WATER AND ENERGY CONSERVATION

Following factors are responsible for increasing water demand :-

• Expansion of irrigation 

• Increasing demand by industry 

• Rising demand due to growing population 

• Increasing water use due to changing life style

 Expansion of irrigation
The reasons for the increasing demand of irrigation are:

 regional and seasonal variation in the distribution of rainfall.

 uncertainty of rainy season.

• growing demand of water for commercial crops. 


• changing cropping pattern.

METHODS FOR CONSERVATION OF WATER

Conservation of water can be donr  by using various methods such as reforestation, re-use, recycle, increase  water use efficiency, water harvesting and ground water recharge.

(i) Reforestation 

Forests provide major ecological services like-

• support energy flow and chemical cycling. 
• reduce soil erosion. 
•  absorb and release water. 
•  purify water. 
•  purify air. 
•  influence local and regional climate. 
•  store atmospheric carbon. 

 Cutting down of large areas of forest reduces the ecological services provided by the forest and it can lead to regional and global climate change.

 Deforestation is the temporary or permanent removal of large areas of forest for agriculture or other uses
.
 Reforestation is the process of planting of trees on the deforested area or of increased tree cover from regrowth and planting of trees (plantations). Reforestation increases soil fertility by preventing soil erosion, prevents run-off of eroded soil into aquatic systems and prevents flooding. Thus reforestation plays a major role in conservation of water.

(ii) Recycling of water 
 The wastewater from industrial or domestic sources can be used after proper treatment for irrigation,recharging ground water and even for industrial and municipal use.

 Agricultural lands close to cities can be irrigated with municipal wastewater. Household level recycled„grey water‟ (untreated household water which does not come in contact with toilet waste) can be used for various purposes.

 Grey water from shower, bath, washbasins, laundry troughs and washing machines can be put to various uses to reduce pure water requirement. Pure water after used in bath and shower can be used for watering plants.

(iii) Reuse of wastewater 

 Wastewater containing lots of nutrients. These nutrients may help the growth of plants when such water is used in irrigation.

 Reuse of wastewater occurs most effectively with on-site or small treatment system. The reuse option in the local context at the community level must be seriously considered.

(iv) Water harvesting

 Water harvesting is collecting rainwater that falls on a house or on and around any building and then putting it to use later on or simply replenishing the ground water by allowing the water to reach
underground.

 Time has come when we should work on our ancient methods of water management including capturing of water from swollen streams and rivers during monsoon season and storing it in various forms of water bodies.

(v) Recharging of groundwater 

 The available groundwater is about 13-20 times as much as water available on surface. The groundwater
consists of water contained in the soil or aquifers (underground natural water reservoir).

• Flood water may be injected into aquifers through series of deep pits or ditches.

• Small reservoirs and percolation tanks can be dug to hold runoff water recharging ground water.

• Storm water, used water (municipal and domestic), domestic drains can be fed into pits, trenches, depressions
to be filtered and percolated through the soil for recharging ground water. 

• Desiltation of canals and tanks should be done regularly. 

• Premonsoon tillage of fields help to conserve soil moisture.

MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

Effective management and conservation of water has to incorporate the following two strategies:

(1) Reduction in loss and wastage of water.  

(2) Harvesting, collection and improved storage of water.  

Reduction in wastage of water 
 Reduction in wastage of water can be best achieved by launching awareness campaigns to involve all sections of the society for the conservation of water. Such awareness is possible through different media such as newspapers, radio and TV. 
 Other ways would be to organize short plays, street plays or lectures.

• Any agency either government or otherwise responsible for water meters and charging for water use should make it a point to install efficient meters and decide to charge a rate which will force the public to reduce use of municipal water. 

• Tap, shower flow restrictors and low volume toilet flushes can help in reducing water use. 

• Any leak in water pipes and faucets should be detected and repaired immediately. 

• Lawns and gardens should be watered in the early morning or late in the evening so that water evaporation  losses are minimized.

• Rain water is the major source of water for irrigation of agricultural fields in the country and for recharging the ground water. Rain fall is restricted to three months in a year therefore rain water should be stored and use of ground water well planned as ground water is a renewable water source and gets replenished by natural process of recharge. Loss of water through seepage and evaporation, water wasted on weeds, cost of bringing water from ponds to place of use should be minimized. 

Harvesting, collecting, recharging of ground water and water storage

1. Recharging of ground water 

• Flood waters may be injected into aquifers (underground water reservoirs) through series of deep pits or ditches. Small reservoirs and percolation tanks can be dug to hold run off water recharging 
ground water.

• Rain water harvesting carried out by building power for recharging ground water.

• Storm water, used water, domestic drains can be fed into pits, trenches, depressions to be filtered and percolated through the soil for recharging ground water. 

• Desiltation of canals and tanks should be done regularly. 

Pre-monsoon tillage of fields helps to conserve soil moisture. 


