Water Literacy For All… By : Dr S K Srivastava Chief Engineer. National Water Academy – Pune India Water Week 2016

“Water Literacy means knowing realization of where your water comes from and how you use it. ” What is Water Literacy? Ministry of Water Resources, India

 Groundwater recharge and consequences of over drafting.  Up-to-date research on contaminants and how they travel through the water supply.  Healthy watersheds  Water, Health and Sanitation.  How water travels around the world to meet demand (Water Foot prints/ Virtual Water)  Integrated water cycles with human demand as part of the system.  Infrastructure: How we move and control Surface Water and Process Waste Water. A Water Literate is one who knows : Ministry of Water Resources, India

Know the Facts !

Ministry of Water Resources, India Know the Facts ! (Water Availability in India) Total utilizable water resources 1123 BCM Ground Water 433 BCM Presently meets the demand but is Inadequate for future demand Surface water 690 BCM Current utilization of SW 450 BCM ( % ) Current utilization Of GW 243 BCM (56%) Total water availability 1869 BCM Total Precipitation 4000 BCM

Ministry of Water Resources, India Key Objectives  To promote behavioral change on water use and water conservation.  To promote water sector careers in schools/universities and provide opportunities for youth to pursue careers in the water sector.  To raise awareness of water and climate change to the public at large.

Ministry of Water Resources, India Water Sector Challenges  No substitute for water, unlike oil  Water essential for survival, Water Security  Availability reduces due to population growth and climate change  Global Economy grows, so will thrust on water  Low Water Use Efficiency  Uneven availability of water in space and time: leading to water scarcity …

Ministry of Water Resources, India … Water Sector Challenges  Rising Multi Sectoral Demands  Equity in Supply of water for irrigation  Lack of appropriate sites for Storage Projects  Environment and Water Quality Degradation  Over-exploitation of Ground Water  Conflicts on ownership of water

Ministry of Water Resources, India Strategies in Water Sector  Developmental activities to reduce Gap between Availability and Utilization  Management Practices to bridge Gap between Creation and Utilization of facilities  Research & Development to mitigate Gap between Demand and Supply

Ministry of Water Resources, India Topics for Water Literacy: Awareness about Developmental Activities Need for  Storages  Inter-basin Transfers  Ground Water Recharge  Watershed Development  Rainwater Harvesting  Pollution Control  Desalination of Water

Ministry of Water Resources, India Literacy about Water Management Practices  Efficient Water Distribution Network  Equity and Demand based management  Participatory Water Management  Cropping Pattern  Realistic Water Rates  Waste Water Treatment  Recycle and reuse of waste water  Conjunctive use of surface and ground water  Extension, Renovation and Modernization of old schemes  Water Footprints and Virtual Water - Agricultural and Industrial Water Footprints

Ministry of Water Resources, India Climate Change and Water Resources  Climate change makes extreme events more severe and more frequent at unexpected times  Likely to alter hydrological cycle – Change in total amount of precipitation and its intensity / frequency – Impact on regional water resource affecting river flows water supply – Change in floods and droughts situation  Likely to aggravate water scarcity condition  High risk of Violent conflicts  The stakeholders must be made aware of this important issue

Ministry of Water Resources, India Economic Development and Water Resources Development  To create conducive public opinion about water sector projects, it is important to sensitize the public about the connection between water resources development & economic development  Accelerated pace of economic development – tremendous impact in water sector (Water demand to increase due to economic change and increase in population)  Water Resources Development & Management to undergo major change by 2050

Ministry of Water Resources, India Target Audience A. High Multiplier Effect Group School / college students & through them their parents, teachers. Women Households (Urban and Rural) and RWAs B. Sector-wise Group Industrialist Agriculturalist Tribal Population Mass Transport Users Cinema / TV viewers / Listeners of Radio Visitors to prominent places/exhibitions/fairs Readers of newspapers/magazines

Ministry of Water Resources, India Target Audience C. Policy Makers, Influencers, Implementing Agencies Policy makers / Leaders Government Officials (Centre and State) (i) Engineers (ii) other functionaries (iii) WUAs, PRIs, Local Urban Bodies, NGOs, RWAs etc. Media D. Innovators, Knowledge Creators and Disseminators Research Students Professionals / Experts in water management National / International delegates at conferences / seminars /workshops etc. Professional Bodies / Associations

Government of India Initiative: Information, Education and Communication Scheme had been launched during the XI Plan with the aim to create awareness among various target groups about the importance of development and management of water resources in a holistic manner with due emphasis on a coordinated effort for addressing various water related issues and propagate the policies/programmes of the Ministry of Water Resources. During the XII Plan Period ( ), the IEC Scheme has been merged in HRD/Capacity Building Scheme as IEC Component along with other components.

Other GOI Initiatives: National Water Policy 2012 also emphasize a National Campaign of Water Literacy for Capacity Building of all Stakeholders National Water Mission (The main objective of NWM is “conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management”) Jal Kranti Abhiyan (To consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement.) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Sanitation, Cleanliness)

Involvement of Women

Pooling the young minds

Water consumption needs to be understood in a physical manner as well as virtual use

Posters, Campaigns, Street plays

What Can I Do? When you put it in your mouth, learn how much water it takes to get there! Here’s a quick guide to eating with Water Sense: plants take less water to feed you than meats. All land animals take thousands of gallons of water to grow and process, so eating meat in smaller quantities saves lots of water. It takes 5 litres of water to make 1 litre of bottled water. When you put it on your body, learn how much water it takes to make it! All clothing takes water to make, water to grow or create the fibers, water to process the dyes, water to run the machines. Do you buy cotton? Cotton is a water intensive crop, so don’t buy cotton grown in deserts. Growers in dry countries suck lakes and groundwater source dry to grow cotton for export, leaving nothing for local food crops and fishermen. Buying vintage clothing is a smart water choice. You save money and don’t spend more water.

What Can I Do? When you turn it on, understand the Energy-Water connection. Creating energy is water intensive. Hydro-electric dams require reliable, strong river flows. Coal and nuclear plants cost billions of gallons of water to supply ore and operate. Even solar panels cost water to manufacture. Turning off unnecessary lights and unplugging “vampire” appliances will save water as well as energy. Think – Ask – Speak Out. Your voice makes a difference. Companies that make your clothes and grow your food want to hear from their customers. Make sure they know that conserving water is important to you! or Tweet the companies you buy from asking if their water use is sustainable. Find out what they’re doing to conserve fresh water for the future. Make sure they’re not putting toxic dyes or pesticides in their local water. Then tell all what you’ve learned so share it with everyone else!

What Can I Do? Conserve water in your home and garden. Conserving water at home can be as simple as turning off the tap and taking shorter showers. Fixing leaks in household pipes is also a reliable way to save water. New awareness about grey water systems, rainwater harvesting and garden perma-culture is exciting and broadens our personal management of water resources. Help people less fortunate than you. You’ve heard that children living in poverty and water-stress can’t go to school because they have to walk miles for water. There are many fine organizations working to help them. Choose a group you like then give what money you can. Consider volunteering to help the billions of people living without clean water and adequate sanitation.

Ministry of Water Resources, India … to Summarize:  Water Literacy is a must to spread awareness about Water Conservation  Should cover all challenges facing the water sector & the initiatives needed  Use of print and electronic media, campaigns, observation of Water Resources Day etc. to have effective impact  Cover all stakeholders  Make it a part of academic syllabus in school & colleges

Ministry of Water Resources, India Just Remember …

By being informed, there is a natural empathy and conscientiousness when interacting with water So it’s always more comfortable to be informed than to be surprised !! THANK YOU