Pimpri Chinchwad: Water scarcity is beginning to take a severe toll on nearly five lakh saplings planted in the forest areas of Khed, Purandar, Daund, Baramati and Indapur talukas in the Pune district and some talukas in Solapur.
Vivek Khandekar, the chief conservator of forests, Pune division, said, “At the beginning of the monsoon, the forest department had conducted a massive tree plantation drive and had also constructed loose boulder structures (LBS), contour bunds and small check dams to store rainwater and prevent soil erosion.
However, this year, there has been no rain during the retreating phase of the monsoon.
As a result, the saplings have started to dry up.” He said the department is currently watering the plants using makeshift drip irrigation systems fashioned out of one-litre bottles.
“We have also installed solar water pumps to fill up the artificial waterholes at three places in the Kadbanwadi forest area in Indapur taluka.
These tanks act as artificial waterholes,” Khandekar said.
Overall, the forest department has created 500 artificial waterholes to provide water for animals.
The department has also sought help from environmentalists, NGOs, industrialists and philanthropists to provide water tankers or at least bear the expenditure of the tankers needed to water the saplings.
Mahesh Bhavsar, the assistant conservator of forests, Pune division, said, “Industries, NGOs or other organisations can adopt forest patches and take the responsibility of providing water for the plants and animals there.” Citizens can also volunteer to water the saplings in forest areas near their homes, said Khandekar.
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Water is a natural resource of fundamental importance and an essential ingredient for human security and sustainable development, hence its significant impact on health, food security, poverty and the environment.
Despite the indispensability of this much-desired resource, and efforts made by government and individuals to make it available, an average Nigerian cannot get access to potable water because of the composition.
To ameliorate this problem of water scarcity, there is need to theoretically examine water accounting and how it can be used to alleviate the challenges of water scarcity in Nigeria.
Water accounting is the systematic study of the current status and trends in water supply, demand, accessibility and use in domains that have been specified.
Furthermore, it entails systematic acquisition, analysis and communication of information relating to stocks, flows and fluxes of water (from sources to sinks) in natural, disturbed or heavily engineered environments.
Water accounting in a practical sense is used as a basis for evidence-informed decision-making and policy development by answering questions such as: What are the underlying causes of imbalances in water supply (quantity and quality) and demand of different water users and uses?
Is the current level of consumptive water use sustainable?
The idea behind water accounting is the existence of scope worldwide to improve water-related sectoral and inter-sectoral decision-making at local, regional and national levels.
For example, government line departments, when attempting to align plans, rarely have access to a common information base.
A key output of water accounting is, therefore, a common information base that is acceptable to all the key stakeholders involved in planning or other decision-making processes.

The drought team was led by Neeraja Adidam and BC Vatsaya and Ajay Kumar as members in it, reached Ongole from New Delhi in the afternoon and proceeded to Jammulapalem in Tanguturu mandal immediately.
They interacted with the locals and learnt that the drinking water sources in village went dry and the local administration was supplying drinking water through tankers.
The farmers in Mittapalem village of Kondapi mandal explained the team that due to drought conditions, they didn’t sow paddy for the last four years.
They said that they are now shifted to rainfed crops like tobacco, red gram and white sorghum.
As the drinking water was not available, the villagers complained that they are purchasing water tankers for drinking and irrigation needs.
They also said that they are selling the cattle to slaughter houses, unable to find fodder for them.
The farmers and villagers in Jallapalem and Pedda Kallagunta also explained similar pathetic conditions in their villages.
In ST Colony of Garlapeta in Marripudi mandal, the team members interacted with MGNREGS workers and received information about the workdays being provided to them.
In Punugodu village of Kanigiri mandal, the locals complained that there was severe drinking water scarcity in the village.
Later they visited withered sweet lime orchards at the Ballipalli village and inquired the farmers about the loss.

