Water crisis is a very big threat which our country is likely to face. 200 million people in the country do not have access to safe drinking water and nearly 1.5 million children under five die each year due to water-borne diseases. Glaciers are melting fast, underground water depletion is increasing and water bodies are drying up for various reasons. There is inter-state dispute on rivers and there is a broad scenario of dispute among the farmers for water for irrigation purpose. Fresh water is becoming a rarity and less and less people are having access to it. Less than one percent of fresh water on earth is available to human beings for consumption. Owing to urbanization and growing population, global water consumption increased six fold between 1990 and 1995—-more than double the rate of population growth, and continues to grow rapidly as agricultural, industrial and domestic demand increase. In some areas, water withdrawals are so high relative to supply that surface water supplies are literally shrinking and ground water reserves are being depleted faster than they can be replenished by precipitation. Due to overexploitation of ground water, water tables are dropping and some rivers often become dry before they reach the sea.
This is an urgent matter towards which we in the State should pay attention. It is true that our State has snow clad mountains which are the source of supply of fresh water. But it has to be remembered that glaciers are melting and rivers and streams are getting polluted. Water bodies are depleting and virtually drying up. Population is increasing and that put pressure on demand for fresh water. Therefore conservation of fresh water resources is of great priority with the Government and the people of the State.
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