Running head: WATER CONSERVATION 1

Comparison of Water Conservation in the United States and India

Laith Alshreayda
GEOG-1000-503-F19
SLCC
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Water Conservation

Although water is a renewable resource, it is usually consumed in a way that suggests an

incomplete natural cycle for several reasons such as unconscious consumption, increased

population, changes in climatic conditions and pollution. Since there is no artificial substance

that could replace water, there is a likelihood that in future water is going to be one of the scarce

resources. It is for this reason that most countries strive to keep issues relating to water

conservation on the agenda such as its economic use as well as the development of alternative

policies. Through the development of water saving models as well as savings from limited water

resources that emphasize on minimum use for maximum benefit policy tends to take its place on

the highlighted agenda.

United States represents one of the developed countries in the world with a more

sophisticated water conservation and usage plan. One the other hand, India represents a

developing country that is still facing challenge when it comes to access to adequate fresh water.

According to USGS (n.d), at least 77 percent of freshwater in the United States comes from

surface water sources. On the other side, the remaining 23 percent comes from groundwater. 41

percent of the surface-water withdrawals is utilized in thermoelectric power generation. Water

that is used for power generation is usually returned to the water body that it came from.

Nevertheless, 63 percent of the surface water withdrawals is used for irrigation purposes (USGS,

n.d.). Notably, public and industrial supply account for the next largest users of surface water.

Even though the right to fresh water for personal as well as domestic uses has not been

mentioned explicitly in Indian constitution, clean and affordable water is not only essential to life

but also a fundamental human right. According to Panwar and Antil (2015), only 1% of the total

available water in urban India can be used for human consumption needs. In addition, most of
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the cities in India tend to depend on underground water to meet their urban water demand. When

compared with the United States, India is still in a facing fresh water crisis. As a matter of fact, it

is estimated that 76 million individuals are still facing challenges when it comes to access to safe

drinking water. It is for this reason that 21% of India’s diseases are water related. Additionally,

in 2015 over 32,900 children under the age of five died as a result of suffering from diarrhea.

Most of the water in India is used for agricultural purposes (Panwar, & Antil, 2015).

Unlike the United States that has a more improved water supply infrastructure, India is

still facing the challenge of developing a stable or more improved water supply infrastructure

that will cope up the speed of development mostly within urban areas. Unplanned peri-urban

areas are the most affected as far as water supply is concerned. Moreover, most of the Indian

cities lack proper sewerage treatment plants (Panwar, & Antil, 2015). In this regard, most of the

domestic as well as industrial waste is usually discharged in ponds, rivers and wells leading to

increased pollution of natural resources.

In the United States, natural water resources are not exempted from instances of

pollution. However, the rate of water pollution in America cannot be equal or more than the one

in India. As such, in the United States, there are stringent rules and regulations that control the

rate of pollution across different states. Furthermore, in the United States different states have

rules and regulations that enforce water conservation strategies. Even though the two countries

are facing water crisis challenges, the problem is more prevalent in India than in America. Based

on my observations, I have discovered that America has a more advanced water supply

infrastructure than the India. Even though the two countries still experience water crisis, the

situation is more rampant in India than in America.

Ways of Avoiding Water Crisis in the United States

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Based on the existing water crisis in the United States, there are different strategies which

can be used to ensure that water is not only conserved but also the overall crisis is managed. One

of the approaches is to foster legal laws on water usage practices and encourage water harvesting

mechanisms. This will help in ensuring that water is used sparingly. On the other hand, there is

the need for the development of more improved infrastructure. This infrastructure should help in

storing, transporting, treating and delivering safe drinking water. Examples of such infrastructure

consists of storage tanks, groundwater wells, pipes, surface-water intakes, aqueducts and

drinking water facilities.

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Reference

Panwar, A. M., & Antil, M. S. (2015). Issues, Challenges and Prospects of Water Supply in

Urban India. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5, 68-70.

USGS. (n.d.). Water Q&A: What is most of the freshwater in the U.S. used for? Retrieved from

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/water-qa-what-most-

freshwater-us-used?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects