WATER WATER EVERYWHERE and not a drop to drink

We, as humans, must learn to comprehend the tremendous power water has over us all. Without this simple hydrogen-oxygen substance, life would cease to exist. Yet, the simple fact remains that we are depleting our water resources at an alarming rate and we must comprehend the fact that water is finite, even though the capability remains to produce this substance. Water is something we should cherish, value, and respect; for without it, we would be no more.

But what happens in the dry areas of the world that are more heavily populated, where droughts are common, harvests are poor and people starve, basically because of a lack of water? The world is recognising that without proper water supplies life cannot be sustained. The United Nations has declared the year 2003 as the UN International Year of Freshwater. This decision has been stimulated by reports on many aspects of water supply and sanitation needs and the effects of climate change, destruction of wetlands, pollution of existing supplies and our patterns of usage.

Without action, it has been suggested that in 2025, two thirds of the world’s population will be trying to survive in water stressed areas.

One of the actions necessary to help avert this crisis is to educate people as to the value of this precious resource. To tell them of the ways through which we can save this precious life giving substance. To turn a situation of water-scarcity and soil-degradation into one of regeneration. Here are some of the ways to do so...

- Simple trenches can be used to water crops.
- 'Water deposit' in open wells helps revive them.
- Grow more and more trees to harvest water.
- Water tanks to be used to conserve and store water.
- Don't dig down, but horizontally in farms to help avoid depleting ground water table.
- Manmade caves for water (surangas or earthen storage tanks)

- Low-cost check-dams constructed across rivulets to store water(temporary structures dismantled before monsoon)
- Rain Water Harvesting(RWH) in water starved cities
- Rain barrels to catalyse water harvesting
- Catch rain in a saree to purify it
- Back to the good old ways of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)

- Networked ponds to transform drylands
- Enhanced water-use efficiency in irrigation
- Rain-catching workshops for villagers and farmers
- Communities need to work together for the common cause
- Rain Water Harvesting in your homes

At many places it has been seen that where conservation efforts are in place, even a single season's rainfall can largely restore water security. So there is just a need to spread awareness for this cause. This will lead not only to solving the water issues, but also to restoring the ground water table and maintaining the water purity, along with water-soil-forest conservation.
 

Various other advantages linked with the use of these techniques are:
- Lakes get filled
- Underground water level increases
- Rains become more timely
- Natural habitats of birds and animals is restored
- Helps prevent soil erosions as well as to maintain soil fertility
- Rainwater flowing horizontally, at lower velocity, leads to minimum degradation of silt
- Earthworms in trenches helps to decompose and aerate the litter enough to allow percolation to happen
- Decreasing wastage of water
- Ensured availability of water all over the region
- Has led to several responsible educational institutes such as IIM Kozhikode to run on rainwater

We being responsible would definitely bring a change; we just need to take a step forward to bring it about and save what we can. Because that is what will help us save the rest linked with it. 

Working for the cause of water is working for the cause of mother Earth. Water fills mother earth's stomach. The day her stomach is full, water flows out into the rivers. She is very kind and never keeps water to herself. Whatever you provide her she gives back. This fills even our stomach and helps sustain our farming.

So SAVE WATER, SAVE YOURSELF.....