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SESSION 2: WATER AS A SCARCE

RESOURCE:
LOCAL, REGIONAL & TRANSBOUNDARY WATER ISSUES

Water Ecosystem Services


Water in a wetland, for example, generates four types of
ecosystem services (MEA, 2005; TEEB, 2010):
Various Ecosystem Services of Water Resources.docx
I -Production/provisioning services
II -Regulation Services
III -Cultural Services ; and
IV -Supporting Services

Total Economic Value (TEV) of Water: An alternative


Classification of Water Services

Total Economic Value (TEV):


a) Direct Use Value (e.g. water for drinking purpose)
b) Indirect Use Value (e.g. biodiversity)
c) Option Value Peoples willingness to pay for future
use of the value
d) Existence Value Peoples willingness to pay for
mere existence of water (holiness of Ganga water)
* While a) and b) are already there in the four types of
ecosystem benefits we discussed in the previous
slide, c) and d) are additional values identified by the
environmental economists

Why water is a unique resource?


Water-based ecosystem services are
heterogenous in nature:
Visible and invisible services
Quantifiable and non-quantifiable services
Direct and indirect services
Objective and Subjective services
Local and global services
Short-run and long-run services

Non-Linear Impact
Since water generates innumerable ecosystem
benefits which are consumed in numerous
consumption and production activities in an
economy, even a small reduction will cause a
larger reduction in human welfare

In other words, economic welfare in an economy


can improve tremendously even with small
improvement in water management.

Water Management can achieve


multiple objectives
Proper management of water can reduce water
scarcity impact on the economy as well as
impact of flood.
Water management in India is based mainly on a
narrow, engineering approach that treats water
as homogenous resource
E.g. Chennai floods in 2015 is due to engineering
approach only.

Floods in Chennai (Dec. 2015)


Loss of infrastructure Rs. 26000 crore

Loss of properties and lives (non-quantifiable)


Loss of MSME (Rs, 17,000 crore; 50,000 job lost)
Real-Estate business has been drastically
affected
Business firms moving away from Chennai

Chennai floods
Torrential rains occurred in the northern districts of Tamil
Nadu towards end of November and first week of December,
2015.
Some 329 TMCft (thousand million cubic feet -1 cubic feet =
26.3168 litres) of water was drained into the ocean.
329 TMC of water is sufficient to meet the water
requirement of Chennai city for the next 30 years!
In a state which is always reeling under water scarcity
problem, can we drain a huge quantity of fresh water into
the ocean?

In a water starved state, when 329 TMC of water goes into the
ocean the following questions do matter:
What would have been the value of agricultural output that we could
have produced in case the 329 TMC of water had been used in the
agriculture sector?
What would have been the household benefits in case the water had
been used in the household sector?
What would have been the value of the industrial output if we had
used this water in the industry sector?
What would have been the value of milk and meet in case it had
been used in the livestock sector?
-What would have been the value of recreational, religious and
cultural benefits we could have produced with the water?
What would have been the value of biodiversity that could have
been supported with the water?
And so on.

Water Scarcity: Problem of


Mismanagement leads to:

Depletion (Quantity-based)
Degradation (Quality -based)

Factors influencing depletion and


degradation of water
Population growth
Urbanization (increase in water use LPCD)
Income growth (garden, car washing, etc) up to
certain level, it is income inelastic and after that level,
it becomes highly elastic
Intensive agriculture (GW exploitation, water quality)
Industrialization (water intensive industries, pollution)

Degradation Water Quality Issues


Point-source pollution (industrial) and non-point
source pollution (urban, agriculture)
Some policy on point-source pollution but, no
policy on non-point source pollution
Non-point source pollution rapid urbanisation
in India increased quantity of urban sewage
carries harmful toxic wastes, hospital wastes,
waste from meat shops, carcasses of animals,
etc

Food for thought:


Do you know where does your waste water go from your
city/village?
Do you know where is your solid waste being dumped?
What happens to the hospital waste and e-waste?
Where is the septic tank waste being dumped?
Around 65% percent of the people in India practice opendefecation. Where does the excreta go?
Most of the above end up mainly in waterways which provide
raw water for drinking purpose!
The health impact is a serious issue!

Economic Loss of Health Impact


Mortality (death) and Morbidity (illness)
Income lost/savings lost
Output/service produced lost
Medical Expenses
Income and output lost of relatives
More than 40 per cent of the environmental damage cost in
India is caused by water-borne diseases (Mani, 2013)

Status of Surface Water.


Surface water sources are shirking due to problems
such as encroachment, sand mining, improper
maintenance, etc
E.g. TN had 42,000 water bodies which generated
irrigation benefits, groundwater recharge, etc
At present, there are only 19000 water bodies only!
(In Session 3, we will discuss the surface water issues
in detail).

