Water Crisis – Mankind Paving Its Way Towards Doom

Enough is Enough

(Click here for Part 1 of this series)

We know for a fact that only about 3 % of the water available on earth is suitable for human consumption. Over the years, the quantum of fresh water available on earth has remained the same more or less but what was once an adequate supply has now become inadequate because of the increase in demand

Each year more and more regions of the world automatically slip into what are categorized as ‘water stressed regions’, because of over use. The main reason for increased water shortage and water stress is the rising population of the world, projected to reach 8.5 billion by the year 2030 . With this dramatic rise in population, the demand for food is also increasing along with the requirements of housing & infrastructure to accommodate the growing population.

The per capita water usage has also been increasing drastically due to rising prosperity and changing lifestyles of people. This is also contributing to the increase in the demand for water. In the last century the population has tripled but the demand for water has increased by 6 times.

Going by the fundamental economic principle of demand and supply, it is apparent that the demand for water is increasing and its availability is decreasing and hence its value is bound to climb.

As early as 2008, investment banking leader Goldman Sachs recognized the financial potential in water as a commodity and classified water as the petroleum of the next century. As water was anticipated to become the hottest new resource to profit from around 100 top corporations started to treat water as a new commodity for sale. Companies such as the Veolia based in Switzerland, Suez and Vivendi with their headquarters in Paris, France, Thames Water with its base in Berkshire, UK, became some of the major players.

In their nascent days, water companies usually controlled and operated within their own countries but with the arrival of Margaret Thatcher’s privatization revolution in the late 80s, the 10 state owned regional water authorities that supplied water to over three-quarters of England and Wales were privatized in December 1989 after the introduction of a new regulatory framework. This was the trigger which motivated the water companies to seek global control. Water rose to become a commodity in the stock market.

This small sample showcases the scale of these companies control:

  • Buenos Aires, Argentina – Buyer Suez
  • Puerto Rico, US – Buyer – Veolia
  • Jakarta, Indonesia – Buyer – Thames Water
  • Santiago, Chile – Buyer – Veolia
  • New York City, New York, US – Buyer – Suez
  • Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, US – Buyer – Thames Water
  • Las Vegas, Nevada, US – Buyer – Suez
  • Chicago, Illinois, US – Buyer – Veolia
  • New Orleans, Louisiana, US – Buyer – Veolia
bluefield-research
World’s 50 Largest Private Water Utilities: Served more than 280 million people in 24 countries & with more than $53 billion in annual revenue in 2014

According to the Private Water Utilities: Global Rankings & Company Strategies report, the world’s 50 largest private water utilities served more than 280 million people in 24 countries and generated more than $53 billion in annual revenue on a net equity basis in 2014. France, the U.K., the U.S. and Brazil host the largest private water utilities, but an increasing number of new players also appear in Bluefield’s rankings of population served and water produced from regions where private participation in the water sector is on the rise including Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Private participants are placing an increased emphasis on a diverse set of countries, with the U.S., Brazil, Chile, Italy and Spain topping Bluefield’s 2015 market attractiveness ranking for private participation.

These private water companies have the power to manipulate the World Bank to ask developing countries to privatize water for debt relief. These Water cartels are becoming more powerful than most Governments.

Lot of games have been played around to profit from Water – enough is enough.

It is time to take a firm stand on what position we give to water in our life. Is it a regional luxury, a global asset, a money spinning commodity for corporations, a life saving resource or a political tool in the hands of the government.

We have to change our entire outlook towards water. We have to value every drop of this life saving resource and we have to re-look at the ways we manage or transport or use water for farming or infrastructure development.

All these years water was used to douse fires but unfortunately such disrespect has been shown to water that it is on the verge of becoming the reason for fire and conflicts between societies and nations.

The hard reality is that fresh water on earth is limited and sooner or later the global population will reach a number which will make the fresh water resources fall short – what then?

…To be continued

Water Crisis – Mankind Paving Its Way Towards Doom

We can all see the water crisis that is facing us but we stand no chance of saving ourselves from it unless we do not understand the causes behind it.

Imagine the globe without humans and without any human creation.

Earth The Blue Marble
The Blue Marble

Now imagine we unfold this globe on a flat surface

This is the BLUE planet – this is our earth – this is the way it was made to be and the way it would have been thousands of years ago.

What comes before you are the oceans, lakes, snow clad mountains from where the rivers are flowing downstream turning twisting with their branching tributaries distributing water on the earth like blood vessels in the body.

Imagine seeing the thick vast forests full of life with birds and animals busy from dawn to dusk. Feel the breath of fresh cool air on your face, smell the divine fragrance of flowers and fruits. Hear the singing chirping birds and bubbling brooks, buzzing insects, croaking frogs, falling rain drops amidst other sounds of nature.

Just the imagination of this earth has a wholesome effect on our emotional state and helps us relax.

Now contrast this imagination with the reality of our existence on this planet. Since the dawn of mankind, man has been a tyrant on this earth – snatching more of everything he needs. For space he starts cutting trees and reduces the forest cover many times more than required by him.

