed – loss by evaporation is nearly 30%.
"Committees formed for water resource development, invariably dominated by civil engineers who favour large projects involving huge amounts of money, bulldoze all saner counsels."...( Dr. Radhakrishna, Jour. Geol.Soc. of India, 2005)
The Pinch....
Freshwater today is a scarce resource, and it is being felt the world over. The demand for water is already outstripping the supply.
Majority of the population in the cities today are groundwater dependent. Extraction in unplanned and uncontrolled . This has resulted in:
groundwater is both
1. Hydrological imbalance
2. Deterioration in water quality
3. Rise in energy requirements for pumping
Developement
As land pressure rises, more and more marginal areas in the world are being used for agriculture. Much of this land is located in the arid or semi-arid belts where rain falls irregularly and much of the precious water is soon lost as surface runoff. Recent droughts have highlighted the risks to human beings and livestock, which occur when rains falter or fail.
While irrigation may be the most obvious response to drought, it has proved costly and can only benefit a fortunate few. There is now increasing interest in a low cost alternative - generally referred to as "water harvesting".