Ryan Wazz – PROJECT BAWRI

Climate change has brought about a myriad of environmental, social, and economic challenges, reshaping ecosystems and human livelihoods across the globe. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and prolonged droughts have intensified water scarcity, making access to clean water increasingly precarious for millions. As rivers dry up, groundwater depletes, and rainfall becomes unpredictable, communities that once thrived on stable water sources are now facing displacement. This growing crisis is not just an environmental issue but a humanitarian one, forcing families to abandon their homes in search of water security and survival.

The Growing Crisis: Water Scarcity and Climate Change

The issue of water scarcity represents a significant worldwide challenge, impacting billions of people and exacerbated by climate change. In 2022, 703 million people did not have access to water, and more than 2 billion lack safe drinking water. It is estimated that by the end of 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in areas that face absolute water scarcity.

Climate Migration

Water is essential for life, and its scarcity, fueled by climate change, has become a significant driver of human migration worldwide. As freshwater resources dwindle due to prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, and overuse, communities, particularly those reliant on agriculture and livestock, face mounting challenges to their livelihoods and survival. This environmental stress compels many to relocate in search of more hospitable conditions.

Real Stories of Displacement due to Climate Induced Water Scarcity

Climate induced water scarcity has compelled numerous communities worldwide to abandon their homes in search of more sustainable living conditions. These personal narratives highlight the profound human impact of environmental crises:

Hatkarwadi, Maharashtra, India: A Village Deserted

Hatkarwadi, a village in Maharashtra’s Beed district, exemplifies the severe impact of water scarcity. Once home to over 1,200 residents, the village has been largely abandoned due to prolonged drought conditions. With 33 of its 35 wells dried up, and the remaining two containing minimal water, agricultural activities became unsustainable, forcing families to migrate in search of better living conditions. The exodus left only a handful of individuals behind, underscoring the profound effect of water shortages on rural communities.

Hatkarwadi, a village without rain (Image Courtesy: BBC)

Somalia: Fleeing Drought and Hunger

In Somalia, a prolonged drought has displaced over a million people since January 2021. Families, such as those in the Daryel Shabellow camp, have seen their livelihoods decimated by four consecutive years without rain. Farmers Mohamed Hassen, 71, and Madina Omar, 70, were compelled to leave their barren farmland after losing all their crops. Madina reflects, “We lost everything at home, but we also don’t have anything here.”

Parched land, empty hands—Bora Robu Etu’s family walks through the night for water, as drought steals their future (Image Courtesy: Unicef Ethiopia)

Ethiopia: Seeking Water and Shelter

In Ethiopia’s Somali Region, around 500 internally displaced families reside in makeshift shelters at the Mara-gaajo site in Kebribeyah. They fled their homes during one of the worst droughts in decades. Ardo, a displaced individual, describes the severity: “We have never seen drought like this; it has affected everyone. We have named it ‘the unseen’.”

What Exactly Can We Do?

Hearing these stories can often make you feel hopeless. But there can be solutions. At the grassroots level, we can tackle water scarcity by adopting sustainable water management practices such as rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation, and wastewater recycling. Governments and communities must support climate-adaptive agriculture, encourage water-saving practices, and invest in resilient infrastructure. To develop proactive solutions for a safer and sustainable future, cooperation between legislators, scientists, and local stakeholders is crucial. Ultimately, addressing this crisis requires urgent and sustained action to protect both people and the planet.

About 30% of people in India live in cities that are expected to double in population by 2050. With a growing economy and changing lifestyles the pressure on already strained water resources is increasing.

There is a dire need to revive and replenish rural and urban water management solutions as a new framework and approach for the nation.

Only 3% of water on the surface is fresh
97% is salty and is in the oceans
Of the total freshwater, 69% is found in glaciers, 30% underground and less than 1% in lakes, rivers and swamps

India is among the world’s most water-stressed countries. In 1950, India had 3,000–4,000 cubic meters of water per person. Today, this has fallen to around 1,000 cubic meters, largely due to population growth. China, by contrast, has twice the amount of water per person.

