Environment and Nature questions and answers

On one hand most of the areas in India don't have access to drinking potable water , how can we compare the services with a hotel like that of a TAJ and oberoi which have world class facilities.

They even have fresh water in swimming pools which is regularly changed.The rooms have attached bathrooms,hot/cold water,hair dryers in all bathrooms.

Many parts of India have to go about 5km daily to get just one bucket of water for drinking. The report titled "Progress on drinking water and sanitation - special focus on sanitation," comes halfway through the International Year of Sanitation. The report assesses -- for the first time -- global, regional and country progress using an innovative "ladder" concept. This shows sanitation practices in greater detail, enabling experts to highlight trends in using improved, shared and unimproved sanitation facilities and the trend in open defecation. "Improved sanitation” refers to any facility that hygienically separates human waste from the environment.

Similarly, the 'drinking water ladder' shows the percentage of the world population that uses water piped into a dwelling, plot or yard, and other improved water sources such as hand pumps, and unimproved sources.

Worldwide, the number of people who lack access to an improved drinking water source (protected from faecal and chemical contamination) has fallen below one billion for the first time since data were first compiled in 1990. At present 87% of the world population has access to improved drinking water sources, with current trends suggesting that more than 90% will do so by 2015.

The number of people practising open defecation dropped from 24% in 1990 to 18% in 2006. The report also highlights disparities within national borders, particularly between rural and urban dwellers. Worldwide, there are four times as many people in rural areas – approximately 746 million – without improved water sources, compared to some 137 million urban dwellers.

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India's per capita water consumption per day is 135 liters and the breakup is as follows:-

3-5 liters for drinking 5-15 for bath 25-95 toilets for flushing, 15-25 liters for cleaning clothes & utensils and 15-40 liters for gardening purpose.

Generally the consumption is less in Star hotels as they take measures to recycle the water and use it for other purposes like flushing.

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India can be broadly divided into 15 ecological regions. The vast ecological diversity of this country is reflected in the diversity in available water resources. With an average annual rainfall of 1,170 mm, India is one of the wettest countries in the world. However, there are large variations in the seasonal and geographical distribution of rainfall over the country. At one extreme are areas like Cherrapunji, in the northeast, which is drenched each year with 11,000 mm of rainfall, and at the other extreme are places like Jaisalmer, in the west, which receives barely 200 mm of annual rainfall. Though the average rainfall is adequate, nearly three-quarters of the rain pours down in less than 120 days, from June to September. Groundwater: India's groundwater resources are almost ten times its annual rainfall. According to the Central Groundwater Board of the Government of India, the country has an annual exploitable groundwater potential of 26.5 million hectare-meters. Nearly 85% of currently exploited groundwater is used only for irrigation. Groundwater accounts for as much as 70-80% of the value of farm produce attributable to irrigation. Besides, groundwater is now the source of four-fifths of the domestic water supply in rural areas, and around half that of urban and industrial areas. However, according to the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI), the water table almost everywhere in India is falling at between one to three meters every year. Furthermore, the IIMI estimates that India is using its underground water resources atleast twice as fast they are being replenished. 2 Already, excessive ground water mining has caused land subsidence in several regions of Central Uttar Pradesh.

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Agriculture, industry and energy usage are roughly 5-20 times of domestic usage. Even within a particular industry, the quantity of water used is different for different players. For instance, the water consumed by a landless laborer is far less than that consumed by a rich farmer growing a water-intensive crop. Similar patterns of inequality in consumption are prevalent in industries as well.

