Event

The Chief Guest Shri G. Pattanaik [IAS], Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam initiated by saying we did not understand that water is our asset. He further elaborated that 96.26% of volume of water on the earth is not available for human consumption. Regarding decreasing water level he gave the example of Noida city. He further added that 19th century boasts of industrial revolution but we could not manage the model of development. He gave example of Israel that 70% is desert but Israel creates water by recycling 90% of waste water. He concluded that changing lifestyle of people even in villages lead to the environmental imbalance.

“When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the water we need to survive and thrive. Environmental damage, along with climate change, is driving the water-related crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes” said Prof. Syed Aqeel Ahmad, Head, Department of Civil Engineering. He emphasized the fact that water is the prime element for life on earth quoting Dr. A.P.J Abul Kalam, he said World War III will be on water. Water level is going down as it is being extracted beyond capacity an alarming situation.

Distinguished Guest, Prof. Jamal Nusrat, stressed about decreasing ratio of Water availability and water demand. He focused about the help that nature has been offering for many centuries. He correlated the word BHAGWAN with the five elements of nature i.e. BH as bhoomi, G as gagan, W as vayu, A as Agni and N as neer. He quoted various references from religious text to highlight the importance of water in nature cycle and ecosystem and their inter-conversion. He further quoted, Former U.S President, John. F. Kennedy “The best scientist is the one who can desalinate the sea water”. He concluded that sun is the ultimate source of energy and we should adopt means to harness that solar energy.

Presiding over the Function, Chancellor Prof S.W. Akhtar expressed the need to understand the Water Cycle and ways to restore it. He suggested various means of water conservation and management such as interlinking of rivers and groundwater recharge. “He cited specific example of BASRA city, Iraq that city is so well planned that water level cannot go down. Since the streams are link to sea and as sea water moves it loses its salinity. Similar types of water management programmes need to be implemented in our country also. He concluded that Water Day should not be celebrated just like a day but should be taken as a message and pledges to take care of our water resources.Prof Akhtar who has always emphasized on natural ways to restore environment. The Integral Campus is spread over an area of more than 120 acres, with a prime focus on a dense green cover. It’s the first lesson that the student gets to coexist and study in the lap of nature.

Water Demand Facts

Today, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home; affecting their health, education and livelihoods.^{[1, 2]}
By 2050, the world’s population will have grown by an estimated 2 billion people and global water demand could be up to 30% higher than today.^{[1, 2]}
Agriculture currently accounts for 70% of global water withdrawals, mostly for irrigation – a figure which rises in areas of high water stress and population density. Industry takes 20% of the total, dominated by energy and manufacturing. The remaining 10% goes to domestic use – the proportion used for drinking water is much less than 1%.^{[1, 2]}

Water Availability

Today, around 1.9 billion people live in potentially severely water-scarce areas. By 2050, this could increase to around 3 billion people. Water quality:
• An estimated 1.8 billion people use an unimproved source of drinking water with no protection against contamination from human faeces.
• Globally, over 80% of the wastewater generated by society flows back into the environment without being treated or reused.

WHAT ARE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS (NBS)?

“Restoring forests, grasslands and natural wetlands, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, creating buffers of vegetation along water courses – these are all examples of NBS that help the management of water availability and quality” explained Prof. Monowar Khalid, Head, Department of Environmental Science, Integral. Planting trees, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.

Trees are considered natural sponges, which regulate the earth’s water supply by holding water. Forest waste matter, such as decomposing leaves or humus, slows down surface evaporation from the soil. Rain first falls on leaves and plants rather than directly hitting the soil, decreasing the rate of water and soil erosion. The Integral Campus is spread over an area of more than 120 acres, with a prime focus on a dense green cover. It’s the first lesson that the student gets, to coexist and study in the lap of nature.