Water resources

AR. K. SUWATHA
intro
Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water
include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities.
▪ DOMESTIC USE: Water used in the houses for the purposes of drinking, bathing, washing
Clothes, cooking, sanitary & other needs. The recommended value according to Indian
standard specification for domestic use is 135 liters/day
▪ INDUSTRIAL USE: Water is required for various industries such as cement, mining, textile,
leather industries.
▪ PUBLIC USE: This includes water used for public utility purpose such as watering parks,
Flushing streets, jails etc.
▪ FIRE USE: Water is used in case of accidents and to prevent the fire issues
▪ IRRIGATION: To grow crops which is the main sources for food?
▪ OTHER USES: Hydro electric power generation requires water.
Water in India
▪ India supports about 1/6th of the world’s population, 1/50th of the land and 1/25th of the
water resources.

▪ There is a general feeling that the country with its mighty rivers and vast aquifers has
abundant freshwater resources. But keeping in view the uneven spatial and temporal
distribution of water resources, this impression is not correct.

▪ Moreover, India has large population which is increasing rapidly and a high GDP growth of
more than 8% is putting enormous pressure on its water resources.
precipitation
▪ The long-term average annual rainfall for the country is 1160 mm (Lal 2001), which is the
highest in the world for a country of comparable size. In terms of volume, India receives an
average annual precipitation of about 4000 km3. Rainfall is dependent on the South-West
and North-East monsoons, on shallow cyclonic depressions and disturbances and on local
storms.
▪ The highest rainfall of about 11,690 mm per year is recorded around Cherrapunji in
Meghalaya. Many places on the windward side of the Western Ghats record up to 6000
mm rainfall per year.
▪ In the northern plains, annual rainfall decreases from 1500 mm in West Bengal to 150 mm in
Jaisalmer (Rajasthan).
▪ About 21percent of the country’s area receives less than 750 mm of rain annually while 15
percent receives rainfall in excess of 1500 mm. Figure 2 shows the distribution of normal
annual rainfall in India
streamflow
▪ Several organizations and individuals have estimated water availability for the nation. The
National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD, 1999)
estimated the basin-wise average annual flow in Indian rivers as 1953 km3

▪ Utilizable water resource is the amount of withdrawable water from its place of natural
occurrence. Given the limitations of physiography, socio-political environment, legal and
constitutional constraints, and technology available, utilizable quantity of water is less than
availability. According to NCIWRD, the utilizable annual surface water of the country is 690
km3
ground water resources
▪ Total replenishable groundwater resource of the country is assessed as 433%.

▪ After allotting 15% of this quantity for drinking, and 6 km3 for industrial purposes (total 71
km3), the remaining (433-71=362 km3) can be utilized for irrigation.

▪ Out of this, the utilizable quantity (90%) is 326 km3.

▪ Total Utilizable Ground Water Resource = 326 + 71 = 397 km3.

▪ The state- wise estimates of dynamic ground water (fresh) resource made by the CGWB
total water resources
▪ The total utilizable water is = 690 (surface) + 433 (ground) = 1123 km3.

▪ As per the latest National Census data (provisional figures for 2011 census),

▪ India’s current population is 1.21 billion. India accounts for world's 17.5 per cent population.
India also has an estimated livestock population of 500 million which is about 20% of the
world’s total livestock population.