GW Exploitation: e.g. Tamil Nadu


http://cgwb.gov.in/gw_profiles/st_tn.html

Total Blocks in TN: 239


Safe GW development less than 70% of replenished
water) - NIL
Critical (70 % and below 100% development) - 67
blocks (28.03%)
Semi-Critical (90% -100% development) - 33 blocks
(13.85%)
Over-exploited (above 100%) - 139 blocks (58.15%)

Case of Depleting Groundwater Levels


Dramatic increase in groundwater exploitation
in post-independent India
Emergence of tube well technology

70% of Indias irrigation need


80% of domestic water supplies
Why overdependence on groundwater?
Low water storage capacity
India can barely store about 30 days of rainfall compared to as much as 900
days in the major river basins abroad (USA, Australia)

Sheer lack in piped delivery in everyday supply


On supply side, two source of financing budgetary & user charges have
been declining & falling

Depleting groundwater levels in India


Groundwater levels sunk by more than half in
many parts
e.g., One foot a year in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana & Delhi

Loss of 109 cubic km of groundwater during 20022008


e.g., Bangalore: Over 2 lakh bore-wells pumping between 100400 million
liters per day

Traditional Water Management Systems in India

e.g., Tank irrigation in South India


Chola, Pandya, Vijayanagra & Kakatiya Kingdoms

Virtue & prosperity will increase only when tanks


and irrigation canals are constructed and favour
shown to poor cultivators in the matter of taxation
and services
Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijanagaram
Water Tank in Kerala
Water Tank in Tamil Nadu

Depleting groundwater levels


Policy failures: Artificially under-pricing of key agri-inputs like power

Shift in irrigation pattern

Private use (tube-wells ground-water) over


collective use (tanks, ponds, etc. surface-water)

Water Tank in Tamil Nadu

Groundwater based new drinking water schemes in Kerala (a policy failure)

Do we have efficient institutions to


monitor & regulate groundwater
extraction?
Why not establish water markets for
efficient allocation of water resources?
Are there well defined property rights
in water resources?

A rural scenario
Natwargadh village in Gujarat

An urban Scenario
A parched Delhi slum
Water scarcity: Implications

Water scarcity Equity implications


Sugar farmers diverting water in Maharashtra

Maharashtra - A Land of Sugar Barons


Sugarcane cultivated on 3% of irrigated land
but consumes 80% of irrigated water
States 2nd biggest dam Ujani built in 1980 supplies 117 TMC of
water
60 TMC illegally diverted to 6 lakh hectares sugarcane fields
spread across 3 districts with 50 sugar factories run on
cooperatives basis Politicians are shareholders
Creating acute water shortage in hundreds of villages located
in eight taluks of Solapur district

Water supply from dam is meant to be reserved for crops like


Chillies, Jowar, Bajra, Groundnut, Maize, Tur, Wheat &
vegetables - Less water-intensive crops compared to Sugarcane
Another face of corruption

Water scarcity Equity implications


Rural vs. Urban - Water diverted from rural to urban areas

e.g.,Delhi's Might, Renuka's Plight


Renuka Dam on Giri River in Himachal Pradesh
A solution for Delhis water scarcity

Site of Renuka Dam

People in Delhi need to realize that dams are short-term solutions. This is not
a problem of supply, but of wastage and poor management." An NGO activist

Water scarcity: Political implications


River water sharing
Cauvery River: Karnataka & Tamilnadu
Palar river Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
Mullai Periyar Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Water sharing Bilateral level


Indus Water Treaty 1960 India (the land
beyond the Indus) & Pakistan
Under supervision of World Bank
Rights of lower riparian states

Ravi, Beas, Sutlej: India


Eastern flowing rivers

Indus, Jhelum, Chenab: Pakistan


Western flowing rivers
Limited general storage, power Storage & flood
storagecapacity given to India
Average rainfall less than 240 mm
India provides hydrological data

The most effective treaty


Permanent Indus Commission (> 100 meetings)
An illustration of cooperation between two
hostile nations

Only one-quarter of the land is


cultivated
90% of fresh water used for irrigation &
agriculture
Worlds largest contiguous irrigation
system

Water sharing Bilateral level


The onset of water war
Construction of dams upstream by India
India accused of stealing water
Indus has about 10 times more water than Colorado River in US & 3
times more water than Nile in Egypt
Need for megadams Punjab province or Sindh province
Wastage of Indus water in sea by Pakistan
Intensive irrigation & poor drainage practices
Water supplies around cities are unaccounted forleaked or stolen

Global warming: Reduced snowfall &


receding glaciers in Western Himalayas

Depleting groundwater levels in Pakistan

The Economist, Pakistan, Water Going with the


flow (February 11th, 2012)
Without some drastic action, Quetta [in Balochistan]
, with more than 1 million people, may have to
close down. Quettas thirst could become a
national phenomenon. Around Quetta water
table is now 330-340 m below surface & estimated
to be falling by 3.5 m a year. Over 2,000 tube wells
have dried up.

Implications for India?