The destruction of forest means destruction of homes and reduced food availability for birds and animals forcing many species to the brink of extinction. The destruction of forest means reducing the natural air purifiers that clean the air of harmful chemicals. Reducing tree cover also reduces the leaves that allow for the settlement of suspended air pollutants and adversely affects the physical purification of the air.

As people luxuriate their lives with modern inventions like automobiles, air conditioners, planes etc. the planet bears increased pollution in its environment. As societies, we remain unconcerned about the daily problems of burning eyes, heavy fog, poor visibility, breathing difficulties, asthma which our inventions are creating apart from the challenges of global warming & climate change which will finally lead to the widespread disruption of our planet’s ecology.

With urbanization, there is a continued demand for housing to accommodate the growing population. In any growing city, single-family homes are gradually being replaced with high rise buildings with multiple apartments. Such ‘Cluster Housing’ units seem to suit all agencies– from electric supply to postal department because they can reach more people with less effort & cost.

Nobody ever considers the outcomes that a concentration of a large population in small pocket of land has on the demand for water that burdens the local watersheds. This is the reason why, be it pre-monsoon or post-monsoon, the ground water table continues to fall every minute.

Interestingly, we never hear from the big companies which build these large scale housing complexes about addressing this issue of fulfillment of water demand in the future as they are only focused on short-term profits. Agencies and companies conveniently skirt around this subject as they would otherwise have to restrict the number of such units being built.

As societies, we are all collectively culpable of swindling our most precious life saving commodity – water. We are steering clouds, manipulating the rivers by controlling the flow and quantum of water in them, polluting every natural water body around us and boring the ground beneath us dry. We are even trading and transporting water to far off destinations.

Such gross and unabashed mismanagement of our water resources is the start of a crisis that, if not tackled in the next few years, is bound to doom us all.

… Continued in Part 2

Tanka System – A Basic Rainwater Harvesting Technique

Rainfall is the main source of water for augmenting ground water levels, soil moisture and surface water. Water is essential for agricultural activity, for growing fodder to feed livestock and to fulfill domestic requirement of all humans.

Rainwater harvesting has been a natural tendency in all ancient Indian and other civilizations in different parts of the world and has been practiced for more than 4000
years because even in those times the people recognized the fact that without water no form of life is possible on earth.

The Indus Valley Civilization settled on the banks of the Indus River and other parts of western and northern India about 4500 years ago had one of the most sophisticated
water supply and sewage systems in the world

The people of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan designed, developed and constructed many different structures for Rain Water Harvesting and among them; the most Common Rainwater collection technique has been through the ‘Tanka’ system

Tanka is a paved underground tank of differing shapes from square, rectangular to usually cylindrical, having holding capacity ranging from 1000 liters to 1,000,000 liters

The traditional construction material also varies from simple mud plaster to lime mortar or cement mortar. On top of the tank there is a roof cover with mild slope towards the center where there are inlet points to let the rain water falling on this catchment surface flows into the Tank (Tanka). There is also a covered opening from where the water is drawn using a rope and bucket as and when water is required.

Apart from the roof surface of Tanka which acts as catchment for rain water, even rainwater from house rooftop, courtyard or artificially prepared catchments flows are diverted towards the Tanka

The water collected in a Tanka is highly valued commodity for every member of the family and is used carefully so as to ensure that it lasts for many months – sometimes even till the subsequent monsoon…

A Tanka and the water it brings to households in an arid zone provides water security and saves family members (specially the rural womenfolk) from the burden of traveling long distances to get water for every day requirements.

SILVERON, in the year 2003-04 built two Tankas funded by Coca Cola India at Kaladera village and these were inaugurated by Hon’ble Justice B.N. Kirpal, former
Chief Justice of India.

Rainwater Harvesting Tanka constructed by Silveron at Girl’s School (Storage Capacity of 100,000 liters water).
Rainwater Harvesting Tanka constructed by Silveron at Girl’s School
(Storage Capacity of 100,000 liters water).

SILVERON did not build small prototype models but instead constructed big practical structures which are still operational. The rain water falling on the roof of the school/college building also finds its way into the tanks.

Apart from collecting rain water in the Tanka – Team Silveron also made provision of taking the over flow of the water from the Tanka (in the event of heavy rainfall) by a PVC pipe to a Ground Water Recharge Shaft near the school hand pump.

These two Tankas were built in educational institutions so that the students could see and understand all aspects of rain water harvesting from roof top catchment – channelizing the runoff – storage on surface – recharge into the ground.

Such old time water harvesting systems can still be seen along Naneghat in the Western Ghats. Every fort in the area had its own rain water harvesting and storage system that are still in use today. Forts like Raigad in Maharashtra and Jaigarh at Jaipur near Amber have tanks built in their courtyards that collected and provided water.

Seeing the Tanka from the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India to the Tanka at El Morro Fort, old San Juan, Puerto Rico we must salute the spirit of our ancestors and attribute the Tanka as a rainwater harvesting technique ingenious to the men who desired to survive in the toughest conditions.