▪ Since the availability of water has wide spatial and temporal variations (including inter
annual variations), the general availability situation is more alarming than that depicted by
averages.
Per capita per year availability and utilizable surface water in India (in
cu.m)
Water requirement in India
Effects of Over utilization
▪ Lowering of water table
▪ Increase in population
▪ Increasing demand of water for various purposes
▪ Unequal distribution of freshwater
▪ Increasing pollution of water sources
▪ Ground subsidence
▪ Drought
▪ Meteorological drought (rainfall amounts)
▪ Hydrological drought (water level in reservoirs)
▪ Agricultural drought (water for crops)
▪ Socioeconomic drought (demand-supply of economic goods)
▪ Floods
Causes on water related problems
▪ Highly uneven availability of water, both in space and time, often leading to floods and
droughts.
▪ Rampant pollution of freshwater resources mainly by the agricultural, industrial and
municipal sources.
▪ Highly unreliable municipal water supply with poor quality.
▪ Laws which give unlimited ownership of groundwater to the landowner and coupled with
uncontrolled use of bore-wells that has allowed extraction of groundwater at very high
rates, often exceeding recharge.
▪ Inadequate attention to water conservation, efficiency in use, water re-use, groundwater
recharge, and eco-system sustainability.
▪ Very low water prices which do not discourage wastage.
National water policy
Water allocation priorities should broadly be:
▪ Drinking water,
▪ Irrigation,
▪ Hydropower,
▪ Ecology,
▪ Agro-industries and non- agricultural industries and
▪ Navigation
In view of the current status of freshwater use in India and the problems that are likely to
arise in future, a well-planned long-term strategy is needed for sustainable water use.
Conflicts over water
▪ Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups over an access
to water resources. The United Nations recognizes that water disputes result from opposing
interests of water users, public or private.
▪ According to the 1992 International Conference on Water and the Environment, Water is a vital
element for human life, and any human activity relates somehow to water. Unfortunately, it is not
a renewable resource and in the future it "might get worse with climate change”
▪ Water conflicts occur because the demand for water resources and potable water extend far
beyond the amount of water actually available. Elements of a water crisis may put pressures on
affected parties to obtain more of a shared water resource, causing diplomatic tension or outright
conflict.
▪ The Cauvery water dispute: Out of Indias 18 major rivers, 17 are shared between different states. In
all these cases, there are intense conflicts over these resources which badly seem to resolve. The
Cauvery river water is a born of contention between tamilnadu and Karnataka and the problem is
almost hundred years old.
Sustainable water management
▪ Dealing with variables – both spatial and temporal
▪ Out of 8670 hours in a year, precipitation = 100 hours
▪ Regulate river flows by surface or sub-surface storages
▪ Water resource distributions
▪ Floods (management, control, mitigation)
▪ Droughts (supply-demand, impact minimization)
▪ Water pollution (agriculture, industry, domestic)
▪ Excessive ground water exploitation
▪ Drinking water problems
▪ Environment protection & restoration
▪ Threats to biodiversity & wetlands
Watershed management
▪ Watershed Management Watershed management basically refers to efficient management and
conservation of surface and groundwater resources.
▪ It involves prevention of runoff and storage and recharge of groundwater through various methods
like percolation tanks, recharge wells, etc. However, in broad sense watershed management includes
conservation, regeneration and judicious use of all resources – natural (like land, water, plants and
animals) and human with in a watershed.
▪ Watershed management aims at bringing about balance between natural resources on the one hand
and society on the other. The success of watershed development largely depends upon community
participation.
▪ Watershed development projects in some areas have been successful in rejuvenating environment
and economy. However, there are only a few success stories.
▪ In majority of cases, the programme is still in its nascent stage. There is a need to generate awareness
regarding benefits of watershed development and management among people in the country, and
through this integrated water resource management approach water availability can be ensured on
sustainable basis.
Rain water harvesting
▪ Rain water harvesting is a method to capture and store rainwater for various uses. It is also
used to recharge groundwater aquifers.
▪ It is a low cost and eco-friendly technique for preserving every drop of water by guiding the
rain water to bore well, pits and wells.
▪ Rainwater harvesting increases water availability, checks the declining ground water table,
improves the quality of groundwater through dilution of contaminants like fluoride and
nitrates, prevents soil erosion, and flooding and arrests salt water intrusion in coastal areas
if used to recharge aquifers.
▪ Rainwater harvesting has been practiced through various methods by different
communities in the country for a long time.
Initiatives needed in water sector
▪ Data monitoring program
▪ Accessible hydrological information system

▪ Construction of new projects

▪ Dams, displacement of population

▪ Water conservation
▪ Interbasin water transfer (IBWT)
▪ Recycle and reuse of water
▪ Desalination of water
Initiatives needed in water sector
▪ Dealing with climate change
▪ Nationwide climate monitoring program
▪ Formulating new projects which do not impact climate
▪ Improve methods for accounting of climate
▪ Existing systems should be examined, how they will perform in future conditions
▪ Water availability and demands – reassessed for future scenario
▪ Opertaing rules should be reexamined

