Message from New York

Written by Anna da Costa / 20 February 2009 / Read Anna da Costa's latest blog entries.

''Sitting here in my office in New York and reading about this initiative has delighted my soul. There is a lot to do and this is an amazing start. Uncovering ideas, innovations, and methods used by humans for long time and sharing them with the public is the best way of educating.

There is lot more out there, but I want to throw some light on one issue which could have devastating effects in the future; the rate of decline in a continual supply of groundwater and freshwater in rivers and lakes. The decline in a constant supply of freshwater will provide less clean water for consumption, will decrease agricultural output, leading to famines in many places, and will increase the concentration of harmful chemicals in the remaining water. The depletion of groundwater will also raise surface temperatures in many places and deplete top soil and our dependence on water for energy and transportation will also be threatened.

India receives great rainfall,  but with the an increase in extreme events, the rainfall will often be short lived and larger in amount. One can harvest rainwater, but replenishing the groundwater is of equal importance. When I was back in India, I read of some initiatives in parts of Rajasthan that collected water-from rain and river water diversion-in small ponds  with larger surfaces. Larger surface areas allowed more water to penetrate. Unfortunately, the rate of penetration is extremely slow in comparison to rate of extract through bore wells. One quick solution is to use the non-used bore wells to fill the water table. This needs to be done carefully by not allowing the rainwater to collect any chemicals on its way.

I hope this issue gets some light coming forward and its discussion brings
more solutions. I had once read of a town in California, US that sunk into the ground due to the big gap the empty water table created. There is also evidence of reductions in soil fertility with a loss of ground water. Sharing this with everyone, including local governments could increase awareness about the conservation of groundwater, as I have seen rise of well digging by smaller communities everywhere, especially in my hometowns of Ahmedabad and Baroda.

To add my two cents, one of my biggest beliefs for saving the environment is less consumption. I cannot speak for Americans and their wasteful nature, but per capita consumption of food, fuel, or any products available in market is on the increase in India. Keeping a tap on consumption and ensuring that we consume sustainable products could lead to better use of resources as well as reduced impacts on the environment.

I try to do my best, limited consumption, using reusable cotton bags for shopping (organic produce), use of public transportation (benefits of living in big city like New York), and will be taking in some more tips from your tour and try to incorporate in my life gradually.''

This email was received from Subhav Patel, based in New York, in response to Thomas Friedman's article. To share your own thoughts, ideas, feedback and questions, please visit: http://forum.indiaclimatesolutions.com/index.php.