Water consumption, water conservation & Equity

In the month of September 2023, Karnataka saw two Bundhs  on the issue of water sharing with our neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. With changing rainfall patterns in the coming years, one can only expect more such bundhs and protests.

I have seen this conflict from my primary school days. I have also been learning something called as "Water crisis" from my primary school days which is now under a wider umbrella called “Climate Change”

Over the years, our water consumption is only increasing. Staple diet for most people in Karnataka has slowly moved from Ragi and other millets to Rice (and of course processed foods). More area has come under sugarcane cultivation over the last 30 years. People are buying more food, more clothing and travelling much more. In general, the standard of living has increased multiple fold (It is another debate if that is good or bad).

However, the net water endowment for the country has remained more or less constant notwithstanding climate change.

Let us for a moment leave out politics and take a dispassionate look at the water endowment for our country, its consumption and its distribution.

The design consideration for domestic water supply schemes and housing colonies is what is called ‘LPCD’ or Liters per capita per day. That is the water required for a person for one day. In India, we peg this number to 135 Liters.

Now, if one looks at the number ‘135’, it is the water required per person per day. This is also a legal right of every citizen in India. The breakup of this 135 is given below;

  

USE	LITERS/PERSON/DAY
Drinking	3.00
Cooking	4.00
Bathing	20.00
Flushing	40.00
Washing-clothes	25.00
Washing Utensils	20.00
Gardening	23.00
Total	135.00

 The table above is the water requirement per person per day for a hygienic decent living. It is not in the scope of this article whether this is achieved in India or if these numbers are justified.

For the purpose of analysis let us assume that this number is justified.

However, this 135 LPCD is not the amount of water consumed by a person every day. This is just the “direct” demand or consumption by a person. In other words, this is the water that a person consumes from his or her tap directly every day.

 The “water footprint” of an individual is much higher than 135 Liters a day. We all consume a lot of water indirectly. Our net water footprint is the sum of our direct consumption and indirect consumption.

The food we eat, our clothing, transportation, electricity, consumables, paper, travel, fuel etc have substantial water footprint. This water footprint is rather very difficult to measure or quantify.

Here, I have tried to determine broadly what is the net water endowment available per capita in India. This is an attempt to indirectly determine our water footprint. The below calculations are however broad and general with a few assumptions.

The other motivation for this article is to drive home a point on equitable and sustainable water use and distribution.

At a slightly larger picture, we have the following numbers /Data available for India

•  India’s annual Rainfall + Snowfall run off = 1600 billion cubic meters.
• Assuming 50% reaches the seas, we have the net run off of 800 billion cubic meters. That is 800,000 billion Liters..
• In other words, the annual water endowment to India is 800,000,000,000,000 Liters.
• In India, we extract 250 Cubic kilometers or 250,000 billion Liters of ground water annually. This is more than China and USA combined.
• This 250 Cubic Kilometers is a whopping 250,000,000,000,000 Liters.
• Hence, the total water consumption in India every year is (800+250)=1,050 billion cubic meters or 1050,000,000,000,000 Liters.
• Population of India is 140,000,00,00.00.
• Therefore, annual water consumption in India per person = 1050,000,000,000,000/140,0000000 = 7,50,000.00 Liters.
• This translates to 7,50,000/365 = 2,054.00 Liters per person per day, say 2000 Liters per person per day. (Think about it, the density of water is 1000 kg/m3. Each individual consuming 2,000 Liters of water a day is equivalent to energy of 2000 Kgs. That is 2.0 Tons equivalent. So, an individual of 80 Kgs consumes an energy equivalent of 2000 Kgs, that is more than 20 times his weight every day. A tiger weighing 350 kgs consumes a deer of 40 kgs for 3 days and we call it a Wild Animal!!).
• In other words, If we were to define a index called weight to energy ration;  Weight to energy ration for humans is 1:25 {2000/80}; While for a tiger (Animal); it is 1:0.03 {40/3/350}
•  With 135 LPCD being the direct component, the indirect component of the water footprint is 2,000-135 = 1,865 LPCD say ,1,800 LPCD.

