Short notes on river water conflicts in India and on the importance of wetlands

The question asks for any two of the three notes. Notes (a) and (b) are answered.

(a) River water conflicts in India

A river water conflict is a dispute between users, regions, states or countries over how much of a river's water each may take, when, and on what terms. The DU syllabus lists international and inter-state conflicts over water under water resources.

Why such conflicts arise

• Rising demand on a fixed supply. The world now withdraws about twice as much fresh water each year as it did fifty years ago, while the supply of fresh water stays limited.
• Position on the river. A party upstream can hold back or divert water that the people downstream depend on; with about 100 countries sharing the waters of 13 large rivers and lakes, this is a lasting source of tension.
• Unequal costs and benefits. When a river is dammed, the water and most of the gain may go to better-off farmers downstream, while people in the valley lose their land and homes.
• Weakened local arrangements. Where the old local controls over fair sharing have broken down, disputes multiply.

Example. Quarrels over river water in India have spread from local users to whole states, with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as a standing example; the Cauvery river water conflict is the case the DU syllabus names.

Impacts. Less water reaches downstream farms, wetlands and towns; crops fail in deficit years; and the dispute turns into political tension between the parties, which across borders can make whole regions unstable.

Way forward. Sharing by agreement for the whole basin, more efficient irrigation and saving water in cities all reduce the pressure that causes conflict.

(b) Importance of wetland areas

What a wetland is. Wetlands are special ecosystems where the water level rises and falls sharply between seasons, leaving wide stretches of shallow water with aquatic plants; they are intermediate between land and aquatic ecosystems. Marshes, swamps, flood-plain lakes and the brackish areas of deltas are examples, and they are part of the range of ecosystems that gives India its high ecosystem diversity.

Why wetlands matter

• Habitat for wildlife. Shallow water and dense aquatic vegetation make an ideal home and breeding ground for fish, crustaceans and water birds.
• Flood control. A wetland stores floodwater and lets it go slowly; when wetlands are drained, the rivers connected to them tend to flood.
• Livelihoods. People living around marshes and wetlands depend on their fish, crustaceans, reeds, grasses and other produce for food and income.
• Cleaning water. A natural water body can break down a limited load of organic and chemical waste; beyond that limit pollution destroys this cleaning function, so wetlands must not be treated as dumps.
• Water supply. Wetlands, like other aquatic ecosystems, supply water for drinking, washing, cattle and fields.

Threats and protection. Sewage and fertiliser run-off cause eutrophication that kills fish, and draining a wetland for farms or buildings removes its flood-control role. Protecting them as sanctuaries, keeping out untreated waste and controlling encroachment keep their benefits for the people who depend on them.