Importance of water culture of India to the world

Water is one of the five elements considered to be the basis of life. Life cannot be imagined without water. Apart from humans and animals, water is also essential for all forms of agriculture and most industrial production processes. But today the whole world is standing in the shadow of water crisis. Unplanned industrialization, increasing pollution, decreasing deserts and glaciers, declining water level of rivers, environmental destruction, insensitivity towards exploitation and misuse of nature is leading the whole world towards a major water crisis. Packet and bottled water are becoming the symbol of development today and our carelessness towards our resources is paving the way for handing over our basic need to marketism. Experts have included water as one of the major resources that will be the most challenging task to manage in future. Rivers, which have been the source of clean water for centuries, are getting polluted, the water harvesting system is deteriorating, and the ground water level is continuously decreasing. World Water Day is celebrated every year on 22 March since 1993 to make the world aware of all these problems. Its purpose is to ensure the availability of clean and safe water in all the countries of the world and also to focus on the importance of water conservation. You can imagine how much water a human uses in his lifetime, but does he try to save that much water?
About 70 percent of the earth’s area is covered by water. However, potable water is only three percent. Out of this, only one percent of the fresh water is actually used by us. But, man does not hesitate to waste priceless water in his health, convenience, show and luxury. While using water, we do not think at all about saving water, as a result of which the situation of water crisis has arisen in most of the places. As the temperature is increasing, the problem of water in many parts of India is taking a formidable form. Every year this problem is increasing more than before. According to a United Nations report, global water use has increased six-fold over the past 100 years, and continues to grow at a rate of about one percent per year due to increasing population, economic development and changes in consumption patterns. Along with the erratic and erratic supply of water, climate change has made the situation of water scarce areas dire at present. In such a situation, water conservation is the only solution. Water conservation means preventing the wastage of water and its contamination. Because if there is water, there is tomorrow.
The importance of water can also be understood from the fact that the world’s major civilizations have developed on the banks of rivers, and ancient cities settled on the banks of rivers. Water crisis and dire conditions have been there since time immemorial. For this reason, there has been an ancient tradition of making Nadi, Talab, Johad, Bandha, Sagar, Samand and Sarovar etc. for water conservation in the provinces of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc. King-Maharajas and Seth-Sahukars built artistic stepwells, wells, ponds, jhalars and kunds in different parts of these regions for the purpose of making their name everlasting in the memory of their ancestors. Anupam Mishra’s book ‘Aaj Bhi Khare Hai Talab’ is an invaluable document to solve the water problem that is getting worse.
Wells are important sources of water. Many types of wells are found in Rajasthan. Apart from this, there is also a stepwell or Jhalra which is considered important from the religious point of view. My childhood was spent in Ladnun, Ladnun, Sujangarh, Chhapar, Chadwas, Churu, Bikaner district of Rajasthan’s Nagaur district. The tradition of preserving and securing ground water and rain water will be seen in every person and every house, their homes. There are wells in every house to conserve rain water, all the houses have been constructed in such a way that all the rain water can be collected in these wells. The traditional methods of water harvesting in Rajasthan are of high level, which can become a medium of conservation and enrichment of ground water for the whole world. The religious and cultural beliefs of the state have a major contribution in their development. Where nature and culture are intertwined with each other.
The forts of Rajasthan are equally famous, but their water management is especially worth seeing and exemplary. The tradition of water harvesting is associated with the social structure there and due to the religious attitude towards water, natural water sources are worshiped. The local people here have created artificial sources of water. Those who have developed folk-tales and beliefs that make systematic use of every drop of water, there is a wide discussion of water conservation in literature, on the basis of which, by storing natural water, life in difficult conditions has been made easy. For proper management of water, even today in western Rajasthan, in remote rural areas, by keeping a post in the parati, they sit on it and take bath so that the remaining water can be used for other purposes. There has been a devotee of Terapanth, Roopchandji, about whom it is popular that he used to bathe with 72 tolas of water, i.e. less than a lota.
Jaisamand, Udaysagar, Fatehsagar, Rajsamand and Pichola are among the world famous lakes in Udaipur. Water from these lakes is used for irrigation. Apart from this, their water also seeps into the stepwells.