WATER CONSERVATION: STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS

Abstract

India has 16% of the world’s population and only 4% of the world’s water resources, which are
depleting rapidly. The demand for water is expected to grow from 40 billion cubic metres
(bcm) currently to around 220 bcm in 2025. Water is one of the most important inputs essential
for crops. Both it’s shortage and excess affects the growth and development of the plants,
yields and quality of produce. There are numerous methods to reduce such losses and to
improve soil moisture. These are mulching, cropping, planting of trees, utilization of fog or
dew by net-surfacing traps or polythene sheets, contour farming, transfer of water from surplus
areas to deficit areas by inter-linking water systems through canals, desalination technologies
such as distillation, electro-dialysis and reverse osmosis, use of efficient watering systems such
as drip irrigation and sprinklers will reduce the water consumption by plants. The most
important step in the direction of finding solutions to issues of water and environmental
conservation is to change people's attitudes and habits; this includes each one of us.