Sources of water, water scarcity and international co-operation for water resources with regards to India

1. WATER
DR. AURLENE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
DENTISTRY
SRM DENTAL COLLEGE
RAMAPURAM

2.  Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that covers 71% of
the Earth's surface.
 Its chemical formula is H2O, meaning that its molecule contains one oxygen and
two hydrogen atoms that are connected by covalent bonds.
Percentage distribution of water
96.5% Seas and oceans
1.7% Groundwater
1.7% Glaciers and ice-caps
0.001% Water vapour

3. Distribution of Earth’s Water

4. SURFACE WATER
 Surface water is any water that collects on the surface of the earth. This includes oceans,
seas, lakes, rivers, or wetlands.
 Fresh surface water is maintained by rainfall or other precipitation, and it's lost through
seepage through the ground, evaporation, or use by plants and animals.

5. Impounding reservoirs
• These are artificial lakes constructed usually of earthwork or
masonry in which large quantities of surface water is stored.
• Dams built across rivers and mountain streams also provide large
reserves of surface water.
• The area draining into the reservoir is called “catchment
area”.
• The disadvantage of storing water is the growth of algae and other
microscopic organisms, which impart bad tastes and odors to water.

6. Rivers
Characteristics
• River water is turbid during rainy season; it may be clear in other
seasons.
• Clarity of water is no guarantee that river water is safe for
drinking.
• It contains dissolved and suspended impurities of all kinds.
Impurities
• The impurities of river water are derived from surface
washings, sewage and sullage water, industrial and trade
wastes, and drainage from agricultural areas.

7. GROUND WATER
 The simplest definition of groundwater is that it is water that is underground.
 Of all the fresh water on Earth, about 30% is groundwater. As water seeps into the ground, it continues
downward due to gravity until the surrounding ground is saturated with water.
 Ground water is superior to surface water, because the ground itself provides an effective filtering
medium.
Sources of Ground Water -
1. Wells
2. Springs

8. Wells
• Traditionally wells are the common and main source of water
supply in most areas.
• Technically wells are of two types;
i. Shallow wells- tap subsoil water
ii. Deep wells- taps water from the water bearing stratum

9. Shallow well Deep well
Definition Taps the water from
above the first
impervious layer
Taps the water
from below the
first impervious
layer
Chemical quality Water is moderately
hard
Much harder
Bacteriological
quality
Often grossly
contaminated
Pure water
Yield Dry in summer Constant supply

10. TUBE WELL
 A tube well is a type of water well in which
a long 100–200 millimetres (3.9–7.9 in)
wide stainless steel tube or pipe is bored
into an underground aquifer. The lower
end is fitted with a strainer, and a pump
lifts water for irrigation.
 An aquifer is an underground layer of
water-bearing permeable rock, rock
fractures or unconsolidated materials
(gravel, sand, or silt) from which
groundwater can be extracted using a
water well.

11. SPRINGS
 Ground water comes to the surface and flows freely under natural pressure
 Two types-
 Shallow springs
 Deep springs

12. RAIN WATER
 Water fallen as rain that has not collected soluble matter from the soil and is
therefore soft.
 Rain water is the purest in nature:
 Chemically - it is very soft containing traces of dissolved solids.
 Bacteriologically – it is clean and free from pathogenic agents but picks up
impurities when it passes through the atmosphere.

13. WATER TABLE
 Water table, also called Groundwater Table is the upper level of an underground surface in which the
soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water.
 The water table separates the groundwater zone that lies below the zone of aeration, that lies above
it.
 The water table fluctuates both with the seasons and from year to year because it is affected by
climatic variations and by the amount of precipitation used by vegetation.
 It also is affected by withdrawing excessive amounts of water from wells or by recharging them
artificially.

15. POTABLE WATER
 Water that is safe for human consumption.
 Must be free from pathogenic agents
 Must be free from harmful chemicals
 Pleasant to taste – free from color and odor
 Useful for all domestic needs

16. WHO WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES
PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
Turbidity Free from turbidity, < than 5 nephelometric
units
Free from color Upto 15 true color units acceptable
Free from taste and odor No specific value
INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS
Chlorides 200 mg/litre, maximum permissible level is
600 mg/L
Hardness 1-3 mEq./L
Ammonia Surface water < 0.2mg, ground water upto
3mg/L
pH 6.5 – 8.5
Hydrogen sulphide 0.05-0.1mg/L
Iron Ferrous iron several mg/L, ferric iron gives red
color, promotes growth of iron bacteria
Sodium 200mg/L
Sulphate 25omg/L

17. INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS
Manganese <0.1mg/L
Copper 1mg/L
Aluminium Must not exceed 0.2mg/L
MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS
COLIFORMS – both faecal and non faecal origins Their presence in water is evidence of faecal
contamination
Faecal Streptococci Indicative of recent faecal contamination of water
Clostridium perfringens Indicative of recent faecal contamination of water
VIRUS Must be free of viruses
Protozoa Must be free of any intestinal protozoa
Helminthes – Mature larvae or fertilized egg can
cause infection
Must be absent
Arsenic (0.01mg/L), cadmium (0.003mg/L),
chromium (0.05mg/L), cyanide (0.07mg/L),
fluorides (1.5mg/L)
Lead (0.01mg/L, Mercury 0.001mg/L, Nitrate and
nitrite 3mg/L and 50 mg/L respectively, selenium
0.01mg/L
RADIOLOGICAL ASPECTS Gross alpha activity 0.1Bq/L
Gross beta activity 1 Bq/L

18.  Simply put, water scarcity is either
the lack of enough water (quantity) or
lack of access to safe water (quality).
• Currently affects around 2.8 billion people
around the world, on all continents, at least
one month out of every year and more than
1.2 billion people lack the access to clean
drinking water.
 There are two types of water scarcity
 PHYSICAL SCARCITY
o Physical access to water is limited. It is when
the demand outstrips the lands ability to
provide the needed water. For the most part,
dry parts of the world or arid regions are most
often associated with physical scarcity.
 ECONOMIC SCARCITY
o When a population
necessary monetary
does not
means to
have the
utilize an
adequate source of water. It is about a
unequal distribution of resources for many
reasons, including political and ethnic
conflict.

19.  Overuse of Water
 Pollution of Water: Water pollution especially in areas that don’t necessarily have a good sewage system.
 Conflict: If there is conflict over an area of land, it may be difficult to access the water that is located
there.
 Distance: There are a number of areas throughout the entire world that deal with water scarcity because
they just aren’t close to anywhere that has water.
 Other :
 Population growth
 Food production
 Climatic change and variability
 Land use
 Water quality
 Water demand
 Sectoral resources and institutional capacity
 Poverty and economic policy
 Legislation and water resource management
 International waters
 Sectoral professional capacity
 Political realities
 Sociological issues
C
A
U
S
E
S

20. EFFECTS OF WATER SCARCITY
HEALTH
In many developing countries, people are forced to drink low quality water
from flowing streams, many of which are contaminated.
This leads to water-borne diseases such as,
1. Typhoid
2. Cholera
3. Hepatitis A and E
4. Dysentery
Less water also means sewage does not flow, and mosquitoes are other insects breed on still (stagnant)
dirty water. The result is deadly malaria and other infections.
Lack of water or quality water causes huge sanitation issues. Clinics, local restaurants, public places of
convenience and many other places are forced to use very little water for cleaning. This compromises
health of the staff and people who use the facilities.

21. HUNGER
It takes a lot of water to grow food and care for animals. Experts say that globally we use 70% of our water
for agriculture and irrigation and only 10% on domestic uses.
Less water means farming and other crops that need water to grow have lower yield.
It means farm animals will die and others will not do well without water. The result is constant hunger and
low quality of life.
EFFECTS OF WATER SCARCITY

22. EDUCATION
For many people in developing parts of the world children (and teen girls) have to be up at dawn to collect
water for the family. They have to walk for several miles to get water. These children have to miss school as a
result.
Doing this for many years take away school times and the cycle continues. In other places, girls and women
are not allowed to go to school at all so that they can serve the family by getting water and taking care of
other family needs.
POVERTY
Access to quality water is key to economic prosperity and better living standards.
EFFECTS OF WATER SCARCITY

26. WATER CRISIS IN INDIA

27. Water Crisis Facts - INDIA
 In urban areas, the demand of 135 litres per capita daily (lpcd) is more than
three times the rural demand of 40 lpcd.
 According to projections by the UN, India’s urban population is expected to
rise to 50% of the total population by 2050. This would mean 840 million
people in the most water-starved parts of the country compared with 320
million today.
 As much as 55% of India’s total water supply comes from groundwater
resources.
 Irrigation, of which over 60% comes from groundwater, takes up over 80%
of total water usage in India. Besides, nearly 30% of urban water supply and
70% of rural water supply comes from groundwater.

28. WATER CRISIS FACTS - INDIA
 At the time of Independence in 1947, the per capita availability of water in India was 6,008 cubic metres a
year. It became 1,820 cubic metres a year in 2001. According to midterm appraisal (MTA) of the 10th
Plan, per capita availability of water is likely to fall down to 1,340 cubic metres in 2025 and 1,140 cubic
metres in 2050.

29. INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION ON WATER
RESOURCES

30. INDUS WATER TREATY
 The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty
between India and Pakistan signed on September 19, 1960. The
treaty was signed by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and
Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan.
 The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) deals with river Indus and its five
tributaries, which are classified in 2 categories:
 Eastern rivers: Sutlej, Beas, Ravi
 Western rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Indus
 According to treaty, all the water of eastern rivers shall be
available for unrestricted use in India.
 India should let unrestricted flow of water from western rivers to
Pakistan.
 Indus Water Treaty is considered to be one of the most
successful water-sharing endeavours in the world today. For 56
years, both India and Pakistan are peacefully sharing the water of

31. INDUS WATER TREATY
 The treaty allocates 80% of water from the six-river Indus water system to
Pakistan.
A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to
implement and manage the Treaty.
 The treaty does not state that India can’t use western river’s water. The
treaty says that India can use the water in western rivers in “non-
consumptive” needs. Here non consumptive means we can use it for
irrigation, storage and even for electricity production.

32. INDIA CHINA CO-OPERATION
The Trans-border rivers flowing from China to India
fall into two main groups.
1) The Brahmaputra river system on the Eastern
side, which consist of river Siang (main stream of
river Brahmaputra) and its tributaries, namely
Subansiri and Lohit. The river Brahmaputra is
called Yaluzangbu or Tsangpo in China.
2) The Indus river system on the Western side
consists of river Indus and the river Sutlej.

33. MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CHINA
AND INDIAIn the year 2002, the Government of India had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China
for five years upon provision of Hydrological information on Yaluzangbu /Brahmaputra River during flood season
by China to India.
In accordance with the provisions contained in the MoU, the Chinese side provided hydrological information
(Water Level, Discharge and Rainfall) in respect of three stations, namely, Nugesha, Yangcun and Nuxia located
on river Brahmaputra/ Yaluzangbu from 1st June to 15th October every year, which was utilized in the formulation
of flood forecasts by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Similar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during the visit of the Chinese Premier to India in April 2005
for providing hydrological information of one station i.e. Tsada on River Sutlej/ Langqen Zangbo during flood
season. Chinese side is providing hydrological information in respect of their Tsada station on river Sutlej Langqen
Zangbo.

34. INDIA BANGLADESH CO-
OPERATIONAn Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is functioning since 1972. It was established with a view to maintain liaison
in order to ensure the most effective joint effort in maximizing the benefits from common river systems.
For monitoring the implementation of the Treaty, a Joint Committee has been set up. In a year, the Committee meets three times
and observe the Joint measurements on Ganga at Farakka (India) and Ganges at HardingeBridge (Bangladesh) during lean
season.
There exists a system of Transmission of flood forecasting data on major rivers like Ganga, Teesta, Brahmputra and Barak during
the monsoon season from India to Bangladesh. The transmission of flood forecasting information during the monsoon has
enabled the civil and military authorities in Bangladesh to shift the population affected by floods to safer places.

35. INDO-BANGLADESH CO-OPERATION
A new chapter in the Indo-Bangladesh relations
opened up with signing of a Treaty by the Prime
Ministers of India and Bangladesh on 12th December
1996 on the sharing of Ganga/Ganges waters.
According to this treaty, the Ganges water is distributed
at Farakka during lean period which is from Jan 1st to
May 31st every year on a daily basis. The sharing of
water is monitored by the Joint Rivers Commission.

36. INDIA- BHUTAN CO-OPERATION
A scheme titled “Comprehensive Scheme for Establishment of Hydro-
meteorological and Flood Forecasting Network on rivers Common to India
and Bhutan” is in operation.
The network consists of 32 Hydro-meteorological/ meteorological stations
located in Bhutan and being maintained by the Royal Government of Bhutan
with funding from India.
The data received from these stations are utilized in India by the Central
Water Commission (CWC) for formulating flood forecasts.

37. INDIA NEPAL CO-OPERATION
India and Nepal had signed a Treaty known as Mahakali Treaty in
February’1996. Implementation of Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project is the
centerpiece of the Mahakali Treaty.
Required field investigations for the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project have
been completed by a Joint Project Office (JPO-PI) in 2002
Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) is a bi-national hydropower project
to be developed in Mahakali River bordering Nepal and India.
According to this treaty equal sizes of underground power house i.e. of
3240MV will be constructed on each side of Mahakali river in India and
Nepal.

38. References
 India’s Water Crisis,” Water Partners International,
http://www.water.org/programs/india/crisis.htm
 Dugger Celia, “Need for Water Could Double in 50 Years, U.N. Study Finds.” New
York Times, August 22, 2006 .
 Prasanth Mehta, “Impending water crisis in India and comparing clean water
standards among developing and developed nations.” 2012
 Jain, S. K., Agarwal, P. K. and Singh, V. P., Hydrology and Water Resources of
India, Springer, The Netherlands, 2007.
 Drinking water in India, Water Aid 2005.
 Wrmin.nic.in