Studying the above table, it can be said that 13 states of India are more or less suffering from the acute problems of water. Out of them, Gujarat is the state where there are 185 blocks with the problems of water, 31 blocks where there is no water at all and 12 blocks come under the serious category.

(3) Report regarding the situation of demand and supply of water:-

There may arise an acute situation/problem if there is an imbalance between the demand and supply of water. Adequate proportion of water is not made available to people as per their daily requirement. At present, the daily requirement of water is 85 liters per head. It will increase to 125 liters per head in the year 2025 when the population of India would be 138 Crores. Hence there would be an increase of 7,900 liters in the demand of water.

According to a survey of the World Bank, by the year 2010, the availability of water would be 380 cubic km per annum whereas the demand of water would increase to 810 cubic km per annum. We are experiencing the same thing at present. The statistical data with regard to the demand and supply of water in India are as under:

[1 Cubic km = 100 billion liters]

Studying the above table, it can be said that with the passage of time, the availability of water has been decreasing and the demand of water has been increasing. In comparison to the year 1997, in the year 2050, there would be approximately 14 times decrease in the availability of water and approximately 2 times increase in the demand of water. Thus, looking at the data, it can be said that it is necessary to bring a balance between the demand and supply of water. Steps with proper planning must be taken in this direction.

(4) Report regarding the situation of water in Gujarat:-

Gujarat is not an exception to the other states of India where there is an acute problem of water. Though there are many schemes for water supply in Gujarat, many regions of the state are yearning for water. The Government claims that through the Narmada Project, around 10,000 villages and more than 100 cities have been provided the waters of the Narmada. Yet, in the villages of Morbi, Junagadh, Kachchh, Jamnagar, Amreli and Bhavnagar, only drinking water is made available to the people once in 4 to 10 days.

The annual requirement of water in Gujarat is 3,000 cubic metre whereas nature provides 4,000 cubic metre water to Gujarat yet it is a matter of great concern why there is a shortage of water. Our future can be made bright by stopping the wastage/flowing away of water.

In the year 1947, there was hardly any village without the facility of water supply in Gujarat. In the year 1987, 12,000 villages out of total 18,500 villages were pining for water. Today, around 15,000 villages are considered to be “No Source”. Thus, with the passage of time the problem of water becomes more and more acute.

High proportion of fluoride has already spread in 18 districts of Gujarat and high proportion of salinity has already spread in 21 districts of Gujarat. In Saurashtra, the problem of water is two-fold – that of scarcity as well as of quality.

Thus, whether we look at the national scenario in India or the condition prevailing in the state of Gujarat, an acute problem has arisen with regard to quality and quantity of water because of an imbalance between the demand and supply of water. If proper steps are not taken to curb the situation, there would be violent clashes among different states, different regions and different communities.

(5) Conclusions regarding the situation of water:-

• About 1 billion 10 crore people of the world will have to struggle for water daily.
• In 2010, around 50% of water has been drawn from the underground storage of water. As a result, in 2035, around 60% of the underground storage of water in India will have been empty.
• By the year 2020, there would be about 50% decrease in the agriculture based on rain.
• In the year 2030, about 47% people of the world will be living in areas with acute shortage of water.
• By the year 2025, an increase of 7,900 crore liters of demand in water will create a huge crisis.
• By the year 2030, there will be almost 20% decrease in the water received from the Himalayas.

REFERENCES:-

1. Population Census-2011
2. Jyotsna Pandya(artical-2010):-“Water: Now it is Time to Awake,” Issue- July 2010
3. Rajesh Rathod(artical-2010):- “Water Resources: Statistics at a Glance,” Jal Sansadhan, Issue – July, 2010
4. uren Choksi, “The Problems of Water in Gujarat – Reasons & Remedies,” Water Conservation (Jal Sanchay), Techno Economic Letter, Issue – 125, Year – 1999-2000

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PATEL ALPESHKUMAR JAYANTIBHAI
(STUDENT)