“Water-ever”: Do you care?
Author: Master Akshobhya Sapre
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how water is important to us? We use water for nearly everything in our lives, from simple chores to keeping us hydrated. Without water there will be no food, no crop production. So today, I am going to take you on an amazing journey filled to the brim with water. I shall cover everything, from how we should save it and what we humans are doing to conserve it.
First off… Groundwater
Groundwater is one of the greatest natural sources of water. How, you might ask. Be patient, read on!
But first, what is groundwater? In simple words, it is the layer of water beneath the earth’s surface. Groundwater may also act as a natural storage tank, which means that the water can stay under the soil for years and we can use it whenever we want by using groundwater pumpers. In old days, this was the reason they had wells. They would dig down until they find water and this water is then used for various needs. Usually, groundwater is 30 feet below the ground.
Now you may wonder, where does groundwater come from? Well, let’s see…
Groundwater forms when water from the surface seeps into the ground. For example, when it rains, the rainwater seeps into the soil and down, down, down. Although, the soil needs to be loose for the water to seep, otherwise it will stay on the surface. The water usually doesn’t go more than thirty feet below, as the soil ends there and rocks make an appearance. These rocks do not have space between them. So, the water stops there.
Unfortunately, groundwater cannot penetrate roads. This is a big problem. Since water cannot get absorbed by the tar, it stays on the surface, and this water becomes breeding ground for insects like mosquitoes, and this leads to many diseases.
Sewage system
We all use water to bathe, wash our hands and flush our toilets (ewww!). This water also comes to us through groundwater. But have you ever wondered where this water goes after use? You might think it is disposed. Nope. It doesn’t. It is purified for reuse. How? Let me explain.
The water that we use is carried to sewage treatment plants through sewage systems. Sewage is the wastewater and excrement (double eww!) of humans. This wastewater reaches the sewage treatment plant, and there, it undergoes many purification tests such as plastic removal and grit removal. These purification tests are to ensure that the water is safe from harmful bacteria and diseases. After all the purification tests, the water is then carried through pipes and is released into the ocean. Since the water is purified, it is not harmful to fish or any other sea creature for that matter.
Water Conservation
Water conservation is the practice of not wasting water unnecessarily and preserving, controlling and developing of water resources, both normal or groundwater. It’s important that we conserve water because water shortage is a huge problem in our society. We can conserve water by the following ways:
1. Drink all the water that is in your glass and not dunk the rest in the sink.
2. Collect rainwater when it rains in a bucket and use it for your household purposes instead. This way, you will save water and also stop the breeding of insects.
3. Make sure all the taps in your house are closed properly, because a dripping tap wastes six litres of water at a time.
4. Use a bucket and mug to bathe, as a shower wastes more water than a tap.
5. Don’t wash your clothes every day. Keep a laundry basket and wash the clothes when it is full.
If you practice this regularly, you will save at least a sea full of water.
What our people are doing to conserve water
In India, water conservation is in the form of rainwater harvesting. It is an ancient tradition that has become more relevant in the present day. There are many water conservation projects in India that are, of course, conserving water (what else?). One of the projects, for example, is the “Gosi Khurd Irrigation project” from Maharashtra. It is one of the major irrigation projects in Maharashtra. It was launched by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1984.
So what does the project do? This project involves Gose Khurd dam and a network of water canals. The project’s aim is to irrigate 2.5 lakh hectares of land! The project is still a work in progress, which means that it is not fully completed. Of course, they also had to ask for permission from the Forest and Environment department and stuff (for legal purposes).
But there are disadvantages. A major criticism of the project involved environmental damage and damage to local livelihood. Around 91 villages were affected by the project. The affected population of people had a name, called PAP (Project Affected People). This project made a PAP of 1 lakh people.
How were the people affected? It was because the project took a lot of agricultural land and the people demanded for more land, since crop production was stopped. The people also demanded additional services like cattle shed and stuff like that.
Conclusion
So, I hope my blog has given you information on ways to save water and how our country is struggling to maintain the balance of water usage. But, alas, we are sometimes careless and we waste gallons of water at a time.
So let us all not be careless and selfish, but instead save our planet together, because teamwork makes the dream work!
References
About the Author:
Akshobhya is a 8th grader studying in C.M.International School, Pune, Maharashtra, India. He is 12 and an avid reader and passionate about all things concerning environment. He loves to write, play games on his tab and also a foodie. He is also a child blogger.