Water is a prime natural resource and a basic necessity for sustaining life on earth. Supplying adequate amount of potable water to the global population is a gigantic task in the wake of growing industrial and domestic needs. The threat of climate change and global warming which has aggravated the problem of water shortage is of particular concern to India as we are largely dependent on glaciers and rainfall for water supply.
The United Nations’ World Water Development Report, Water: A Shared Responsibility emphasizes the need for good governance to meet the ever-increasing demand for water. The report asserts that mismanagement, corruption, lack of appropriate institutions, bureaucratic inertia and paucity of investment in human and physical sources mar water management today. The situation calls for right policy decisions and adoption of sustainable practices.
The problem is acute in India because of its high population density, space and time variability of rainfall and increasing depletion and contamination of its surface and groundwater resources. Most water resources in India are contaminated by sewage and agricultural run-off. Besides, overuse of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture is the primary cause of groundwater pollution in India. Further, uneven water distribution across the country is another aspect of water problem. A large area of the country is water deficit whereas a small part is bestowed with abundance of water. This has led to inter-state conflicts.
The present anthology contains well researched articles by eminent scholars who have deeply analysed the problem and its various implications. Major factors responsible for the problem have been studied in detail and some measures have been suggested to retrieve the situation.
The book will serve as a reference source for students, researchers and policymakers and all those concerned with an ensured supply of water across the country.
K.R. Gupta has published over a dozen books and more than hundred papers in leading journals published in India and abroad. He has edited multi-volume Encyclopaedia of Environment which includes so far published volumes entitled Environment: Problems and Policies; Environment: Global Warming and Environmental Legislation in India. More volumes are in press.