Former lawyer-investment banker from Down Under on a solo run to highlight how water scarcity will paralyse several countries in the near future if we don’t take measures now Sprinting 42 km every day for 100 days in 20 countries is the level of commitment Mina Guli, 48, has towards her mission to spread awareness about the growing water crisis across the world.
After starting in New York on November 4, she is currently in India and make her way to Mumbai on December 6, running from Thane to Gateway of India.
Without it, there is no society, no economy, no power, no food and no life.
Yet, nobody is talking about it.
"I realised how big the problem was.
So I started to run, because running is my way of going around the world and uniting people on an issue.
Highlighting unsung heroes When asked why she picked these countries, she said, "I have chosen the ones where the crisis is bigger but people are trying to find solutions; I want to highlight these people."
Besides spreading the word to save every drop of water, Guli’s aim is to find stories of unsung heroes, who are making efforts within their communities to save the precious resource.
"It has been an emotional roller coaster.
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KOCHI: Kothamangalam residents can breathe a sigh of relief from constant water pipe bursts leading to water scarcity, as the Kerala Water Authority has decided to lay new pipes.
Water Resources Minister K Krishnankutty said this to Kothamangalam MLA Antony Johny in the Assembly session.
A press release from the District Information Office noted water connection pipes laid at Kothamangalam and nearby areas are very old, because of which pipe burst incidents are frequent, with constant reports of water crisis at Keerampara, Pindimanna panchayats and Kothamangalam Municipality.
To resolve the crisis, a project worth Rs 5 crore for laying new pipes have been sanctioned.
As part of the project, Rs 20 lakh will be utilised for laying new pipes from Jawahar Theatre to College Junction covering a distance of 2 km.
In Nelikuzhy panchayat, new pipes will be laid over 2.38 km for which Rs 1.75 crore has been sanctioned.
Similarly, Rs 2.84 crore has been sanctioned for laying pipes from Ambalaparambu to Elavumparambu, included in the 2018-2019 state plan.
A sum of Rs 77 lakh has been sanctioned to lay new pipes from Malayilkeezhu to Ramaloor, Rs 75 lakh from Ambalaparambu to Valiyapara, Rs 1.82 crore for replacing pipes from Ramaloor to Elavumparambu, Rs 1.78 crore for laying pipes from Jawahar Junction to Mathirapilly.

Iraq and Syria have witnessed unprecedented destruction over the past decade, while India and Pakistan have literally been in a state-of-war since 1947.
One element that is common amongst all four nations and many other countries around the world is “Water Crisis”.
Millions of people suffer from limitations in water supplies because of armed conflicts.
The most recent examples of this are Fallujah and Mosul Damson in Iraq and the Tishrin and Tabqa Dams in Syria.
Experts say water has the power to reorder international relations in the current century.
Powerful Driver of Conflict The National Interest has best-described water stress as a precursor to conflict.
“At the sub-national level, water disputes and instability can trigger violent conflicts, particularly in situations of existing social, political or economic fragility.
Water stress acts as an accelerant, increasing the likelihood of conflict.” This is one of the reasons why the world has keenly been watching The Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India.
According to Jeff Nesbit’s latest book ‘Pakistan Faces a Water War on the Horizon’, “compounding the over-use and changes inflicted on the arid region from the Earth’s climate system, actions by India to cut off some of the flow of water feeding the Indus has created potential for serious conflict between the two nations.” He further stated that “In India, competition for water has a history of provoking conflict between communities.
Strong Instrument for Peace The United Nations believes that water is a shared resource and can be a strong instrument of peace.

Urbanisation, scarce rains deplete groundwater.
New Delhi: With water scarcity across the country already threatening to touch alarming proportions, even the Centre has acknowledged that there is a progressive reduction in levels of the precious mineral in terms of per capita availability.
According to the official data of ministry of water resources, from 2001, when the average annual per capita availability of water in the country was 1,816 m3 per year, it had significantly reduced by 15 per cent to come down to 1,545 m3 per year by 2011.
More worrisome is the fact that from the 2011 levels it is expected to further fall by another 13 per cent to 1,340 m3 per year by 2025.
By 2050, these levels could further decline by 15 per cent to stand at around 1,140 m3 per year.
Top officials in the ministry say that ground water levels in various parts of the country are declining because of continuous withdrawal due to reasons such as increased demand of fresh water for various uses, vagaries of rainfall, increased population, as well as industrialisation & urbanisation.
According to the assessment of Dynamic Ground Water Resources-2013, carried out by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) jointly with state governments, the net annual ground water availability in the country is 411 BCM (billion cubic metre), whereas, annual ground water utilisation is 253 BCM.
…

