Gobar Times Magazine (Environment for Kids Monthly) - Centre for Science and Environment

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Chi Chi
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Water is swirling…now faster…faster. We're not talking about whirlpools in the sea…we're talking about the flush operating. For us it is just a matter of pulling the flush. But have you ever thought where does this go? Now for a moment think if you had no bathroom, what would you do? But that's how most of the people live. Do you know how much our flushes pollute the water? All the waste ends up in the Yamuna, polluting it even more. Have you ever thought how can this can be prevented? Do you know the waste that comes from our body can be recycled? This will prevent pollution caused by sewage, return it as nutrients to soil and plants and reduce our need for chemical fertilizers.

Shivani

THERE’S NO WATER RUNNING OUT OF MY TAPS

India has more than 250 million city dwellers even though the rate of urbanization is among the lowest in the world. Rural urban migration to cities will further increase the proportion to more than 50 per cent of the total population by 2020. As sources of surface water fail to meet rising demands, ground water reserves are tapped, often to unsustainable levels. Almost all cities that depend on ground water are faced with the rapid reduction in their water tables. Even water quality is threatened with reduction in ground water levels. Over-extraction of ground water in Chennai has led to increased salinity in the soil, especially in coastal areas. In Calcutta, it has led to arsenic contamination. Water Crisis in Delhi

p2_watercrisis.jpg (3656 bytes) Water Crisis in Delhi
The city of Delhi is almost perpetually in the grip of a water crisis during the dry season. Serious water shortages afflict the city during the summer. Many residents have to depend on groundwater in addition to the municipal supply.

Although the average water consumption in Delhi is estimated at 240 litres per capita, the figure is not indicative of an adequate supply to every resident since the water supply in Delhi is not uniformly distributed.

There are about 3 lakh borewells in Delhi, of which 2 lakh are illegal. These all take out precious ground water. Bottled water companies are also taking out ground water. There are plenty of water thefts too and loss due to leakage in water pipes and taps.