Civilisation against the flow

Aniket Ghanashyam's passionately written book provides a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world's most indispensable resource

The Watershed Moment

Author: Aniket Ghanashyam

Publisher: Manipal Universal Press

Pages: 171

Price:  Rs 650

Water is the elixir that supports all life on earth. It is also the pivotal factor in the search for life on other planets and in establishing possible future human settlements in the outer world. In recent times, the rapid depletion of water in our habitats has the potential to trigger unforeseen chaos and conflicts both within nations and across borders. Aniket Ghanashyam’s book The Watershed Moment brings out compelling perspectives that are likely to engage individuals and governments on the importance of human survival hinging on this precious resource.

The book highlights the intrinsic connect between water and human evolution, tracing how the progress of humans from hunter/gatherers to more advanced civilisations —Mesopotamian, Harappan, Indus Valley, Chinese civilisations —  was largely the result of well-developed water management systems.  The book shows how our ancestors were able to achieve food security through these water management systems that provided a secure and settled existence and enabled the development of cultural components that made up the fabric of those civilisations. Inversely, the demise of these civilisations was attributed to the loss of water in the habitat.  Nature’s fury in the form of floods, droughts, landslides, heat, deforestation and so on, might have resulted in mass migrations.

In a bid to transcend nature’s limitations, modern humans have been engaged in building dams, which over time became massive structures involving the infusion of technology and engineering skills. The massive Three Gorges Dam, built at an estimated cost of $37 billion, generates about 22.5GWs of power. Though dams contribute to economic growth, navigation and trade and commerce, Mr Ghanashyam forewarns of the irreparable damage they cause to the environment, including to marine biology, fish stocks, migratory birds, deforestation, decomposition, mosquitoes breeding and much else. The displacement of an estimated 80 million, mostly indigenous people, to make way for dam-building in the past 60 years, accounting for 10 per cent of humanity, he says, is an unpardonable scourge in the name of development.

When the quest for survival hinges on this exhaustible resource, disputes are a natural corollary, Mr Ghanashyam reasons. The ephemerality of water can be better understood by analysing its skewed distribution: Of all the water on earth, 97 per cent is in the oceans, 2 per cent stored in glaciers and icecaps and only one per cent is considered freshwater on which humanity survives. This delicate balance that humans have with their water resources should make them even more prudent about the need to maintain efficient water conservation and management systems.  Instead, the unbridled way societies extract groundwater with a false sense of security is damaging the entire ecosystem, the author laments.  For the same reason, the author is critical of India’s minimum support price policy, which has encouraged the cultivation of water-guzzling crops such as rice, wheat and sugar in water-scarce regions of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Worse still, the government permits these crops to be exported, earning India the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest exporter of water.

The author forewarns of the adverse impact on agriculture due to erratic rainfall patterns induced by climate change.  As of now more than 60 per cent of the world’s population relies on agriculture as a source of income as well as employment. The ability to feed nine billion people in the near future will require about 1.5 billion hectares of arable land (4.5 times the size of India).  This mammoth agricultural activity, Mr Ghanashyam says, will require alternative methods of irrigation beyond dams, with emphasis on use of sprinklers, drip-irrigation, fertigation (the technique of supplying dissolved fertilisers to crops through an irrigation system), as well as techniques used by our ancestors. He also reminds us of the essentiality of reviving rivers that have been the bedrock of civilisations. Putting the spotlight on the Ganga, which sustains about 650 million people, he suggests long-term measures for revival that encompass the entire biodiversity of the river and involve all stakeholders, as well as learning from the experiences of the Thames and Rhine river rejuvenation programmes.

The treatment of wastewater should be a priority in the Global South, according to the author, because it can mitigate water scarcity as well as enable food production to feed the poor so as to prevent widespread unrest and internal migration. Referring to a World Bank study that concluded that nearly 80 per cent of global waste water is released without adequate treatment, Mr Ghanashyam advocates a “water pricing” policy to discourage wasteful consumption and generate revenue for waste-water treatment.  He describes how a “water neutrality” policy can make communities responsible for water conservation.  These solutions, he recalls, helped Cape Town, where he lived as a student and where residents’ collective resolve brought the city back from the brink of a water crisis. 

This passionately written book is informative and captivating, providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world’s most indispensable resource. It is hard to disagree with a reasoned defence of the importance of water management as a key to the survival of the human species. At a broader level, water scarcity is bound to impact global gross domestic product with dire consequences for global peace and stability, undermining the very idea of shared citizenship. One cannot but notice the author’s conviction striking a chord with the Prime Minister’s Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative that envisions a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally-friendly lifestyles.

The reviewer is a serving Indian Foreign Service officer