30 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
of towing fresh water from Turkey to Greek island. Its future plans include transporting
water from Iran to Saudi Arabia and along Caribbean and Red Sea.
Water Supply
In our country water supply is scanty. We have more than 3000 towns, but hardly 2000
have an organized water supply. It is essential to augment coverage of water supply in
urban as well as rural sectors. At present the position of water supply is as under:
(1) Low daily per capita supply,
(2) Inefficient distribution,
(3) High leakage and ill managed system.
This is the position in towns. In rural sector progress in water supply has been very
slow. There are about six lakh villages involved in which our 76% population lives.
Previously they were provided safe drinking water through piped water supply systems
or hand pumps operated tube wells. Efforts are on and it is an expected picture that supply
could be brought to about more than one lakh villages. The picture is somewhat improved
during the Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (WSSD) (1981-90).
To solve the water problem, some other precautionary measures are to be taken. We
have to use minimum water. The quantity of water returning after use becomes the waste
water. The data for water use in our country show that waste that by 2000 A.D. out of 1900
Mm^3 of water available, the country had used about more than 50% of the available water
(about 1092 Mm^3 ) for four major consumptive uses-irrigation, power generation, domestic
and industrial uses.
It is held that for sustainability at least more than half of the total available water
should be used annually. The country has overshot the 50% mark by 2000 A.D. which is not
in our ecological interest.
Water Resources Management
Some of the central and corresponding state originations concerned with specific aspects
of water resources management are as under:
(1) Central Pollution Control Board Concerning Water Quality
(2) Central Water Commission Concerning Surface Water
(3) Central Ground Water Board Concerning Ground Water
(4) Indian Metrological Department Concerning Precipitation
(5) Central Public Health and Concerning Water Supplies
Sanitation
Environment Engineering and Sewage Disposal
(Ministry of Urban Development)
(6) Ministry of Agricultural and ICAR Concerning Water use for Agricultural
(7) Department of Environment Concerning Environment Forests and
Wildlife (Ministry of Impact