The tales of water need not be told. It is the mightiest of all resources and the most vulnerable, however, this knowledge has never halted humans from exploiting water for their selfish needs and personal gains. Water became expendable in the land of haves and have-nots, but imagine if it ostracizes humanity, what would happen next?
The thought of a leaking tap does not provoke you, nor does an extravagant wastage of water in a hot shower remind you of how important it is for us to reach the heart of the issue of water conservation, and that is where the ticking alarm starts. It reminds us of the undue advantage we take of the ‘water’ and poses a question on humans’ accountability for their ignorance of the importance of water conservation with the dearth of daring they have shown in mistreating water as a resource.
Water conservation is marred with unaccountability by multi-dollar firms and people continue wasting it unapologetically and irrationally to justify and satisfy themselves. Big corporations exasperate the problem by misleading the consumers by representing themselves as sustainable and water conservers by saying that they use reclaimed water. At the same time, the truth is something else, the narrative that never unfolds and never gets disclosed. The impact on the other hand is tremendous[1]. This leads to environmental failure where, identifying the hole in the problem just becomes illusionary since it has been greenwashed, enough to not let anyone find it out.
Water conservation is critical from the lens of a community that wishes to have access to such a common resource yet remains devoid of it. What is worse is that in times when such commodities go extinct, profit drives humanity to the cruelty of commoditizing water resources and hoarding them. It is during such human-made calamities that the importance of conservation is felt[2]. But what hinders the knowledge to act upon it is its superficiality. Water, unlike other resources, cannot become an icon of purchasing power and it is we who ensure that.
Water is the extent of all possibilities and why would I deter an inch to consume it solely for my own purpose and benefit? This mindset doses off the consciousness of how important it is to respect the boundaries of the natural surroundings. Though punishable as an offense under the Environment Protection Act[3], 1986 with both fines and imprisonment, illegal water extraction has never ceased especially by profit-seeking organizations, and Sundarbans is a testimony to such catastrophes[4].
The biggest irony is that today we are building technology to explore other planets in search of water, but are failing to conserve what we already have, and the recent trends of large dams getting destroyed either because of the lack of infrastructure or mismanagement to hold water are raising further concerns. For a little more benefit, the builders of such dams or bridges put such an invaluable asset at stake, which is irrecoverable and hence results in affecting the entire society as a whole. This leads to wider understanding that water cannot be experimented with on account of self-absorbed agendas staking its value for those who bear the brunt of displacement, lack of rehabilitation and loss of habitat by the birth of such large-scale dams.
Nuclear power plants in Queensland are critical in the purview of safeguarding the water of the masses. It allegedly exposes communities to contaminated water even when strained. The proposed Tarong nuclear hub would be driving substantial water from the Boondoomba Dam and Wivenhoe Dam which will affect the irrigation supplies and drinking water already potentially less in value after the narrowing down of concerns with nuclear accidents. This in turn only substantiates the emergency of conserving water for distressed communities[5].
Thames Water, a company founded in 1989, works on discharging treated water and serves it across London and the Thames Valley to around 16 million customers. But, recently this company has been facing backlash, according to several researchers and campaigners due to their insufficiency in treating the waste, and in 2024 itself released 300000 hours of raw sewage was released into waterways, raising concerns among the people due to lack of infrastructure, negligence and greed for profit[6]. The problem widens when heavy rainfall and environmental imbalance exacerbate the issue by spreading heinous health issues and sewage choking, which in turn only leads to the companies blaming one another and the potential investors being lured by the misleading reports. Why is this even a problem for countries in other continents or other states? It is because such potential investors propose harmful projections in the name of development to countries like ours that will be pursued by the deal with its benefits on the face of it while not understanding the larger, futuristic impact[7].
This is where we understand that a country can be a victim of water calamity even without being a part of it directly. Simply by ignoring the potential actions of preserving water in the changing climate of California, which includes concerns of drought and land shed, it has invited itself into the ‘no safe zone’. America’s burning is a phrase of wide concern requiring diligent and massive immediate action since it not only concerns its citizens but also the global population, migrants and the countries that rely on it in order to draft policies and implement it globally without inviting sanctions[8].
The India-China dispute over the Brahmaputra River, which emerges from Mount Kailash and enters India after covering Tibet and China, is the epitome of conflicts arising of water with the intent to weaponize it today. As China controls the upstream riparian of Brahmaputra, it also holds the strategic leverage over the river, and the recent plans of building a hydropower project raise concerns, as it will drastically impact North-Eastern India since stands dependent on the Brahmaputra. China’s one step can manipulate water to an extent where, it can cause flooding, water shortage, and ecological damage[9]. Though China guaranteed not to impact the downstream areas, the sour relations between the countries raise concern over the ever-present risk. This leads us to the idea of geopolitical disasters endangering water. Concerns within India itself present a stark example of our failure to understand the volatile resource.
While the water issue only keeps growing without a halt, it would be irrational to try eradicating the problem as a whole. Let it unfold in layers where:
“There are a number of ways to save water and they all start from you.”
Water is a calamity as serene as its existence to those who do not receive it. It is worthless to presume through words the abhorrence of humanity in creating such a gap however, it is never too late to realize the wrong and undo its effect. With substantial awareness and empathy, conditions can still be restored until one day sustainability becomes a dream and water, an idea.
Therefore, water conservation is not a sham of weaved words nor is it an agenda of initiating conflicts. It is only a cry for help from those who are devoid of it. A million ways to die and unreceived water cannot be one. Thus, water should be conserved not out of obligation or moral duty, but even with selfish regards of self-sustenance not extending to profit and inhumane deceptions.
Every action has a reaction thus, let us cherish what we have unless water turns around.
[1] Zhang K and others, “Relationship Analysis between Greenwashing and Environmental Performance” (2022) 25 Environment Development and Sustainability 7927 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02381-9 accessed March 27, 2025
[2] “APA PsycNet” https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1977-28855-001 accessed March 27, 2025
[3] “CPCB | Central Pollution Control Board” (CPCB) https://cpcb.nic.in/env-protection-act/ accessed March 27, 2025
[4] Das CS, “Livelihood of Forest Dependent Dwellers in Relation to the Exploitation of Resources at the Fringe of Indian Sundarban,” Springer eBooks (2021) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2494-0_16 accessed March 28, 2025
[5] “Clean, Green and Responsible?” (Google Books) https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xKCkDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA227&dq=queensland+nuclear+power+issue&ots=-EnzGGcsVC&sig=xVoS2gkc3qItVywU_vzmuYFNfWg accessed March 27, 2025
[6] Laville S, “Thames Water Data Reveals Raw Sewage Discharges in Rivers Rose 50% in 2024” The Guardian (March 18, 2025)https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/18/thames-water-data-reveals-raw-sewage-discharges-rivers-2024 accessed March 28, 2025
[7] Jones AS, “POLLUTION OF THE THAMES. – ProQuest” https://search.proquest.com/openview/304319ea593ab06c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=14004 accessed March 28, 2025
[8] Orobello C and Cirella GT, “Financialization of Water: Conceptual Analysis of the California Water Crisis” (2021) 9 Frontiers in Environmental Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.739180 accessed March 28, 2025
[9] Ho S, “The China–India Water Dispute,” vol 24 https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/JIPA/IndoPacificPerspectives/June%202021/06%20Ho.pdf accessed March 29, 2025
Author : Saumya Thakur (24BBL116) and Naman Patawari (24BBL107)