Water Resources, Conservation and Management

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Water is a prime renewable national asset and a precious natural resource. It is essential for existence of life and is used for various purposes—domestic, agricultural and industrial.India ranks high among the nations of the world in terms of potential water resources. However, poor management, indiscriminate use and unsustainable human activities and practices have created acute water shortage in most parts of the country. Various uses of water produce huge quantities of wastewater, most of which ultimately flows into water bodies like rivers, streams, lakes and ponds thus deteriorating water quality. Owing to the country’s large population and a high growth rate thereof the pressure on water resources is increasing—for direct domestic use and—through rising demand for food and cash crops, industrial use and growing urbanization, etc. The available water supplies fail to cope up with this ever-increasing demand.It has been well established now by the environmentalists that excessive burning of fossilfuels has increased earth’s mean temperature which has brought significant changes in precipitation and rainfall patterns. Recurring floods and droughts in different parts of the country can thus also be attributed to human activities. The quick melting of Himalayan glaciers, considered to be the permanent reservoirs of water, is likely to aggravate the problem.In order to solve the water problems, conservation and recycling of water should be made mandatory for all domestic, industrial and agricultural projects. Apart from priority to watershed development, rainwater harvesting and other appropriate conservation measures should be taken up to create awareness among the people so that their mindset, attitudes and habits change proactively and they adopt sustainable practices rather than wait for legislation and regulations.The book gives an up-to-date, systematic and scientific analysis of water problems and suggests measures to overcome these problems through effective water management. It will prove immensely useful to students, researchers, water resource managers, hydrologists and all those who are engaged or interested in any aspect of water conservation and management of water resources in the country. About Author: Surendra Nath Chatterjee, former Head of the Department of Social Studies and Rural Development (Palli Charcha Kendra), Visva Bharati, Sriniketan, took his M.A. degree in Geography from the Calcutta University and Ph.D. in Geography from the Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. He has been teaching Resource and Settlement Studies to the postgraduate classes of Rural Development (MARD) since inception of the course (1991-92) in Visva Bharati, Sriniketan. Dr. Chatterjee has participated in many national and international conferences in India and abroad. He has to his credit five books, several research monographs and around thirty research papers published in various leading national and international journals besides editing of many books.