2. Removal of pollutants to transform polluted water into usable form

• Proper treatment of domestic and municipal waste water which is rich in organic matter
and pathogens material also helps to conserve water. Treatment ensures the removal of
pollutants, germs and toxic elements. 

Growing algae or floating masses of water hyacinth also helps in cleaning the water polluted by absorbing
phosphates, nitrates and other nutrients. These aquatic plants can be harvested for producing biogas.



NATIONAL RIVER CONSERVATION PLAN 
Two important action plans are:

1. Ganga Action Plan 

2. Yamuna Action Plan 

Ganga Action Plan or GAP: 
 Ganga is the largest and most important Indian river. It is 2,525 Km long. The watershed of river Ganga spreads over ten Indian states.

 The major cause of Ganga water pollution is unrestricted discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents all along its course. Ganga Action Plan (GAP) is an ambitious and first of its river cleaning project. 

 Ganga Action Plan(GAP) has been launched by the Government of India to clean the river Ganga.

 The first phase of the project was completed in 1993.

Yamuna Action Plan (YAP): 
 was implemented in April, 1993

 Yamuna  is a major tributary of the river Ganga.

 Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) aims at cleaning and conserving water of the river Yamuna by removing
pollutants from it.


ENERGY CONSERVATION

What is energy?

Energy may be defined as the capacity to do work. Energy can be transformed from one form to another form  energy may be (i) renewable or (ii) non-renewable. However, energy can neither be created nor destroyed and cannot be recycled.

Use of energy by society
Apart from energy required for one‟s own body processes, humans need energy for carrying out various kinds of activities.

 Heat or electrical energy is required for cooking and heating

 Electricity is required for lighting bulbs and tube lights, running fans, coolers and air conditioners.

 Fuel such as petrol or diesel or compressed natural gas (CNG) is required in vehicles such as cars, buses, trains, trucks, aeroplanes which are responsible for transporting human beings and goods from one place to another. 

 Energy (electricity) is required for pumping water up the multi-storied buildings.

Energy is required for the various industrial processes that ultimately result in the manufacture of different kinds of goods.

CONVENTIONAL AND NON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY

The conventional sources of energy are the fossil fuels. It took millions of years for the formation of fossil fuels, hence they are limited and non-renewable. Fossils are remains of organisms that lived in the past and fossil fuels are plants that got buried under earth that became rock over years. Fossil fuels have to be unearthed from mines. 

Most fossil fuels release energy as heat. The types of fossil fuels are: 

• Coal is solid. It is mined and then transported in trucks and trains. In our country coal mines are found in Raniganj, Jharia and Dhanbad in Bihar. 

 

• Oil is liquid which is pumped out from the ground after drilling a well. It is sent to far away places in oil tankers or pipe lines. Oil (petroleum) is used in automobiles and aeroplanes. In India oil is found along the west coast and in Digboi oil fields, Assam.  

• Natural gas is a mixture of gases. The gas we use for cooking which comes in cylinders is LPG or 

Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Compressed Natural gas or CNG is used in the public transport vehicles

(buses, scooters, auto-rickshaws and taxi).  

 Oil and natural gas are fossils of phytoplankton (floating algae) which lived millions of years ago and sank to ocean bottom when they died. Over years, under pressure and heat, they became petroleum and filled reservoirs underneath the sea bed.  

 Till about five decades ago, human beings were not worried about the exhaustion of fossil fuel. 

 But as population increased and consumption of fossil fuels became enormous, environmentalists began to talk about fossil fuels as non-renewable and limited (last for limited period of time) and scientists began to think and discuss about other sources of energy (non-conventional), which were till then used by humans to some extent only. 

Non-conventional sources of energy are: 

• solar energy  

• wind energy  

• hydel power  

• tidal energy  

• geothermal power  

energy from biomass. 

 

 These resources are renewable and almost inexhaustible. Of these solar energy or energy from the sun is very important. It is widespread in nature is non-polluting and available free of cost.  

 Solar energy is now harnessed through “solar panels” directly which heat homes by solar radiations,solar photovoltaic cells used in solar TVs and solar thermal energy is used to cook food in solar cookers. Solar energy is also use in industries.  

Wind energy

 

 Wind energy has been traditionally used to lift water for domestic purposes and

irrigation of fields. Kinetic energy of wind is converted into electrical energy and

used. 

Hydro-power (Hydel power) 

 Many dams have been built on rivers to store water at a height and then potential energy of the stored mass of water is converted to kinetic energy by letting the massive water flowover turbines. Thus electrical energy is obtained converting potential energy of the mass of water. 

Tidal energy 

 Tidal energy is the energy of ocean or sea waves which derive energy from wind which in turn is driven 

by solar energy. Tidal energy can be transformed into electrical energy.

 

Geothermal power

 

 Geothermal power is the heat energy or thermal energy present in the earth‟s crust. The heat in the

uppermost part of earth is readily accessible and can be used to generate electricity. 

