EUS 180 - India's Water Crisis: Pollution and the Water-Energy Nexus

This case study delves into the critical issue of water pollution in India and its far-reaching consequences on water supply and the water-energy nexus. With a focus on sewage and wastewater runoff, the study highlights the alarming state of India's water resources, where a significant portion of sewage remains untreated, leading to widespread water scarcity and serving as a breeding ground for diseases. The lack of clean water also severely impacts energy sources, particularly hydropower plants. The study emphasizes the urgent need for major changes, including public awareness campaigns to promote water conservation and a proactive role for the government in implementing and enforcing stricter environmental regulations. Ultimately, the case study underscores the importance of collective action to safeguard India's water resources and ensure a sustainable future. Desklib offers a wealth of similar resources for students.

Running head: WATER RESOURCES
Water Resources
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
The adverse effects of water pollution.......................................................................................2
Scarcity of water....................................................................................................................2
Breeding ground of diseases..................................................................................................3
Severely impacted energy sources.........................................................................................4
Major Changes to be implemented............................................................................................4
Public awareness....................................................................................................................5
Role of government................................................................................................................5
Focus on the issue..................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
Reference....................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The rise in human population and the consequent rise in the pollution level around the
world have lead to serious degradation of some of the natural resources (Mudd, 2013). One of
the most essential natural resources is water, it essentiality is inevitable. Every living being
has to depend on water on a daily basis and cannot survive without it (Molden, 2013). The
increase in population has lead to serious imbalance in the water usage pattern around the
world. A significant rise in the population meant a rise in the level of pollution in the
atmosphere. The atmosphere is polluted and hence the water bodies too suffer serious amount
of pollution and it leads to their degradation. The report focuses on the issue of water scarcity
in India and the various causes that are associated with the phenomenon will be discussed in
greater details. The various steps taken up by the government and the people of India will be
further discussed in this report. India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world
and hence the pressure on the natural resource base of the country is immense. The people of
the country need to work on preservation of water right away so that the future generations
get their hands on the various natural resources that are prevalent in the country.
Discussion
The adverse effects of water pollution
Scarcity of water
The importance of water is huge and people use it in plenty but never has it been
regarded to as a commodity that needs preservation. Water has never been central to the
planning process in the urban society, however it is high time for a country like India to
change the attitude and focus on preserving water. India, being one of the oldest civilizations

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that grew around the Indus and the Ganges River, never identified the need to plan the water
resources (Masson-Ousel, Stern & Willman-Grabowska, 2013). The dams were built in the
period of independence and since then no other significant work has been done on water in
the country and people have kept using it according to their wishes. The severe issue of water
scarcity is prevalent in the country more because of the uneven pattern of waste disposal in
the country. Due to the improper system of waste disposal it is seen that the Ganges river
basin is becoming smaller day by day (Rai, 2013). Such huge amounts of wastes are
deposited in the Ganges River that it has become smaller in size and hence the amount of
water has also reduced. The waste disposal system has lead to even cleaner rivers getting
dirty and hence turning the water unusable for the everyday needs of the people. Due to such
scarcity it is seen that the people from various villages are using water from unprotected
sources and hence getting prone to many water borne diseases. The access to safe water for
every household in the country has reduced substantially and hence it makes the country
prone to the diseases.
Breeding ground of diseases
It is seen that with pollution in water and wrong waste disposal patterns comes a bag
full of diseases that can have deadly consequences. The water in the country acts a breeding
ground of diseases and such diseases take many lives in the country. The waste disposal at
times blocks the passage of water flow and results inn stagnation of water at a particular
place. The stagnated water has many consequences and it is said to be the breeding ground
for mosquitoes that spread malaria (Godfray, 2013). There are other deadly diseases that are
resulted from the water pollution in the country. Diseases such as cholera and diarrhea are
known to have claimed more lives in the rural areas of the country than any other disease.
The poor condition of health in the nation is attributed to the worst condition of water in the
country. The water resources are being constantly exploited and left open that makes it easier

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for the disease causing organisms to enter the system and cause serious diseases to those who
are exposed to the organism. In situations of flood, the rural India suffers a great deal from
the problem of diseases caused from water. The flood brings with it all the pollutants that
have been disposed in the rivers and these harm the people and cause serious ailments.
Dengue is a disease that has been lately very much in action in the country and the cause was
stagnated water. It has to be ensured that such stagnated water should always be flowed away
so that nothing of sorts can breed in it to cause harm.
Severely impacted energy sources
The lack of water has lead to various energy sources to be shut down. The lack of for
the production of energy has lead to such sources being unable to produce energy. The hydro
power plants such as Farakka in Kolkata had to be closed for 12 days due to the lack of water
availability to produce electricity. Farakka is known to be responsible to produce at much as
1.13 percent of the country’s total electricity (Gain & Giupponi, 2014). The coal mines and
other energy sources that need water to generate power often needs to be closed due to the
lack of water. The improper disposal system often leads to water being reduced and the flow
to get damaged in the areas where such dams and energy production units are established.
Water is the utmost need for human beings to survive and the lack of it has lead to a new
business to develop in some parts of the country. Bottles of water are transported to the rural
parts of the country so that they can use the water and make sure that they survive a healthy
life. The people need to depend on the trucks or vendors to arrive in order to get water that is
safe for consumption and use.
Major Changes to be implemented
In order to make sure that the present situation of water scarcity in the country is
resolved, it is essential for the government of the country to take steps that would