Growing competition over finite water resources, compounded by climate change, will have serious implications for India’s food security, as well as for the livelihoods of its farmers and for the country’s economic development.

Why Do We Need Water Management?

India has about 18% of the world’s population and only 4% of the world’s water resources. It is severely water-stressed, thereby making water management a national priority. India uses about 230 cubic kilometers of groundwater annually, which is more than a quarter of the global total, making it the world’s largest user of groundwater. About 90% of the groundwater extracted is used for irrigation and over 60% of the irrigated land in India is supported primarily by groundwater supplies.

For an agricultural country like India, water is a key driving force and has a direct bearing on its productivity and sustainability.

However, unregulated extraction and non-replenishment has reduced groundwater drastically and deteriorated its quality. The crisis has worsened further due to climate change, which causes erratic and intense rainfall.

This, coupled with lack of sufficient runoff storage capacity, leads to the loss of precious freshwater into the sea. Furthermore, there is a serious lack of infrastructure for safe disposal of wastewater in villages, which further leads to contamination of water resources. Water contamination is a serious problem, giving rise to health and hygiene concerns.

Defining The Traditional Water Management Systems In India

Medieval India had issues of both floods and droughts on a regular basis. This had led to the evolution of water management techniques specific to the respective regions. The basis of traditional water management in arid regions was to harness the rainwater through harvesting and conservation.

Using decades of experience, traditional structures were built to catch, hold, and store rainwater in the arid regions. In areas with hilly topography, surface water was harnessed for consumption. Some of these traditional methods have fallen into neglect with rapid urbanization, but many are still in use and as efficient as modern water management techniques.

Taanka, Rajasthan – Taanka was a harvesting system devised in the parched desert region. A cylindrical and paved underground pit was used to harvest rainwater from rooftops, courtyards, or artificially directed water flows. A fully filled taanka could last throughout the dry summer and was good for a family of five or six. This method helped families be self-sufficient in their water needs and was an important tool for providing their water security.

Johads in North India – Johads are small check dams that capture and store rainwater. These are essentially percolation ponds that are community owned and are constructed in areas with slope on three sides. The water is stored in a pit throughout the year, and helps recharge groundwater in the nearby water wells, besides providing water to locals for washing, bathing and drinking.

Naulas and kuhls in hilly regions – Kuhls are water channels found mostly in the western Himalayan region. These channels harvest water from streams and snowmelt to villages. Sometimes kuhls are lined with rocks to keep it from becoming clogged. Naula is a unique harvesting system that collects surface water and is typical in hilly Uttaranchal. Small wells and ponds are used to collect water by making a stone wall across a stream.

Paar – Paar is a common water harvesting practice in the western Rajasthan region. It is a common place where the rainwater flows from the agar or catchment and in the process percolates into the sandy soil. In order to access the percolated water, kuis or beris are dug in the agor or storage area. The structure was constructed through traditional masonary technology. This is the most predominant form of rainwater harvesting in the region. Rainwater harvested through PAAR technique is known as Patali paani.
Pat – Bhitada village in Madhya Pradesh developed the unique pat system. This system was devised according to the peculiarities of the terrain to divert water from swift-flowing hill streams into irrigation channels called pats. The diversion bunds across the stream are made by piling up stones and then lining them with teak leaves and mud to make them leakproof.

The Way Forward

The key element to achieve water security is to mitigate water scarcity in India. Changing rainfall patterns require alternative traditional methods to be looked at and revived. The traditional methods established in Medieval India as mentioned above are simple and cost effective, and are ingrained in the culture of the respective regions and thus can be specific solutions.

The methods followed were environment friendly and have relevance even today. However, their revival requires a change in mindset, both at the community and at the government level. The problem at hand is huge, and a participative effort is required from all stakeholders.

The way forward lies here!