Water availability on the Indian subcontinent is strongly influenced by a number of climatic and geographic factors. Together these combine to provide India with enough freshwater to meet the various demands arising from the agricultural, industrial and domestic sectors. However, the actual distribution of water resources over space and time limits access to certain geographic regions and during a few months of the year. Government policies and economic incentives have also influenced the water distribution and consumption across India. The Arthashastra by Chanakya (3 rd century BC) talks of irrigation systems based on rain water harvesting structures. Ancient Indian history is full of such references to techniques for harvesting all forms of water – rainwater, groundwater, surface water such as streams and river and even floods. These water harvesting structures were based on traditional models which had been refined over centuries to adapt to the prevailing climatic and hydrologic conditions in their area of use. The potential of such water harvesting systems to supply adequate freshwater to all areas and sectors is high. However, since colonial times – and especially after independence in 1947 - these systems have been increasingly abandoned and neglected in favor of large dam and canal irrigation projects. So far, these ‘temples of modern India’ have been successful in providing water to selected portions of rural and urban India; yet high economic, social and environmental costs have reduced their overall benefit. The highly variable nature of rainfall makes groundwater the most popular alternative for irrigation and domestic water use across India and accounts for over 400 km 3 of the annual utilizable resource in the country. This dependence on groundwater resources is particularly critical where dry season surface water levels are low or where wet season flows are too disruptive to be easily tapped. In addition to being accessible, groundwater quality is generally excellent in most areas and presents a relatively safe source of drinking water for Indians in rural and urban centers. Agriculture remains central to the Indian economy and it therefore receives a greater share of the annual water allocation. According to the World Resources Institute (2000), 92% of India’s utilizable water is devoted to this sector, mostly in the form of irrigation. Groundwater alone accounts for 39% of the water used in agriculture and surface water use often comes at the expense of other sectors such as the industrial and domestic supply.

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Service Contracts – In this model, public authority retains overall responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the system, and contracts out specific components. Service contracts last 1-3 years and include services such as meter reading, billing and maintenance. While public ownership is maintained and community accountability structures remain in place, the transparency of operation can be limited. Contracts are often not openly negotiated and regulation and oversight is usually lacking. (Design), Build, Operate, Own and Transfer or (D)BOOT – This model of privatization is usually used for system infrastructure development such as water treatment plants that require significant finance. The private operator is required to finance, construct, operate and maintain the facility for a specific period of time (usually more than 20 years). At the end of the term, the infrastructure may be turned over to the municipality or the contract is renewed. This model is more prevalent in developing countries. Examples of (D)BOOT include Tiruppur Project in TN India and Cochabamba experience in Bolivia. Divestiture – In this model, the government or public authority awards full ownership and responsibility of the water system including the water source to a private operator under a regulatory regime. This is also done in the form of 10-20 year renewable contracts on the entire system. The government moves operation to private hands thus improving efficiency. Competition is limited through the process of bids on the divestiture. The private sector firm is then expected to take the risks and recoup investment/profits. This model cedes tremendous power over an essential resource to corporations. Examples of divestiture include the Rasmada scheme, under which a 22-year lease over a stretch of the Shivnath River in Chattisgarh was accorded to Radius Water.

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The water that we use circulates consistently over the earth by solar energy and gravity of the earth. The earth is called a planet of the water, but its 97.5% are seawater, and the fresh water is only 2.5%. Besides most of the fresh water is the ice of South Pole and the arctic ice, so, the water we can use easily is only 0.01% from rivers and the wetlands. On the other hand, in 70 years the world population tripled, and consumption of the water increased 6 times. We use 54% of the available water now, and if one does not change one’s consumption, we may use it to 90% in 2025. Water problem is one of the most important problems in the global community of the 21st Century. The population that cannot use clean water by shortage of water, water pollution and the flood damage etc. reaches 1,100,000,000 people equal to about 20% of the world population. In 2025, 48 countries and 3,000,000,000 people will suffer from, shortage of water. In North America and Japan the ratio of a person who can get safe water is 100%, but in the whole of Asia the ratio is only 36%. In Japan, the Japanese precipitation is 1,72 per 1 square km, it is a double of the world average. But Japan has so much population in the small land, so the precipitation per one is around one-third of the world average.

High levels of water use cause both environmental and economic problems. On the environmental side, high consumption places stress on rivers, lakes and ground water aquifers and may require dams and flooding with serious ecological impacts. The discharge of polluted water once it has been used damages aquatic ecosystems. On the economic side, high levels of water use, require ever-increasing and expensive investments in water system infrastructure needed to gather, deliver and dispose of water (dams, reservoirs, water treatment facilities, distribution networks and sewage treatment.)

