Water and Environment
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CHAPTER 15 Water and Environment Introduction Water Resources Maharashtra is one of the most industrialised and The quantity of inland water resources in Maharashtra populated states in India. This makes concerns for accounts for only 4.93 per cent of the total environmental degradation in Maharashtra far more availability in India. Since the state houses more serious than those in the other states in the country. than 9 per cent of the country’s population, per In fact, Maharashtra is among the foremost states capita water availability in the state is lower than the that encountered the problems of environmental national average. Rivers and lakes are the main pollution and also took action to tackle them sources of surface water, but water flow of two (GoM, 2003a). major river basins in the state (Krishna and Godavari) is much below the national average. The problems of water resources in the state are While the average annual surface water potential for related to both depletion and pollution. While the issues an Indian river is 1869 km3 per year, it is only 110.54 in rural areas are lack of water supply infrastructure km3 per year for the Godavari basin and 78.12 km3 and difficult access to safe water, in urban areas, the per year for the Krishna basin (MoWR, 2003). ever-increasing demand, inadequate and sub The distribution of annual rainfall is highly uneven standard quality of services are endemic. High levels with Konkan region receiving as high as 2500 mm of indoor and ambient air pollution are of serious and Marathwada as low as 800 mm of rainfall per concern in the state. Industries and vehicles are annum. The precipitation is concentrated between major man-made sources of ambient air pollution, the months of June and September, particularly in and low quality of fuels, create indoor air pollution. the Konkan and Sahyadri regions. About 90 per Noise level, particularly in urban regions are at cent of the land in the state has basaltic rock, which alarming stage. Solid waste problems, due to is non-porous and prevents rainwater percolation concentration of population and wasteful into the ground and makes the area drought-prone. consumption patterns, are more obvious in urban Most of the districts (19 out of 35) show fall in the areas. Inefficient solid waste management (SWM) ground water level during the post-monsoon period has led to significant land degradation. Growing over 20 cm per year and it has continued for about demand for fuel, fodder, agricultural and industrial last 20 years (1981-2000). In 2001, drought-affected production is fast depleting forest and biodiversity, about 20,000 villages in 23 districts, 28.4 million resulting in the loss of genetic diversity in the people and 4.5 million hectares of crops. Several region. districts including Ahmednagar, Dhule, Sangli, Thus, almost all of the natural and Satara, Solapur, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Nashik environmental resources in the state are under stress have been affected by severe water scarcity (GoM, due to anthropogenic activities. Major sectors 2003b). identified in this chapter are – Water Resources, However, lack of water management, rather (including water supply and sanitation, freshwater than natural scarcity of water, is the main reason for pollution and coastal pollution), Air Pollution, drought. Since 1960, government has spent over Noise Pollution, Solid Waste Management, Land Rs.16, 000 crores on rural water supply and yet there Degradation, Forests and Biodiversity, Climate are around 20,000 drought affected villages and 45 Change Issues, Trade and Environment linkages, million people without safe and secure water. The Environmental Education and Environmental reasons for problems being perpetual appear to be Policy. The objective is to review the state of each as follows. Firstly, political interests connected to sub-sector and, based upon the analysis of available the sugar baron lobby have resulted in accelerated data and information, suggest measures for an growth of sugarcane, a highly water intensive crop, efficient environmental management. cultivated in areas, which get lesser rainfall than 328 Maharashtra State Development Report even the desert state of Rajasthan. Sugarcane crop is workshops for rural water supply and for grown only on 3 per cent of the irrigated area, but it introduction of sector reforms, improved consumes almost 70 per cent of the water groundwater management introduction of efficiency consumed by all crops. Secondly, mismanagement improvement and private sector participation (PSP) of the resources by state authorities is responsible in the urban water supply sector. The GoM has also for the water scarcity. Though Maharashtra has the introduced a sectoral reforms package for rural largest number of dams in the country, only 17 per water supply along the lines of GoI guidelines and cent of its agricultural land is irrigated. Despite restructured the urban capital grants program to