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accommodate water conservation on a greater scale. It has to be a collective effort from the
government and the public of the country to preserve the water sources and make sure that
the country does not suffer from the ill effects of water scarcity (Percival et al., 2017). A
responsible behavior from both the ends have to be incorporated and it has to be made sure
that the common target has to be achieved.
Public awareness
The issue of water scarcity massively affects the people who live in the country and
hence the approach of the people to preserve water has to be integrated in the country. As the
citizens are the worst sufferers of the issue in the country and hence it has to be the people of
the country who voluntarily need to make sure that the steps are taken towards the
conservation of water in the environment. The public has to be proactive in making sure that
the water resources are safeguarded and the use of water is also done in judicious way. The
people have the power to make sure that the waste disposal practices are limited and kept in a
watch so that they do not affect the water sources of the country (Guerrero, Maas & Hogland,
2013). An integrated approach is a must to achieve positive results for the present scenario.
The entire society has to understand the need of the hour and they are needed to be educated
about the impending crisis and the needed steps are to be formulated for immediate
execution. The main issue remains the waste disposal and the usage pattern of water in the
country. People need to check the usage of the water and make sure that they do not overuse
and exploit the natural sources in a way that harms the environment as further depletion will
only aggravate the problem and the consequences are to be faced by them.
Role of government
The prime aim of the state remains in making the environment suitable for its citizens.
The government of India has taken up several steps to make sure that the situation of water
pollution is taken care of. The government has enacted various laws to ensure that the water

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resources are not polluted as they have been done for a long period and their over exploitation
has to be stopped by the enactment of such laws and acts (Grindle, 2017). The overall
situation can only be improved for the country when the citizens adheres to such laws and
acts and makes sure that the common goal is achieved through integrity. The policies of the
government have to be taken up seriously by the government so that water bodies return to
their regular state in the country. Some of the major steps taken up by the government if the
country to make sure that water pollution is reduced are mentioned below-
Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974
This act makes sure that the pollution levels of the water bodies are controlled and
they are not over exploited by the people. The proper maintenance of the water bodies is
taken care of by this act. The Centre distributes the duties to the state to make sure that the
rivers and streams they have under their jurisdiction are well taken care of and are not
exceedingly polluted (Vikas & Dwarakish, 2015). A Central Pollution Control board has been
set up under this act that provides suggestions to the central government on issues to water
bodies and the related care they require over a period of time.
Section 24 of the Act
The section 24 of the act makes sure that the every individual in the society is
imposed with a duty to make sure that no harmful toxic pollutants is mixed into the rivers and
the waste disposal is completely kept in check by the citizens on their part.
The River Boards Act, 1956
The act makes sure that the interstate disputes regarding water division is kept in
check and all the states get an equal access to the water sources (Pathak, 2013). The main aim

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of the act is to ensure that every state has sufficient water resources and hence does not suffer
from lack of water.
The Indian Penal Code and Pollution
The section 277 makes sure that any person found violating the laws and polluting a
water body shall be a subject to punishment and fine from the government. Such action are
penalized and it ensures that people reduce the waste disposal in rivers and come forward in
protecting the rivers. A person if commits the crime of fouling a public reservoir by adding
toxics to it, the person shall be subjected to a fine or a imprisonment for 3-6 months
according to the section in Indian Penal Code (Gowda, Sundharam & Jyothi Mahadesh,
2014).
Ganga Action Plan
The Ganga action plan was implemented in the year of 1986 by the then Prime
minister Shree Rajeev Gandhi. The action plan is regarded to be a successful to some extent
and its main aim was to prevent the Ganges River from being polluted and make sure that the
industrial discharge into the river is kept under check (Rai, 2013). The wastes that came from
industries needed to be treated separately so that the river does not absorb the harmful
chemicals as they put the river in danger and decreases the quality of water and also affects
the river ecosystem completely.
There are number of such acts that make sure that the water pollution is treated and
the scarcity is addressed by the authority. The implementation of the same needs to be
checked and a body should be created that will look after the progress in these areas and
provide guidance to the government on the issue of water pollution and waste disposal
policies in the country.

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Focus on the issue
India is in a situation where the issue of water pollution is increasing and people are
yet being ignorant to the entire issue. The focus of the country needs to shift towards this
thriving issue and the importance of water has to be re-assessed so that it is understood that a
lack of such a resource may lead to greater issues for the country. The government is
regularly blamed for its neglecting attitude towards the issue and it is high time that relevant
steps are taken so that the situation of water crisis in the country subsides and the future if the
country is ensured (Hueso & Bell, 2013).
Conclusion
The case study in the report informs that the country is reeling under serious issues
regarding water resources and its conservation. It is understood that the people of the country
needs to educated about the issue in a greater way so that they can make understand the
seriousness of the issue. For the people to know that the country has a crisis in the coming, it
is essential for the government to wave programs that inform the people about the crisis. As
long as the people do not understand the seriousness of the issue it is impossible to gain
agreement from them on the issue. The government policies that have been framed to
conserved water have to be implemented in a stricter framework so that the people
understand that not adhering to those can have serious consequences. The government has
been constantly blamed for lacking the intent to strictly look at the issue of water
conservation in the country. Water is an essential commodity and the due respect and
importance has to be given to it so that the condition in the state improves. The people are
under threat and this treat has to be made clear to them so that they react accordingly and
make sure that the water bodies are taken care of. The waste disposal and sewage system of
the country needs to be operated in a better way so that the wastes are no disposed off directly

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to rivers. A proper waste management policy and a set up that will facilitate treatment of the
waste before pouring it into river has to be established and used so that the rivers are free
from the pollutants. When the people will start working with the government, it will be seen
that the issues of river pollution and sewage problem in the water resources will subsequently
come down and India will become a country with better water sources and cleaner streams
and rivers.

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Reference
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