Water sharing Bilateral level

China begins building dam on its side of the Brahmaputra

China has more than half of 50,000 dams in the world, Only 22 dams in 1949
Planning a mammoth $635 Bill. investment in water infrastructure over next decade
Ignoring social costs Affecting natural ecosystem, Displacement of poor villagers
Increasingly damming transnational rivers such as Mekong, Salween, Brahmaputra,
Irtysh, Illy & Amur

Middle East Water related conflicts


Israel vs. Palestine, Israel vs. Syria

Israel: Water is the blood in our veins Former PM Levy Eshkol declared in 1962
6 Days 1967 Arab-Israel War led to Israeli occupation of West Bank in Palestine
& Golan Heights in Syria
2/3rd of Israels water comes from these occupied territories
42 deep wells in West Bank aquifers supply 25% to 40% of Israels water
West Bank Palestinians prevented from digging deep wells for their own (only upto
140 m in depth); Israel wells up to 800 m
Purchase water from Israel when their shallow wells run dry in summer

Golan Heights (1329 miles wide)

Vantage point for monitoring Syrian movements


Catchment area for Jordan River (200 miles) provides 30% of Israels water

Water sharing Continental level


Tributaries in 10 countries: Riparian states
The Nile politics
300 million dependent
Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea
Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Tanzania, Kenya,
Uganda
The Great Lake States facing severe
water scarcity
EGYPT

Use of Niles water for development


a bone of contention

ERITREA
SUDAN
ETHIOPIA

CONGO

RWANDA

UGANDA

BURUNDI, TANZANIA

KENYA

Egyptian Civilization & Nile


1959 Treaty: Egypt (87%) & Sudan (13%)
All rights over rivers use
97% of Egypts water requirement
95% of Niles runoff originates outside Egypt
Blue Nile in Ethiopia provides 85% of Niles
flow
Ethiopia & Eritrea

Nile Basin Initiative with support of


international institutions

Water sustainability initiatives


Small & decentralized water harvesting structures

Water sustainability initiatives at IIM Kozhikode

Onset of Monsoon

After two weeks

How Kunnamangalam panchayat benefited from


this water conservation endeavour?

After monsoon

Water catchment area

Water channel
around pond

Successful intervention for water conservation


e.g., National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)

Successful intervention for Water Conservation

A farm pond in a village in Dharwad district, Karnataka

A farm pond
constructed in
Hadmatiya village,
Jamnagar district,
Gujarat, ensures
water for irrigation

Successful intervention for Water Conservation


Gujarat Governments Multifold Water Conservation Measures
1999 Election, A drought year: Pehle paani, phir Advani
Construction of 10,700 check-dams up to 2000
Construction of > 1 lakh check-dams during the last decade
Farmers contribute 5% initially; state-owned agency provides 50% as subsidy &
arranges a bank loan for the balance of 45%;
NGOs play an important role

Check-dam on seasonal river in Kasargod district in Kerala

Successful intervention for water conservation


Economic impact

Groundwater recharge
Recharging dry rivers

Boosted agricultural growth in Saurashtra & Kutch


region (70% of area in Gujarat is semi-arid & arid)
Agriculture growth rate in Gujarat around 11% vs. around
3% in India
Water conservation & management dams one of the
contributing factor
Benefits of check-dams vis--vis big dams
7 wells in surrounding are recharged by each check-dam

10 hectare of land is benefited by each check-dam


Require less operation & maintenance vis--vis big dams
No question of Acquisition of Land
Do we require National River Linking Project?

Hiware Bazar A village with 54 Millionaires

Located in Nagar Taluka of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra


Watershed Development Program
Miracle of Water Transformation of a drought-prone village
For details See Hiware Bazar at http://hiware-bazar.epanchayat.in/
See From Rags to Riches Hiware Bazaar Village on YouTube

Development in Hiware Bazara

Water scarcity industry vs. locals


Coca-cola vs. Locals in Plachimada in Palghat
District, Kerala
Commissioned bottling plant in 2000
Plant in 34 acres, drawing water from 6 bore wells & 2 open
wells
Extracted around 6.35 lakh liters/day
By 2002 local water supply depleted and polluted
Agitation by local people Brand erosion CocaCola closed
the plant in 2004
Govt. of Kerala asking for a compensation of around Rs.
216.26 Crores for the effected local people
Compensation for: Agricultural loss; Health damages;
Cost of providing water; Wage loss & opportunity cost;
Cost of pollution of water resources

Payment of environmental services

What the companies are doing..?


Coco-cola: Rain water harvesting structures, construction of
check-dams, restoration of ponds & traditional water bodies
Positive water balance in 2010
Over 6 billion litres of water being conserved through 700 structures in 300 communities

PepsiCo: Well recharge, check dam building & drip irrigation in


Aurangabad, Neelamangala, Panipat & Sangareddy
Positive water balance in 2009
Recharged 2 billion litres of water and benefitted 41,000 community members

Hindustan Unilever: Check-dam building, building bunds on


agricultural lands etc.
Saved 50 billion litres of water in 180 villages across 17 districts
2015 target: Water conservation activities across 1,000 villages

Criticism: Recycling of waste-water missing???

Can we categorize these initiatives as Corporate Social Responsibility?

ITC
Integrated Watershed Development in Semi-arid regions
Water conservation & soil enrichment, enabling farmers to
extend the cultivation cycle and return to multiple cropping

Water Boots," by Roman Signer, makes a


splash and a point: Without water, we are
nothing.

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