In a chapter dedicated to climate change effects in the Southwest, climate scientists said “with very high confidence” that high temperatures are reducing the water content of mountain snowpack and the flows of rivers and streams that depend on snowmelt.
The chapter’s landing page features a photo of low water levels at the nation’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, a nearly perfect symbol of the region’s ongoing water challenges.
In addition to sapping the nation’s largest desert reservoirs, the report said, the changing climate also is leading to more intense droughts, increasing the risk of severe floods, weakening key infrastructure projects and depleting groundwater.
In a scenario where greenhouse gas emissions increase, the report said, the entire region could see its average annual temperature rise an additional 8.6 degrees by 2100.
Southern parts of the region, which include Phoenix, Tucson and San Diego, could see their summers extend well into the spring and fall, with 45 more days each year where temperatures climb past 90 degrees.
Each drought is the product of particular circumstances, the report noted, and can be intensified by dwindling groundwater, which in some regions acts as a buffer against scarce surface-water supplies.
Shrinking snowpack likely to continue Southern Rocky Mountain snowpack in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah supplies the vast majority of river flows in the Colorado River watershed.
Higher temperatures, especially at lower elevations, result in precipitation falling as rain, which holds less water than snow.
To make up for reduced streamflows, the Southwest would need a large increase in precipitation, something the report doesn’t predict.
The severity of water shortages in the Southwest is largely up to us, as the report noted in its section on how confident climate scientists are in their findings: “The actual frequency and duration of water supply disruptions will depend on the preparation of water resource managers with drought and flood plans, the flexibility of water resource managers to implement or change those plans in response to altered circumstances, the availability of funding to make infrastructure more resilient, and the magnitude and frequency of climate extremes.” This story is part of a project covering the Colorado River, produced by KUNC and supported through a Walton Family Foundation grant.

Public health officials in Mandera county have declared 13 wells unsafe and contaminated.
Only one well is operational.
The officials said the shallow wells are likely to have been contaminated by surface runoff following heavy rain that has pounded the region over the past month.
“We…have written to all hotel owners and done public sensitisation to prevent a repeat of 2016, when a cholera outbreak claimed lives in this region,” he said.
Some 894 cholera cases were reported in Mandera East in April 2016 alone and 20 people died Yussuf said well owners have not put up water treatment tanks.
He said the department has enough chlorine and water vendors have no excuse for selling untreated water to consumers.
Yussuf said only three well owners have complied with hygiene rules, which include having a toilet and water treatment tanks.
The deadline lapsed on Tuesday.
Health campaign Water scarcity in Mandera has led to private individuals transporting water by donkey carts and water bowsers.
Nema officer Fatuma Maalim said Mandera lacks a liquid waste treatment plant.

Turn on the tap.
Although the country has been recognized as one of the nations that has done the most to improve access to clean water, it is still home to 163 million people – half the population of the United States – who do not have access to safe drinking water.
15 of 2018 published by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India based on its findings as of March 2017.
The sheer scope of the engineering, labor, and volume of materials needed is almost beyond comprehension.
China faces a similar crisis.
It is likely that South Africa will face another water crisis within the next year.
Meanwhile, the objective of India’s National Rural Drinking Water Program is “to provide safe and adequate water for drinking, cooking, and other domestic needs to every rural person on a sustainable basis.” The NRDWP data shows 2017 Goals Actual Status 100% of rural habitations to have access to safe drinking water Only 44% have access to safe drinking water.
100% of government schools and anganwadis [1] to have access to safe drinking water Only 85% of government schools and anganwadis to have access to safe drinking water 50% of the rural population to be provided potable drinking water (55 lpcd1)[2] by piped water supply.
Only 18% of the rural population has access to potable drinking water by piped water supply.
35% of rural households to be provided household connections.