We should be aware that:

·On an average, 14% of municipal piped water is lost in pipeline leaks, up to 30% in some communities. ·Toilets (while consuming nearly one quarter of our municipal water supply) use over 40% more water than needed. ·Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking. ·Water consumption usually drops 18 -25 % after a water meter is installed. ·Approximately 295,000 liters of water is required to produce 910 kilograms of paper. ·Approximately 86,300 liters of water is required to produce 910 kilograms of steel. ·A 5 minute shower with a standard shower head uses 100 liters of water. A 5 minute shower with a low flow showerhead uses only 35 liters of water. ·During the summer, about half of all treated water is sprayed onto lawns and gardens. ·Water uses and consumption: Toilet flush – 15 to 20 liters, Bath tub – 60 L, Automatic dishwashing – 40 L; Outdoor watering – 35 L a minute, Washing machine 225 L. ·A single lawn sprinkler spraying 19 liters per minute uses 50% more water in just one hour than a combination of ten toilet flushes, two 5 minute showers, two dish washer loads, and full load of clothes. ·The average person in the developing world uses 10 liters of water a day. ·The average person in the United Kingdom uses 135 liters of water everyday.

Water unfortunately is no longer a common man’s property, no longer a wealthy source give by nature to be freely used by all. We see that urban centers successfully bid to attract private participation in the water sector, extraction, supply and billing of water charges. Water is privatized and water starved consumers are willing to pay. World Bank sponsored studies indicate that the urban poor already pay five times the municipal rate for water in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire; 25 times more in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and 40 times more in Cairo, Egypt.

If we have water, we take it for granted, when it is scarce we fight for it ….Such disputes over fetching water and scarcity over water has led to deaths and injuries. In the face of all this let us ask ourselves if we are sensitive to the water issues. How much water do I waste and use? Do I bring awareness to the right use of water to myself and to others? Can we use water saving appliances?

Conclusion: Water therefore is a precious property that we share; we have to take responsibility for succeeding it to the next generation. It is necessary to wrestle the issue with a constructive pro-healthy water cycle.

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According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the average water requirement of a Delhi citizen is 160 litres per capita daily (lpcd). The Planning Commission has estimated the average requirement for different income groups -- 130 lpcd for lower-income groups, 150 lpcd for middle-income groups, and 200 lpcd for higher-income groups. The average comes to 160 lpcd. Let us now look at the water availability in Delhi.

Delhi, as a city, ranks highest in per capita availability of water -- about 280-300 lpcd. But the distribution of this water is extremely inequitable. According to officials, different quantities of water are provided to different settlements since their standard uses differ, and certain standards have been established in this regard. The standard for planned colonies is 225 lpcd, for resettlement colonies and urban villages it is 155 lpcd and for jhuggi-jhopdi (JJ) clusters it is only 50 lpcd.

According to a recent report, the average water consumption in a five-star hotel room is above 1,000 litres. For instance, the average consumption of water in a Hotel Taj Man Singh room is 2,000 litres a day, while at the Oberoi it is 1,120 litres per day per room. The average consumption at the Taj Hotel is 1,400 litres per room, while Janpath Hotel, including its banquet halls and restaurants, consumes around 67,000 litres per day. On an average, each room in a five-star hotel consumes 1,600 litres of water every day.

VIP residences do not lag far behind in guzzling water. For instance, the prime minister’s house at 1 Race Course Road accounts for around 73,300 litres of water per day, and the presidential residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, consumes about 67,000 litres per day. Similarly, ministers’ residences consume 30,000-45,000 litres per day.

The hutment clusters of southwest Delhi, on the other hand, are in a state of perpetual water crisis (see ‘The price people pay’). In 1999, Delhi had 1,100 slum clusters with an estimated population of 3.2 million. In addition, there were 1,500 unauthorised colonies with an estimated population of 3.5 million, 52 resettlement colonies with a population of 2 million and 216 urban villages with an estimated population of 0.6 million. Thus, in 1999, more than 10.3 million people -- 78% of the city’s population -- were living in sub-standard settlements. In 2001, this dropped marginally to 76%. It is this population that is worst hit as far as water supply is concerned.

East Delhi district is home to one-third of the city’s population. This district has the highest concentration of multi-storeyed housing complexes in Delhi. Consequently, those who can afford it have installed high-powered booster pumps directly on the main transportation water lines, for personal use. The government has done virtually nothing to rectify this uneven distribution or check malpractice.

The problem in Delhi is not related to inequitable distribution alone: according to official sources, about 40% of the total water supplied in Delhi is put to wasteful use. Most important among these is water usage in industrial units: there are hardly any existing or operational mechanisms for the recovery of secondary and tertiary water, so, once water becomes industrial waste it is put out of use permanently.

There are a number of wasteful household activities too, such as washing cars, bathing dogs, etc. The upkeep and maintenance of civic water taps is pathetic practically throughout the city, resulting in substantial water loss.

The solution is not to augment water, as is being advocated by politicians, but to manage and conserve it better by increasing awareness and involving society in public-private partnerships. For example, although the per capita availability of water in the city of Copenhagen (Denmark) is 200 lpcd, the city council has fixed a target of reducing it to 110 lpcd through better management of water utilisation.

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The World Bank has predicted that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will run short of fresh drinking water. In 2000, Fortune, the business magazine, declared: “Water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century: the precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations.” According to the magazine, the annual revenues of the water industry amount to approximately 40% of the oil sector.

Unlike oil, the real value of water is incalculable, since no life is possible without it. In 1995, total global water abstraction was some 3,750 km3/year, with actual consumption being 61% of this, or 2,270 km3/year. There are projections that water withdrawal will grow by about 10-12% every ten years, and by 2025 it will reach approximately 5,100 km3/year. Right now, about 57% of total water withdrawal and 70% of global water consumption occurs in Asia where most of the major irrigated agriculture takes place. During the next few decades, the most intensive growth in water withdrawal is expected to occur in Africa and South America (by 1.5-1.6 times), and the smallest in Europe and North America (1.2 times).

Most of the water we use is for agriculture; irrigation accounts for nearly 70% of total global use. Growing food is water-intensive; every kilogram of potatoes we eat uses 1,000 litres, wheat 1,450 litres and rice, 3,450 litres. Industry uses 20%, and nearly every industrial process needs some water; it takes 477,750 litres of water to make a single car, for instance.

The remaining 10% is for everyday use -- for drinking, washing, bathing and cooking. We need a minimum of 2-3 litres of water to drink every day.

Not everyone gets those clean 2-3 litres of water: 1.1 billion people worldwide lack clean drinking water, and in what is a sure sign of lack of water, 2.4 billion people lack access to sanitation. An estimated 14,000-30,000 people, mostly young children and the elderly, die every day from water-related diseases. The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals include halving these figures in the next ten years (consensus is that this is unlikely to happen, progress is far too slow). It has been estimated that this halving would cost an extra $ 16 billion each year, an amount that, as the international NGO WaterAid famously points out, is less than what North Americans and Europeans spend on pet food in one year. Different organisations have estimated that meeting the Millennium Development Goal on drinking water supply coverage would require between US$ 10 billion and US$ 30 billion a year on top of the amount already being spent. The World Health Organisation in its VISION 21 report calculates that US$ 47 billion per year over 25 years will be required for universal water access.

It may be worthwhile to go the other way and see what the absence of clean water costs: a study based on WHO health statistics that analysed deaths and the burden of disease (measured in Disability Adjusted Life Years: DALYs) due to water, sanitation and related hygiene risks showed a total of some 4 billion diarrhoea cases per year, which resulted in between 1,085,000 and 2,187,000 deaths per year and between 37,923,000 and 76,340,000 DALYs; 90% of these deaths occurred among children under five. Adding other polluted water diseases like worms led to a total estimate of 2,213,000 deaths and 82,196,000 DALYs per year. While the economic dollar cost of DALYs is controversial, if the commonly used figure of US$ 500 per DALY is used, then the annual health costs attributed to poor access to water and sanitation are in the order of US$ 40 billion.

Water companies everywhere have grabbed this idea of the economic value and price of water. The current size of the global water market is $ 287 billion right now, and is expected to be $ 413 billion by 2010, yet it is considered a ‘young’ industry serving only 5% of the world’s population.

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Ordinary population has lot of actvities like , washing , drinking , flushing, gardening , cleaning etc.In five star Hotels according to recent study Oberoi uses 1,210 litres a day Taj uses , 2000 litres a day and more . While this is one end the other end there is 78-80% of population without 30-90 litres a day.Though through recycling and advanced techniques water can be reused. Several acts have established, Water Control act of 1974, The Environmental protection act1986 but nothing has made us reach our goal.Still in most places of India people are without Good water. This is going to continue globally if serious action is not taken which will inturn affect the green world also.

Shobana

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Currently water consumption is calculated on a figure of 135 lpcd(litres per capita daily) in India. This is the quantity of water considered necessary for an individual, for all uses.

According to the data, while the per capita water consumption per year availability was more than 5,000 cubic meter in 1951, 1,869 cubic meter in 2000, it will diminish to 1000 cubic meter in 2050, thereby touching the water scarcity line.

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