Urban Vs Rural Water Needs

Sustainable Water System

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Although India posses about one sixth of global population, its water resources are just about 4% of total average annual runoff, in rivers of the world. About 65% of the available water is used for Agriculture (Rural) and the balance 35% for Industrial and Municipal use (Urban). Probably half of the water used for agriculture is wasted before it reaches the intended crop, due to inefficient and outdated irrigation systems and practices. If we can find ways to manage water more effectively for agriculture and industry and for basic needs such as drinking water, then we can create more sustainability in the water system.

Urban Water Problems

It is very difficult to find enough water within a reasonable distance of the city and to supply safe drinking water to millions of people, in a concentrated area of mega cities. The infrastructure challenge with urban water supply and the collection & treatment of waste waters, is huge and very much of it is still unmet. The cities and industries poison water, by dumping and discharging untreated and under-treated waste waters into rivers and water bodies. An incredibly tiny amount of toxic substance discharged by industries can pollute an incredibly large amount of water. The rivers flowing through the cities, and water bodies and the ground water in and around the cities are very, very polluted, as a result of industrial and municipal waste water contamination. Moreover encroachment of water bodies in urban areas destroys natural recharge sites for ground water.

Rural Water Problems

In rural areas the major problem is uncontrolled agricultural runoff, along with the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The drinking water available to the rural population is not that of super-high quality and practically there is no mechanism for effective collection and disposal of waste waters. Many of the rural people will have to depend on community wells, ponds, canals, streams etc to meet their needs of drinking water, which cannot be termed as safe. They realize the importance of the water as they have to walk long distances to fetch water and hence less of wastage in the rural domestic sector.

Urban Greed for Water

The urbanite has got a water supply problem to begin with, and then ends up polluting the supplies he has, rendering them unusable. In urban areas there is considerable wastage of water both in the supply system and the usage, as there is no accountability and the piped-in water is subsidized. With the increasing urban population and industrial growth centered round cities, the urban water consumption and the wastage is going to go up significantly. The urban water consumption is also likely to go up, because of rapid change in the urban lifestyles and the wants of the urbanites. The future urban water requirements should be curtailed to the basic "Needs", instead of catering to the "Wants", which is nothing but Need plus Greed of the urbanite.

Urban Wants Vs Rural Needs

There is a danger of appropriating more and more water to meet the increasing wants of the urbanites, depriving the basic Needs of Rural people for water. The talk of diverting Manjira and Krishna Waters to Hyderabad City is nothing but catering for the greed of the urbanites and the industry, depriving the basic needs of the water starving people, in Medak and Nallagonda districts.

Drinking Water Vs Irrigation Water

The diversion is being justified saying that Drinking Water (Tragu Neeru) should get priority over Irrigation Water (Sagu Neeru).The problem cannot be over simplified as Tragu Neeru vs Sagu Neeru and it has to be looked at, as the basic needs of Rural people against the wants of Urbanites and the Industry, who indulge in the luxury of wasteful usage of water and indiscriminate pollution and destruction of water sources available in the vicinity, unmindful of its long term adverse impacts.