C
o v e R S T o R Y
Virtual
Water Trading- Can India Afford it?
The
global average says 2173 litres/Kg and for India 2688 litres/Kg. This draws us
to another observation that the export figures of India in 2014-2015 shows
export of 37.2 lakh tons of Basmati rice. In other words India virtually traded
10 trillion litres of water to the other country. Are we really giving enough
value to this most valuable resource? Written by Sourav Chakraborty.
Inquisitiveness
is a vital property of a student. This inquisitiveness had drawn me to the
recipe books and a striking fact came up. To cook one cup of rice,
approximately 2 cups of water is needed. This in turn leads to a question that
is how much water is needed to grow one kilogram of husked rice? The global
average says 2173 litres/Kg and for India 2688 litres/Kg. This draws us to
another observation that the export figures of India in 2014-2015 shows export
of 37.2 lakh tons of Basmati rice. In other words India virtually traded 10
trillion litres of water to the other country. Are we really giving enough
value to this most valuable resource?
This much amount of
virtually traded water is definitely going to have a sharp effect if we
consider the nastiest water war between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu this year. The
Silicon Valley of India was burnt down into ashes. Large vehicles were torched
over the questions of water sustainability. Though it’s a historical dispute
starting from 19th century between Madras Presidency and the
Province of Mysore but this year the conditions became worse when rain gods
didn’t open enough sky for the people of the two states. Water levels of
Cauvery declined and 42% of 3598 irrigation tanks of Karnataka dried up. As the
state is located on the upstream it can naturally regulate the water supply to
Tamil Nadu. This historical dispute is also responsible the Anti-Tamil riots of
1991 which forced 200,000 Tamils to leave the state. We also share water
treaties with our neighbours like Pakistan and this issue was also provoked in
the wake of Uri Attacks. In return the Pakistan Officials have clearly stated
that provocation of the water treaty may lead to war like situations. A war like situation for water.
Its only two stories of
water conflicts in and out of our country. But it is also a matter of concern
for us is that almost all the river basins of India (except Brahmaputra and
Mahanadi) supporting 20 million lives faces water shortage. Even the populous basins
of Ganga and Indus face water scarcity for 7-11 months. We also cannot depend
upon fresh water sources anymore because the climate change is already knocking
at our doors. With the green revolutions we have escalated our positions from
being import-intensive to export intensive and this led to large export of food
products to other countries. But given to the present scenario we cannot afford
10 trillion litres of water being exported away!!!!!!
Mere closing of our
bathroom taps won’t do away with the situation. The Water Footprint Network
says that India has the lowest import of virtual water. The population figures
of the nation is escalating and the ground water levels are breaking records
every year. Our immediate neighbours, China is the 11th largest
importer of virtual water and it also runs buffer stock in terms of both food
grains and livestock. There is still time before our water reserves become
completely exhausted and it is a crucial
period for our policy makers to shift their attention to this issue and realise
that water sustainability is the most vital aspect of this century
Photo: www.bbc.com
Disclaimer- The photo contained in this article is for general information purposes only, not for commercial purposes.
Nice read.
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