The sustainable development is an ongoing debate which caters to a wide range of elements. We need to continue sustainable development of economic, social and environmental assets because they are not easily substituted.
Over-exploitation of natural resources is resulting into scarcity of these precious resources and damage to eco-system services. However, world has opened up to potentially serious implications of these factors and several steps are being undertaken to improve sustainability development of agriculture, energy and water. Water constitutes for the 70% of the earth. It’s a multi-functional natural resource and essential for life of all living beings.
Preserving water for ecosystem services has acquired much needed significance because of fast depleting natural resources. The fact which is of grave concern is fast decline of biodiversity-rich freshwater ecosystems. Increasing industrialization and agricultural usage has taken a great toll upon reservoir of fresh water. Since 1950s, every decade has witnessed more water withdrawals by humans.
The main reasons behind decreasing level of fresh water are industrial growth, power sector evolution, increase in irrigated land and construction of thousand of dams across the globe. This resulted into changing water cycle of lakes and rivers, quality of water and reducing flow of major rivers. Statistics show, how vehemently water has been used for agricultural purposes. The demand for fresh water has kept on rising and as a matter of fact many countries are suffering from lack of drinking water.
Most of the under developed countries suffer from water related diseases. However, initiatives are being taken to improve the water sustainability. Even United Nations has outlined several guidelines in this regard and drafted many recommendations and policies.
Water sustainability is being improved through actions taken in areas of demand management, reducing water intensity of goods and services and improving water resource productivity of agriculture. Water shortage in under-developed countries are also being addressed along with moving agriculture areas to high productivity zones from low productivity ones. Crops are also being genetically modified so that water usage will be less.
In some countries, crops which require maximum water are being replaced with crops with less water requirement. Waste water treatment is another method of improving water sustainability.