TESTING TIMES

is incorporated in infiltration, bioretention,
permeable pavements,
designing new areas, conserving
wetlands and connecting rivers and
floodplains.
India has more than 17 percent of
the world’s population but has only
4% of the world’s fresh water. With
the rising population, urbanisation,
industrialisation and expanding agricultural
activities, the water demand
will continue to increase.
Created mass awakening for
making world “water positive” with
reflections as under:-
Making water conservation a way
of life; multi–level Integrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM)
implementation from the community
level, leading to integrated
river basin management; rainwater
harvesting, surface water storage
and groundwater recharge; work on
waste water treatment, adopt “reduce,
reuse and recycle” approach
for sustainable water management;
28 July 2021
follow practices like micro – irrigation,
drip and sprinkler systems to
promote efficient use of water for
agriculture; deployment of piezometer
to estimate groundwater situation
and regulate over exploitation;
incentivizing water conservation efforts
undertaken by the communities,
such as “Repair, renovation and
restoration (RRR)” of water bodies
for storage and efficient use; raising
green cover can turn off red alarm
on water shortage; “Namami Gange”
project to save the river Ganga from
pollution and to rejuvenate it; under
“Jal Jeevan Mission” providing
55 litres piped drinking water per
capita per day to 190 million rural
households;India’s current water requirement
is estimated to be around
1100 billion cubic meters (BCM)
per year and it is projected to touch
1,447 BCM by 2050. Hence it is imperative
to increase water use efficiency
across all sectors to address
water scarcity problem, and capacity
Opinion Express
building of people in water and sanitation
related activities.
3)Forests are the most biologically-diverse
ecosystem on land, home
of 80% of terrestrial species of animals,
plants and insects. They store
about 296 Gigaton of carbon and
counter climate change. They conserve
soil, fix nitrogen and add organic
matter to improve soil fertility.
Forested watersheds and wetlands
supply 75% of fresh water. They
clean air and water, provide critical
wildlife habitat, and make the planet
a healthier place to live.
Biologically rich forest ecosystems
provide shelter, food, fodder, fibre,
energy, water, herbal medicine,
jobs and environmental security to
the people. Forests are an important
source of income for more than 1.6
billion poor people, of whom at least
370 million Indigenous Peoples depend
almost entirely on forests for
subsistence and survival. Forests
and agro-forests offer a highly di-