While we witness lakes disappearing and rivers drying, a lot of damage is also happening underground. For instance, between 2002 and 2008, three states — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — together lost about 109 cubic km of water, leading to a decline in the water table to the extent of 0.33 metres a year, according to NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite images.

The National Sample Survey’s remote sensing data suggest that as much as 75 per cent of the country’s irrigated area is served by groundwater wells. This is not sustainable and has led to the lowering of the water table in many areas and intrusion of saline water in various parts of the country.

The three Rs

So what is the answer? The three Rs — recharge, reduce and reuse — will take us a long way, say non-profit organisations. Simple things such as rain water harvesting go a long way in helping increase the groundwater level, says Sekar Raghavan, a trustee of Aakash Ganga Trust, a non-profit working on sustainable water practices in Chennai.

Reducing water usage through better technology such as drip irrigation or low water head fittings also offers the dual benefit of lower water consumption and reduction in sewage.

India also has a long way to go in recycling. In water-starved countries such as Israel, 87 per cent of sewage water is reused.

Today, industries and a few housing townships are increasingly taking up this option. Varun Sridharan, Director, Greenvironment Innovation and Marketing, says that nearly 40 per cent of water in a housing project can be reused to flush toilets or reused in the garden. This can help cut the overall amount of fresh water needed in half.

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