ample resources and water related schemes, provide incentives for efficiency improvement. government regulations are such that problems do In order to achieve substantial and far reaching not have solutions. For example, if any farmer reforms in the water sector, the Committee strongly wants to replace a defective pump for his borewell, recommended the establishment of an independent the regulation requires that replacement of the Maharashtra Water and Wastewater Regulatory pump and borewell should be done together Commission (MWRC). The MWRC would be (Martyris, 2003). responsible for regulating both water supply and Water Supply Scenario wastewater disposal services. However, sanitation Safe and regular water supply is a necessary aspect aspects such as solid waste management and low of development, but wide disparities exist in water cost sanitation are proposed to be excluded from supply in urban and rural areas of the state. As far as the purview of the MWRC (GoM, 2003b). urban population is concerned, all 247 urban centres Urban Situation have piped water supply schemes for drinking, The share of urban population in Maharashtra is though the supply of water is not adequate as per about 42.4 per cent as against a national average of the standard laid down by the Government of India. 27.8 per cent (GoM, 2003a). Mumbai, Pune and Similarly, the coverage of rural population with Nagpur are among the fifteen most populous adequate public drinking water supply is about 70 agglomerations in India. Therefore, satisfying the per cent (GoM, 2003b). basic needs of water and sanitation poses a Maharashtra was the first state to prepare a challenge for the authorities. Data from White Paper on Water and Sanitation in June 1995, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) show that following which the GoM established a separate the water supply levels in urban areas are inadequate department for water supply and sanitation for as only 15.3 per cent local bodies satisfied the better coordination of the sector. As per the policy norms of per capita water consumption. The approved by the State Government, the water disparity in the amount of water supply in various supply and sanitation department (WSSD) urban centres as well as within different areas of a implements the programmes for provision of city is very striking. For example, though Mumbai drinking water supply services through the MJP, the has a maximum water supply of 200 lpcd, on an Groundwater Survey and Development Agency average, the supply in different areas of the city is (GSDA), and the Zilla Parishads (ZP). The MJP is very much skewed. While slum areas of Mumbai responsible for the design and construction of water are not getting even 90 lpcd, the well off areas and wastewater schemes in urban and rural areas receive as high as 300-350 lpcd (GoM, 2003c). and mobilisation of resources on behalf of the local Water quality is also not very satisfactory and, on an bodies. average, in 2000-01 Mumbai showed the highest Considering the need for sectoral reforms, in contamination at 15 per cent compared to Pune (1.3 January 2000, the GoM established the Sukthankar per cent), Nashik (1.08 per cent), Navi Mumbai Committee to prepare a roadmap for improved (9.26 per cent) and Thane (4 per cent). The main provision of water and sewerage services in rural reasons for high level of contamination are and urban areas. Subsequently, the WSSD has, with inappropriate sanitation, absence or inadequate dose the inputs from the Committee, undertaken several of the disinfectant and recontamination in the positive steps, which include extensive consultation distribution network (PHD, 1999; NEERI, 2002). Water and Environment 329 Over use and misuse of water can be observed in All new programmes based on the new policy various human activities. Due to intermittent water of community led demand-driven principles, namely supply system, it is the normal practice of every Government of India sponsored Sector Reform household to store more water than needed. When Programme, Swajaldhara Programme, Prime fresh water is to be stored, the old stock of the Minister's 15th August Special Programme, PMGY previous day is just thrown away to empty the Programme, World Bank aided Jalswarajya Project containers. Unnecessary keeping the water tap and even any new schemes in ARWSP and MNP running, while bathing, shaving and so on, is a are planned and implemented at Gram Panchayat common feature. Excessive use of water for level. Thus, planning, implementation, operation gardening not only spoils the plants but also results and maintenance of the programmes are now in wastage. Leakage from water mains, feeder lines entrusted to the villages. and public and private taps is a common and Recently, the GoM has launched Sant Gadgebaba neglected phenomenon. It is estimated that, on an Urban Cleanliness Drive and Jawaharlal Nehru Clean City average, for domestic use about 20-50 per cent Campaign, which is one of its revolutionary water is wasted in urban areas such as Mumbai programmes.