Conservation: reuse and watershed management

Turning sea water into fresh water (desalination) is costly. So India must conserve water, control pollution, and reuse it.

Reuse: treated wastewater can be used to cool machines in industries; water from bathing and washing can water gardens.

Watershed management means managing the land and water of an area together: preventing runoff, storing water (in ponds, check dams, percolation tanks), and recharging groundwater, with the community taking part.

Some programmes: Haryali (central government), Atal Bhujal Yojana, Neeru-Meeru (Andhra Pradesh), and Arvary Pani Sansad (Alwar, Rajasthan). Tamil Nadu has made rainwater harvesting compulsory in buildings.

Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Maharashtra, transformed itself: villagers gave voluntary labour, repaired a percolation tank, and agreed to ban open grazing and water-hungry sugarcane. Its wells filled again. People make watersheds work.