As a civilized society progresses, the demand for water increases due to increasing population, rapid industrialization and expansion of agriculture. Hence, water conservation is the need of the day and some countries have been trying even to desalinate sea water. Water conservation contains two processes namely reducing the consumption of water and recycling of waste water. Water conservation requires the change of individual behavior, methods, and technology. There are several methods to conserve water and they can be broadly classified into three categories namely domestic measures, social measures and agricultural measures:
Domestic measures: Following are some of the domestic measures, which an individual can follow at his residence:
• Shower water and the rain water must be collected and used for flowering plants
• Do not leave the tap running unnecessarily in your bath room or kitchen for not even a single second
• Place a tanker or drum on your terrace or in open space directly under the rainwater and use it for simple tasks such as washing clothes and for gardening.
Social measures: The following ones are measures to be followed at social level and government must take a special care about such measures:
• Water must be transferred from surplus areas to deficit areas by inter-linking water systems through canals.
• Water treatment plants must be established in each and every small village and town.
• Pits must be recharged in order to capture rainwater.
Agricultural measures: Conservation of water is highly essential in agriculture sector since water is compulsory for growing crops. In areas where rainfall is low and water is scarce, water conservations experts suggest following measures for efficient water conservation:
• Drip irrigation must be implemented as it offers the best results in delivering water to plants with minimal losses.
• An evaporation pan must be used to determine how much water is required to irrigate the land.
• The water pinch analysis technique is another established technique, which can be used for reducing wastewater.
• Ground water must be recharged by harvesting rainwater
• Trees, plants, herbs, grass, and bushes must be grown everywhere possible to help the soil to penetrate the rainwater.
• Contour farming method must be followed in hilly areas and lowland areas for paddy fields.
Rainwater harvesting: Rainwater harvesting has a special importance in the water conservation process. It is a process of collecting rainwater on the roofs of buildings and storing the water underground. It reduces groundwater depletion and it increases water availability. It also improves the quality of groundwater through the dilution of fluoride, nitrate, and salinity and subsequently prevents soil erosion. Several nations are making it compulsory for all the new constructions to satisfy the rainwater harvesting norms.
Here is a best example for an efficient water conservation method. Once, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India, used to receive the highest rainfall in the country but, now the place experiences severe water scarcity and people now travel a long way even for getting drinking water. This trend is a result of deforestation and lack of efficient water conserving methods. But the surrounding areas of the River Ruparel in Rajasthan had different experience. The area receives very low rainfall but knows no water scarcity as the water sources are conserved and managed in an efficient manner. The water levels of Ruparel river started declining and there was even a drought in the region by the 1980s. According to the guide lines of some non-government organizations, the villagers started following water conserving methods by building ponds, reservoirs, tanks and dams to conserve rainwater. The efforts of the people have revived the river and now, the people of the region have forgotten the word ‘Water scarcity’ a long ago way back in early 1980’s. After observing the successful implementation of water conserving methods of the people of the region, other states in India such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh too started following similar methods.
Domestic measures: Following are some of the domestic measures, which an individual can follow at his residence:
• Shower water and the rain water must be collected and used for flowering plants
• Do not leave the tap running unnecessarily in your bath room or kitchen for not even a single second
• Place a tanker or drum on your terrace or in open space directly under the rainwater and use it for simple tasks such as washing clothes and for gardening.
Social measures: The following ones are measures to be followed at social level and government must take a special care about such measures:
• Water must be transferred from surplus areas to deficit areas by inter-linking water systems through canals.
• Water treatment plants must be established in each and every small village and town.
• Pits must be recharged in order to capture rainwater.
Agricultural measures: Conservation of water is highly essential in agriculture sector since water is compulsory for growing crops. In areas where rainfall is low and water is scarce, water conservations experts suggest following measures for efficient water conservation:
• Drip irrigation must be implemented as it offers the best results in delivering water to plants with minimal losses.
• An evaporation pan must be used to determine how much water is required to irrigate the land.
• The water pinch analysis technique is another established technique, which can be used for reducing wastewater.
• Ground water must be recharged by harvesting rainwater
• Trees, plants, herbs, grass, and bushes must be grown everywhere possible to help the soil to penetrate the rainwater.
• Contour farming method must be followed in hilly areas and lowland areas for paddy fields.
Rainwater harvesting: Rainwater harvesting has a special importance in the water conservation process. It is a process of collecting rainwater on the roofs of buildings and storing the water underground. It reduces groundwater depletion and it increases water availability. It also improves the quality of groundwater through the dilution of fluoride, nitrate, and salinity and subsequently prevents soil erosion. Several nations are making it compulsory for all the new constructions to satisfy the rainwater harvesting norms.
Here is a best example for an efficient water conservation method. Once, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India, used to receive the highest rainfall in the country but, now the place experiences severe water scarcity and people now travel a long way even for getting drinking water. This trend is a result of deforestation and lack of efficient water conserving methods. But the surrounding areas of the River Ruparel in Rajasthan had different experience. The area receives very low rainfall but knows no water scarcity as the water sources are conserved and managed in an efficient manner. The water levels of Ruparel river started declining and there was even a drought in the region by the 1980s. According to the guide lines of some non-government organizations, the villagers started following water conserving methods by building ponds, reservoirs, tanks and dams to conserve rainwater. The efforts of the people have revived the river and now, the people of the region have forgotten the word ‘Water scarcity’ a long ago way back in early 1980’s. After observing the successful implementation of water conserving methods of the people of the region, other states in India such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh too started following similar methods.
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