▪ Water governance
▪ Freshwater, coastal, related ecosystems – protection & improvement
Antiroom II
It was designed by Elena Chiavi, Ahmad El Mad,
and Matteo Goldoni and it is in Valletta, Malta.
The project’s principal idea is the conception of
time and space and how it could be modified by
creating a floating space or a cloud on top of
the water surface. The lightness of the
structure creates a delicate contemplation
between the water mass and the sky. In
addition, one of the wonders of this project is
the public approach to AntiRoom II; it could be
either with a boat or swimming. In the end, the
experience is not only how to get to AntiRoom
II, but also the appreciation of spaces through
water and light.
Mar adentro
If architecture is looking for isolation, well, this project
achieved these qualities of spaces. Mar Adentro is a
project located in Jose Del Cabo, Mexico designed by
San Miguel Angel Aragonés. The relevance of the
construction is that it focuses on monolithic forms and
the surrealist composition of space, which
communicates the interiors with the outdoor context.
In addition, one of the achievements of Mar Adentro is
the landscape design, which emerges the aesthetic
qualities of water and its versatility through design.
Consequently, the design incorporated technologies
that contributed to the residential experience and its
articulations to the site.
New York city waterfalls

The monumental project is in the East River in New

York, United States; and it was designed by Olafur
Eliasson. New York City Waterfalls consist of a Public
art installation that exposes the scale of a waterfall
with Brooklyn Bridge. Nowadays, large-scale public
art is part of the experience of New York City, and it
looks to celebrate the New York City waterfront.
Finally, the project retakes the most important
natural environment qualities, such as natural
resources, and compares the city’s industrial
landscape with its exceptional landscape.
Tea community centre
The extreme Architecture studio Water from Design
designed a poetic architecture intervention in Xiamen,
China. One of the tea house’s fascinations is the
basement located beneath a reflecting pool that contains
water. The water roof is punctuating with a circular
aperture, and it leads to having a visual connection with a
circular courtyard. The interior of the space displays a
Peach Garden and placing this natural symbol in the
middle of the circular aperture creates a utopian
atmosphere. Furthermore, the same Tea community
serves as a simple pavilion above the ground, and it drives
its visitors to a basement in which they can follow the
program of the project. Without a doubt, the
architectural project reflects a harmonious composition in
which architecture and nature come together and creates
an ideal architectural environment.
Sail house
by David Hertz Architects, Studio of Environmental Architecture, Grenadines, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines
Jury Winner, 2021 A+Awards, Residential – Private House XL (> 6,000 sq ft)
Capped with an iconic roof profile, The Sail House appears like a land yacht. The dappled
array of structures are integrated into the tropical jungle and nod to local sailing culture.
Considering the difficulty of construction in the Caribbean, the buildings are all prefabricated
and flat-packed to the island in containers in a zero-waste system developed especially for
this project; the construction cost worked out to be less than $250.00/sqft.
The swooping forms of the tensile roof membranes provide deep shade from the equatorial
sun and collect rain, which funnels into structural aluminum masts and down to the concrete
foundations that dually function as large cisterns that provide 100% of the water demands for
use on the property.
Reyard house I team bosphorus
by studio hcrbzkrt, Ben Guerir, Morocco
A combination of local materials, easy construction techniques and sustainable systems used
in the modular home gained it multiple awards in the Solar Decathlon, an energy-efficient
building competition. The home gets its name by combining the words ‘recycled’ and
‘courtyard.’
The house uses separator walls to allow circulation of air without compromising the privacy
of its occupants, and rammed earth to reduce its carbon footprint. Other sustainable
technologies employed include a membrane bioreactor to biologically treat wastewater from
the house and retain the inorganic nutrients from the algae pond in the house to use it again.
The algae pond also helps produce oxygen.
AT House
by HRBT, Oaxtepec, Mexico
Large openings and an angled roof ensure that this concrete home is ventilation and receives
plenty of natural light. Water and solar management are two main features of the home.
Rainwater collected from the roof is filtered and directed to a 4,000-gallon rainwater tank,
and then to a water cistern after purifying it. Water used in the house is recycled with
biological secondary treatment and then used to irrigate low water plants and succulents on
the property. The excess seeps into the ground, helping restore the water table of the area
around. Furthermore, the home has 15 solar panels with an option of adding 30 more if the
power requirements increase in the future. Passive heating and venting techniques also help
regulate the temperature within and reduce energy consumption.