Topic 1 : Water, an instrument to build world peace
Context
World Water Day, which falls on March 22, is a global initiative backed by the United Nations, and has been observed every year since 1993. Under different themes, the attempt has been to raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of freshwater. The theme this year is “Water for Peace”.
Water crisis
- As everyone knows, there was a time when clean water was available in wells, ponds, streams, rivers and other sources, but the situation is vastly different now.
- There is a problem of water availability with respect to quantity or quality.
- This water crisis may be physical or economic based on multiple factors such as rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, unsustainable agricultural practices, climate change, erratic rainfall patterns, water overuse and inefficient water management, pollution, inadequate infrastructure, a lack of ‘belongingness’ among stakeholders, runoff due to high rain along with soil erosion and sedimentation.
- Water scarcity leads to the poor functioning of ecosystems, threatens food and water security, and, ultimately, affects peace.
Water availability is low
- In India, water availability is already low enough to be categorised as water stressed, and is expected to reduce further to 1341m3 by 2025 and 1140m3 by 2050.
- Also, 72% of all water withdrawals are for use in agriculture, 16% by municipalities for households and services, and 12% by industries.
- In almost every State and in the main cities of India, there is groundwater table depletion. The example of Bengaluru is one prominent example.
- In Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana, the ratio of groundwater consumption to availability is 172%, 137%, 137% and 133%, respectively, which is cause for alarm.
- In contrast, in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, it is 77%, 74%. 67%, 57%, and 53%, respectively.
- Most perennial rivers/streams now have intermittent flows or have run dry.
Reasons behind
- Springs in India’s hilly areas are almost dry. In India, the total number of water bodies is 5,56,601 whose irrigation potential covered 62,71,180 hectares.
- But, due to a lack of or inappropriate catchment treatment measures, bad design and poor maintenance of water bodies, most of the reservoirs/waterbodies/wetlands have silted up, resulting in reduced storage capacity and lower efficacy.
- Groundwater discharge is now more than groundwater recharge.
- The letting out of sewerage water and other sources of grey water into water bodies and rivers is causing a deterioration in water quality.
- There is a lack of proper surface and groundwater management.
The vital role of rainwater harvesting
- Enhancing water availability with respect to quantity and quality and blue and green water is vital since water is more than just a basic human right.
- Water is also an instrument of peace-building and enhances the overall quality of life.
- Promoting sustainable agricultural production, ensuring water security and maintaining environmental integrity are increasingly becoming important issues.
- This can only be possible by adopting different resource conservation measures in general and rainwater harvesting (in-situ and ex-situ) and ensuring roof top rainwater harvesting in particular.
- Rain water harvesting (RWH) enables resilience against water scarcity and drought by augmenting recharge and aiding irrigation.
- The optimum use of surface water by large-scale RWH structures, conjunctive use with groundwater And safe reuse of waste water are the only viable solutions to boost and maintain the current level of food grain production.
Government initiatives
- The government’s emphasis on ‘per drop more crop’, ‘Gaon ka pani gaon mein’, ‘Khet ka pani khet mein’, ‘Har Medh per ped’ under various programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), watershed management, Mission Amrit Sarovar and the Jal Shakti Abhiyan programmes.
- There is an emphasis on water conservation and rainwater harvesting, rejuvenation of waterbodies/tanks/wetlands, recharge of borewell and other recharge structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation.
Conclusion
With these solutions, the theme of World Water Day 2024 can be strengthened and India can become water secure. These are also steps to ensure a more peaceful world.
Topic 2 : Nuclear energy: fixing the finance
Context
On March 21, Brussels hosted the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit, co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Belgium and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi. Several world leaders joined the summit to highlight the role of nuclear energy in addressing climate change.
The Nuclear Energy Summit
- The UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai (UAE) in December 2023 stated the indispensable role of nuclear energy to meet climate goals.
- The Nuclear Energy Summit, an initiative in collaboration with the IAEA’s ‘Atoms4Netzero’ programme, is part of the multilateral approach to decarbonisation.
- Nuclear power emits four times less carbon than solar farms or other renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, and geothermal.
- Most importantly, nuclear power has the capacity to supply uninterrupted energy irrespective of geographical constraints making it a crucial component of the wider renewable energy mix.
- Nuclear power plants (NPP) also have low operating costs, smaller land imprint and a longer life cycle compared to all the other renewable energy sources.
Financing nuclear energy
- Two key motives for the large-scale adoption of nuclear power as the base load energy source are technology and finance.
- Recent developments in nuclear technology including Small Modular Reactors (SMR), radiation proofing in existing plants, and extended fuel cycles, have the potential to substantially mitigate nuclear-related risks.
- Signifying the destigmatisation of nuclear energy is the entry of technology startups in an the otherwise government-run industry.
- However, in spite of technical advancements, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and private investors have not made any significant contribution to the industry.
Nuclear reactors in India
- India’s first commercial NPP in Pahalgarh, Tarapur offers reliable energy at 2/kWh lower than solar power tariffs.
- At Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, a newer power plant offers electricity in the range of 4-6/kWh comparable to coal-fired thermal power plants.
- Despite its versatile nature, nuclear power contributes only 1.6% of the total renewable energy mix in India.
- Stigma, weaponisation risk, radiation leak, regulation, high upfront cost, and long project overruns are the reasons for low adoption rate of nuclear energy.
Way forward
- Beginning with the invitation of $26 billion in private investments, a phase-wise tripling of nuclear capacity from 7,480 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-2032, and Prime Minister Modi’s attendance at the core loading of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) all mark a positive future for the industry.