As water becomes a scarce resource, it triggers new inter-state and intra-state conflicts around the world

A Creeping Crisis

In a madcap world seized with arms race for decimation of humanity, little attention is dedicated to water for sustaining life. Swelling numbers of humans pose an existential threat to a finite resource. Agriculture, energy, industrialisation and urbanisation drain much of the water at the expense of nature’s own survival.

As more water is being diverted to meet the greed of human race, nature’s own thirst is left unquenched. As a corollary, forests and pastures are vanishing and the earth is losing its green cloak. Concomitant to that, an irresponsible and unsustainable use of water is also shrinking the blue cover of earth. Rivers, wetlands, lakes and oceans are getting perennially polluted.

It is estimated that up to 90 per cent of all waste water in developing countries is discharged untreated directly into water bodies. All these facts are generating anxiety yet actions are sluggish and do not match the pace. Against this grim backdrop, the United Nations’ World Water Development Report 2015 “water for a sustainable world” discusses how different sectors of life are becoming thirsty that puts human life in jeopardy.

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