The rainwater storage system in the Castillo San Felipe del Morro Fort explained
The rainwater storage system in the Castillo San Felipe del Morro Fort explained

Rainwater can be a reliable source of water if collected from runoff areas such as roofs
and other surfaces and stored appropriately. If the catchment area is big, this system can provide huge quantity of good quality fresh potable water.

Water – Makes or Breaks Societies

The power of water is such that no nation or entity can fight it forever, and this is the main reason why water has always influenced the peace & stability on our planet. In the near future, the richest people and countries will be classified on the basis of the amount of water they own or control and not on the basis of the size of the land they
occupy, the industries they run or other assets that they possess.

Just as the energy from the Sun or nature’s forces like cyclones, hurricanes or earthquakes cannot be divided and are for all people to share and bear likewise the air, snowfall, rivers, rain and the groundwater are indivisible and its abundance or lack thereof are destined to be shared by all, be it for good or bad.

Human Right to Water
The Human Right to Water

The UN has declared access to clean drinking water as a basic human right. Any attempt to control water as a social, economic or political tool goes against the principles of humanity and encroaches upon fundamental human rights.

One individual or entity thus cannot be permitted to appropriate a resource that belongs to all, especially the most important resource for life – water.

Surface and groundwater are public resources which should be managed by public entities. Since, water is as shared resource for all people in a region it needs to be handled and allocated by public institutions and agencies of a government of the people. A government chosen by the people is finally responsible to look after the needs of the people.

When the control of water is designed to benefit individuals or companies, as the recent events in California have showcased, few become rich and in the clatter of their
riches, the voice of so many water-starved people goes unheard.

In order to maintain peace & stability in any country, the administrative authorities from the local communities in the villages right through to the state and national levels must ensure the safety of its water resources and stock. It is essential for the state to make clean water available to all its citizens, without jeopardizing the availability of this resource to future generations.

Just like the Police acts as a government’s primary agency for maintaining law & order and is tasked with apprehending criminals, the water management agencies bear the vital mandate of safeguarding and controlling access to our most important shared resource. And just like the Police does not to merely publish the annual statistics on crimes committed, the water management authorities cannot merely collect data or keep on only classifying locations with depleting water resources as critical.

The water management agencies have to maintain a strict vigil on the water table in a region. With the help of advanced telemetry, these agencies should monitor the monthly depletion of the water table and undertake aggressive and proactive actions to stop it.

Such proactive actions to reduce groundwater depletion include installing new artificial water recharge structures to restore more water than that being extracted. These actions additionally include constant silt removal efforts to prevent sedimentation from reducing water holding capacity of ponds, lakes and reservoirs.

Through such measures, the water management agencies can report to the public about their the availability of water and also help establish a proper balance between water extraction and renewal so that the water table is not allowed to decline.

One thing is for sure – the demand for water will never decline, rather it will continue to rise due to many reasons – the biggest of them being, rise in human population and increased livestock. This factor by itself requires expansion of agricultural activity,  additional infrastructure and other human activity – all of which call for consuming more and more water every year.

Understanding Rain Water Harvesting

Understanding the process of water withdrawal is the best way to understand rain water harvesting since both actions have exactly opposite impact on the ground water table.

A cone of depression is formed as soon as we start the submersible pump to extract ground water. When we stop extraction of water, the cone of depression is filled by ground water from surrounding soil to maintain a uniform water level. The net resultant effect of this action – decrease in ground water level since there was extraction from stored stock.

When the rain water is harvested into the ground, a water mount is formed in the ground. This water mount gradually dissipates supplying its water to the ground water. The net resultant effect of this action is increase in ground water level since it is addition of water to the existing stored stock.

When the rain water falls on the ground and enters the soil surface. This is known as infiltration. When water comes in contact with very dry soil it infiltrates very quickly to begin with. This is due to the affinity of soil particles towards water. The behavior is just like that of a thirsty man starting to drink water at a fast rate and slowing down as the thirst is quenched.

In this case as the soil becomes wet with water continues to move down due to the force of gravity acting on it and in the process wetting the soil further down. The infiltration rate also gradually decreases with time till it reaches a constant value

We at Silveron have experimented and experienced the effect on infiltration rate when the water is provided at lower rate as compared to sudden flooding. It is always our endeavor to ensure that the artificial recharge structures constructed by us for harvesting rain water do not impose over the natural infiltration processes.

We support the soil to continue with the infiltration at its own constant value and on passing forward the excess water for recharge to other Silveron recharge shafts at other locations, channelized through an underground network of pipes.

We support the free movement of water from a region where it has higher total potential to one of lower total potential. It may be the gravitational potential or/and metric potential due to the soil particles. It may be downward flow or horizontal flow or both.

  1. We are preventing wastage of rain water by spill over/runoff, since we are accepting delivery of the entire quantity of rain water available for recharge.
  2. We are not interfering with the natural dynamics of infiltration of water in the soil since we understand that none of the many factors which influence the shape of the infiltration functions can ever be controlled.
Inter-connecting Rainwater Harvesting Shafts
Inter-connecting Rain Water Harvesting Shafts
As seen from top of recharge shafts
Inter-connection as seen from top of recharge shafts