Water Day

On World Water day, let us remember that almost 1 billion people lack access to safe water supplies, and 2.6 billion are without access to basic sanitation.

Approximately 10% of the global burden of disease worldwide could be prevented with improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene and better water resource management.

Wastewater often reaches the environment untreated or insufficiently treated, resulting in major impacts on surface waters and associated ecosystems as well as economic activity that uses these resources.

Meanwhile, the water used to produce food thrown away by households in the UK amounts to about 6.2bn cubic metres a year. That represents 6% of the UK's total water footprint, which includes water used in industry and agriculture. About a quarter of the water used to grow and process the wasted food originates in the UK, but much of it comes from countries that are already experiencing water stress.

An expanding city like Bangalore has to take stock of its water supplies before planning any further. It still has about 386 lakes left, even if the status of 121 lakes is unknown. Up to 100 lakes have disappeared as they have been converted to various urban uses including bus stations, roads, layouts, garbage dumps, truck stands, etc. The remaining lakes have become useful drainage for effluents.

The effluent issue has been a serious one with discharge nearly tripling from 2007 to 2010. Much of this increase has come from the mushrooming of small industrial units which cannot afford a treatment plant. Given the sporadic inspection by pollution board, effluents are easily transported and dumped into water bodies.

Till 1974, Bangalore did not have water from Cauvery, and relied purely on the tanks and lakes. However the population was then 2.3 million. It is now over 6 million and by 2015 will touch 10 million. Even the last phase of Cauvery water supply scheme will not be able to take on these numbers for too long. Managing its water bodies better is the only sustainable way out.

But a problem becomes a problem only when it is visible. Right now, a large section manages to find the precious water it needs. When the problem looms large, hopefully there still will be time.