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Ours is an ‘ocean planet’, but the amount of water available on the earth for consumption is a very tiny fraction. As much as nearly 97 percent of water is contained in the oceans. Whereas, the remainder 3 percent is freshwater, but only 0.76 percent is practically accessible, because the rest is locked in glaciers, polar ice caps, near-surface groundwater and deeply located aquifers, as well as other inaccessible areas such as swaps and permafrost.
Many people think that water shortages can be tackled by lifting water from below the ground by digging bore wells. But the stark reality is that, firstly, this is not a sustainable way to use water, and secondly, many regions of the world have pumped up so much sub-terrain water in the last few decades that they are already experiencing serious depletion of groundwater, especially in places where it is needed most acutely.
What is even more alarming is the fact that humans are consuming groundwater at a pace that far exceeds the speed at which it can recharge naturally in a reasonable period of time. Thus, conserving this precious resource and replenishing it is of paramount importance.
India receives nearly 4 percent of the global rainfall although it has 18 percent of the global population, while it ranks at 133 in the world in terms of water availability.
The annual availability of water in India is about 4,000 billion cubic meters (bcm). Almost half of the rainfall (about 1,869 bcm) runs off the surface into rivers and eventually finds its way to the sea. A smaller proportion of the remainder is absorbed in the soil, while a larger proportion gets evaporated.
The average annual ‘per capita’ water availability in the years 2001 and 2011 was assessed to be 1,816 cubic meters and 1,545 cubic meters respectively, which may further reduce to 1,486 cubic meters and 1,367 cubic meters in the years 2021 and 2031 respectively, in comparison to the benchmark value of 1,000 cu. m that denotes a “water starved” condition. However, there is a wide disparity in the basin-wise water availability due to uneven rainfall and varying population density in the country. The availability is as high as 14057 cu. m per capita in Brahmaputra/Barak Basin and as low as 307 cu. m in Sabarmati basin. Many other basins such as Mahi, Tapi, Pennar are already water-stressed.
Only about 40 percent of the agricultural land in India is irrigated, while the rest is left to the uncertainties of rainfall. This makes difficult to predict agricultural production. Also, erratic rainfall is a major cause of economic misery for farmers.
Water scarcity is a disturbing phenomenon in the country that affects a large population in India. NITI Aayog in 2018 expressed concern that 600 million people in India (almost 45% of people) face high to extreme water stress. About three-fourths of the households in the country do not have drinking water at their premises, and have to fetch it from outside, often from a long distance.
There is an easy and practical way to augment water availability and alleviate water shortages in a meaningful way – by rainwater harvesting. This can be achieved in various ways, such as by collecting water from rooftops and terraces, as well as storing runoff water in farm ponds, etc.
Apart from direct consumption, an important aspect of rainwater harvesting is to ‘assist’ nature in recharging the groundwater. The idea is to facilitate rainwater runoff to recharge groundwater reserves. For this, runoff water needs to be stored in a manner that allows it to seep and percolate into the soil, so that it can reach the water table and increase its level.
The oil & gas industry is a highly water-intensive sector. Water is used in industrial processes involving cooling and steam, as well as for utility and potable purposes. Thus, optimal utilization of water is among the topmost priorities for the industry, and the industry players, including Bharat Petroleum, are taking various earnest measures to address this situation.
Broadly, there are two methods of rainwater harvesting.
1. Storage for direct use: In the rooftop rainwater harvesting approach, the roof of a building becomes the catchment and the rainwater collected from the roof is diverted to a storage tank. The storage tank is designed according to water requirements, rainfall and catchment availability. This is an easy and cost-effective method.
2. Surface runoff harvesting: Rainwater usually flows as surface runoff. This runoff can be diverted to tanks or pits and trenches and used for different purposes. Ideally, small communities can utilize this method for augmenting availability of water. Runoff water can also be diverted into farm ponds, from where it can be used for irrigation.
Structures can be dug or constructed to collect runoff rainwater, which then percolates into the ground, recharging the groundwater.
Recharging groundwater aquifers: Rainwater is utilized to recharge groundwater near surface by recharging bore wells as well as dug wells.
Recharge pits: Pits are constructed in rectangular, circular shapes with holes at regular intervals. Such pits are suitable for recharging shallow aquifers.
Recharge trenches: These are used when the upper layer of the soil is shallow. It is a trench excavated in the ground and refilled with porous media like pebbles and boulders. A recharge trench is usually made for harvesting ‘surface’ runoff.
Percolation tanks: These can be constructed in the premises of large buildings or colonies for diverting rainwater into them to help recharge groundwater.
The cause of water sustainability is enthusiastically served at Bharat Petroleum through a multi-pronged approach geared towards water management, conservation and rainwater harvesting for refinery and domestic use. The harvested rainwater is also used as fire water.
BPCL also joins hands with local communities for developing new grassroots projects as well as augmenting existing ones for potable water and irrigation for rural communities, while working towards water conservation.
The total catchment area under rainwater harvesting across the locations of BPCL is 823,732 sq. meter as in March 2020. This is a 6.8% increase from 778,939 sq. meter in the previous financial year. The use of harvested rainwater reduces dependency on other water sources. Indeed, at BPCL, sourcing water in a responsible and sensible way minimizes municipal water usage to a great extent. In fact, at BPCL, seawater constitutes a lion’s share of about 57% in water consumption. This is followed by surface water (rivers and lakes), with a share of about 33%. Whereas the use of municipal water is only about 8%. The rest comes from groundwater (1.5%), rainwater (0.37%), tanker supply (0.36%), and AAI (0.02%).
Also, reuse and recycling helps in minimizing the consumption of fresh water. Further, advisories have been developed and circulated for effective water conservation, towards making BPCL locations water-neutral.
As a conscientious corporate citizen, BPCL puts in a lot of effort to address the issue of water shortage in far-flung communities. Recognizing the suffering of people living in water-scarce areas, primarily in rural regions, BPCL has deployed a long-term, ongoing initiative – Project ‘BOOND’ – which is a multi-faceted water conservation project.
The far-reaching initiative, implemented in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, has converted 280 villages in these six states from ‘water scarce’ to ‘water positive’. Contributing towards save water projects.
We can all do it ! Water is the essence of life. Conserving it through prudent use as well augmenting its supply by harvesting rainwater is simple and practical leading to sustainable development goals. For a better today and tomorrow, everyone in the society needs to intensify efforts in this direction with a sense of greater urgency.
Ashish Gupta, Chief Manager (HSSE), Bharat Petroleum
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