In summary, our water footprint looks like.

1. Direct component (Domestic consumption): 135 LPCD or 7%.
2. Indirect component: 1800 LPCD or 93%.

 As discussed, this 1800 Liters is a combination of water used for food, fuel, consumables, paper etc.

The reason I did this calculation is to drive home the point that we have to look at the larger picture about water conservation than merely looking at taking a bath in half a bucket of water or switching off the tap while brushing, though these are very much required.

All steps taken at the domestic level to conserve water only reduces the direct demand. With best efforts, we may be able to bring our domestic demand from 135 to 100 LPCD. In the larger scheme of things, it translates to about 1.8% which is no doubt significant.

However, we have to look beyond domestic demand and supply calculations for an effective paradigm in sustainable and equitable water distribution.  

Addressing the indirect component of water footprint, we can significantly reduce water consumption and also augment the direct water availability in India. More water available for direct consumption will result in better health and hygiene.

Hence the point I am trying to make here are;

• Mere reduction in consumption of goods and services can bring down water footprint significantly.
• Efficient use of water in manufacturing is the need of the hour. Indiscriminate and unregulated groundwater extraction has resulted in highly inefficient use of water particularly in the textile industry.
• Larger impetus must be given to sustainable agriculture (For example No sugarcane in arid and semi-arid regions).
• Import substitution of certain goods can save plenty of water. (Water footprint in logistics)
• Going vegan twice a month and fasting twice a month is significant water savings.
• Locally grown food consumes far less water. (For Example, in rooftop garden, we are able to pluck out vegetables for a family of 3 every alternate day at a water footprint of 50 liters a day that is 16 LPCD.
•  Rooftop solar is a good way to reduce water footprint. Thermal power plants are water guzzlers.
• One flight less per year is perhaps equivalent to reducing domestic water footprint from 135.0 to 125.0 per day if not more.
•  Reducing leather is another great way to reduce water footprint.

The list can go on. But the point is we have to give more impetus to reducing consumption and switch to sustainable consumption.

Education and practicing water conservation measures at home or office is good and is required but we must also look broader and deeper into water footprint and also focus on structural and fundamental changes to become more sustainable, equitable and self-sufficient is water resources.

Sustainability and Equity:

Now an important question arises on why we must reduce direct or indirect consumption. India’s endowment in terms of rainfall is more or less fixed and it is more or less consistent at 1600 billion cubic meters per year. It is a replenishable resource and does come every year, like it or not.

Though our endowment is by and large consistent , our population is growing. We will need to feed more mouths with less water. Rainfall was 1600 billion cubic meters in 1930 when the population of India (Undivided India) was 40 crores. In 2023 we will have about 140 crore people in India with the same available water.

Here comes the question of equity. Unfortunately, in India the legal right of 135 LPCD is neither achieved nor measured. Even in most urban areas we do not have a supply of 135 LPCD.

With increasing temperatures there is a need to enhance the direct demand from 135 to maybe 200 LPCD.

Though there is no real data on consumption in India, one can be very certain that there is a huge disparity in consumption. In urban places, our water footprint is about 3000 LPCD. To reduce this gap and to be more equitable, reduction in consumption and increasing efficiency is inevitable.

Most importantly, though there is a water endowment , it is not available when we need it . It becomes imperative to conserve the precious resource for the time of need.

The term  'Conspicuous consumption' was first coined by American economist Thorstein Veblen in the late 19th century in the heyday of the Industrial revolution. The term has changed its meaning over the last 120 years to very ugly levels.

Given what the world is going through, it is high time that “Sustainable consumption” makes its way into economies and economic theories for a better and cleaner world.  

Next time we visit an E-commerce website, we must remember that time has come to shift from 'Conspicuous consumption' to 'conscious consumption'.