Tuesday, March 22, 2016

World Water Day....22nd March 2016:

Water is the essential of Life...and still the age old phrase holds good "Water water everywhere, and not a drop to spare''
This chart shows total surface area of earth.

Total surface area of earth: 510,072,000 sq km

Total water surface area: 70.8% (361,132,000 sq km)
Total land surface area: 29.2% (148,940,000 sq km)
There are a total of 5 oceans, and they are the Arctic, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Antarctic Ocean. Out of these five, there are three major oceans, the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. They account for 90 percent of the area covered by oceans.

Water covers approximately 70 percent of our world's surface. Yet only 2.5 percent of the Earth's water is fresh and thus suitable for consumption. Not only that, but of that 2.5 percent, more than two-thirds is locked away in glaciers and not particularly able to help meet the growing demands of society. 
By far, the most abundant and available source of fresh water is underground water supplies or wellsprings known as aquifers.
Now,with 2 successive poor monsoons, India is seeing a depletion in ground water also. Again, ground water gets contaminated by natural as well as artificial (arsenic, fluoride,nitrate, heavy metal) means.
This is a major concern, as a large population in India has this as their major source of drinking water.
Good, if not excellent, water management is needed to preserve and store as much fresh water as possible from our commonly available source, the only source...Rains.
85% of fresh water (in India) is used for agriculture.Water efficiency in agriculture can be improved with low cost new technology. Even in urban and industrial uses, water efficiency can be improved with proper demand management and re-cycling.
Our existence and development depends on proper use and saving of water.
Proper use, economical use for Humans, and proper channelisation preventing evaporation and wastage is necessary to overcome this problem (In India). For more reading on this, read "Is India really Water Starved" written 4 years ago in this blog. Article found on Author's Page. (2012)

x------------------------x----------------------------x--------------------------------x---------------------------x
Maharasthra:
Reservoir and Dams Storage Position (% 0f Full):

Konkan 53% ( 53%)   
Marathwada 5% (15%) In Aurangabad, Jayakwadi Reservoir is today at 0% Storage (15% Last Year). In Marathwada, 6 Major Dams are today at 0% Storage ! 
Nagpur Region 29% (31%) Nasik Region 23% (41%) 
Pune Region 27% (48%)  Amravati Region 22% (34%) 
Other Regions ot covered above 33% (41%).
Overall Maharashtra 24% (39%)

[Bracketed () Figures are of 2015 same Date.]

Water supplying Lakes to Mumbai are 33% full ( Approx 4.8Lmltrs) as per latest reports....With supply at 20% cut rate effective, the water available to Mumbai is for about 110 days ..That is upto around 10th July. 
Barvi Dam supplying to Badlapur and some Eastern Outer Townships of Mumbai is 41% full (44%). Acute water shortage due to low levels of dams supplying water to Navi Mumbai.

5 comments:

Tejas Baxi said...

Very well written sir.
We can only hope that people pressurize/allow their leaders to take long-term unpopular decisions in the interest of us all. even today i dont see any initiative towards efficiently storing the water from oncoming SWM. Most of the "work" seems to be aimed at distributing the existing water.

NilaY Wankawala said...

The theme of the world meterological day 2015 was climate knowledge for climate action. 

For 2016 it is Hotter, drier, wetter, Face the Future.

Wishing vagaries  of weather on this occasion all the best and appreciating the contributors to this blog Mr Abhijit Mr Rohit Aroskar Mr Pradeep Mr GSB and not to forget the captain of the ship Rajesh sir for his brilliant continious hard work being put through out the year and sharing his forecasting for benefit of all of us at vagaries let it be summer winter or monsoon his work speaks for himself. 

Happy world meterological day!!!! 23 March 2016.

NilaY Wankawala said...

For more reading on this, read "Is India really Water Starved" written 4 years ago in this blog here...ERROR 404 NOT FOUND.... sir is it problem at my end ? or the link is moved/ removed?

Rajesh said...

Nilay: In case of problem see Article found on Author's Page. (2012)

NilaY Wankawala said...

Thanks sir

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