Energy from biomass 

 Biomass is plant matter produced as a result of photosynthesis. Some of it can be burnt to provide heat, for example wood, agricultural waste. Biomass can also be used for power generation or converted into alcohol (liquid or methane gas) to be used as fuel. Since these are obtained from plant material, they are called bio-fuels. 

 Biomass is renewable energy and shall be available as long as plants grow on earth. Thus for supplying fuel wood, fast growing trees like oil palm, species such as Euphorbia, Jatropha etc. are planted.

 Another use of biomass as fuel is to collect agricultural waste and crop residues and animal manure. 

 Organic wastes, sewage and any other solid biomass can be converted by bacteria into biofuels such as  biogas. 

 Biogas digesters are large vessels in which organic wastes (plants and animals waste) are made to 

undergo bacterial fermentation and produce biogas which can be used for heating and cooking. 

 Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon-di-oxide. 

 Methane can be obtained by anaerobic (in absence of air) digestion of manure and sludge of sewage treatment units by means of anaerobic bacteria Recently, the idea of using ethanol as car fuel is doing the rounds.  

 It is made from sugar cane, sorghum, corn or beet root by fermentation and distillation.  

 Pure ethanol may be used and there is no need to change the engine for using ethanol in place of petrol.

 

Biodiesel

 

 India has many varieties of oilseed plants. Biodiesel may be get from vegetable oils. Some oil yielding trees that can give biodiesel are

 (1) Ratanjot or Jatropha curcas

 (2) Nagchampa or Callophyllum ionophyllum 

(3) Rubber seeds or Hevea braziliensis.

 Biodiesel does not contain any petroleum but it substitutes for petroleum in the same conventional engines. 

PROMOTION OF SOLAR ENERGY POWER IN INDIA

 India is both densely populated and has high solar insolation, providing an ideal combination for using solar power in India.

 

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have initiated schemes and incentives-like subsidy,easy loan, concessional duty on raw material imports, excise duty exemption on certain devices/systems etc.to encourage and use of solar energy systems.  

• The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) provides financial helps for the purchase of PV (Photovoltaic) systemsGovernment is planning to set up 10 million square meter solar collector area by 2022. This will conserve electricity equivalent to that generated from a 500 MW power plant.

 

• The state of West Bengal has initiated to make the use of solar power mandatory in new multi-storied buildings.

• Rajasthan government has set aside a 35,000 km areas of the Thar desert for solar power. 

 

• Rural electrification can be done for about 2700 village by using SPV (Solar photovoltaic) systems. 

 

• Currently many companies in India are engaged in manufacturing PVs. 

 

• Australian government has come forward to train next generation solar energy engineers specially from India and China as a part of the Asia-Pacific partnership (APP) on Clean Development and Climate. Many programmes have been designed under this for rural solar energy usuage.  

• In the agriculture sector, solar PV water pumping systems are used for irrigation and drinking water. Solar driers are used to dry harvests before storage. 

 

• Solar cookers, solar energy used for supply of hot water in hospitals, hotels and large kitchens have solved the problem of electricity to some extent and if needs to be extended.  

(i) Promotion of CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) 

• Mercury is an essential element in the operation of fluorescent lighting. It allows the bulbs to be an efficient light source. 

• CFLs use less electricity than traditional light bulbs (75%) less), they reduce demand for electricity.  

• CFLs contain very small amount of mercury-an average of 4 milligrams in each bulb. 

 

• No mercury is released when bulbs are intact or in use, however, it is important to be careful in the disposal

of these products.  

 

• Most people have started using CFLs at home to cut down their electricity bill. 

 

• Government offices and institutions have replaced traditional light bulbs with CFLs. 

 

(ii) Use of star rating of electrical equipment’s

 

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is an agency of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Power created in March, 2002 under the provision of Energy Conservation Act. The agency‟s function is to develop programs which will increase the conservation and efficient uses of energy in India. 

• The government has proposed to make it mandatory or compulsory for appliances in India to have ratings by the BEE starting in January 2010. 

 

• The BEE Star Energy Efficiency Labels have been created to standardize the energy efficiency ratings of different electrical appliances and indicate energy consumption under standard test conditions.  

• These labels indicate the energy efficiency levels through the number of stars highlighted in colour on the label. 

• Star rating system ranges from one star (least energy efficient thus least money saved) to five stars (most energy efficient, thus most money saved). 

 

Refrigerators, Air conditioners, washing machines, lighting systems etc. will bear the star levels to indicate their energy efficiency. 

(iii) Transport and energy 

 The transport sector is the fastest growing source of green house gases (carbondioxide (CO), Methane(CH4) Nitrous oxides (NO)). Of the total green house gas emissions from transport, over 85% are due to CO2 emissions from road transport vehicles.

 

 Reducing energy waste requires improving energy efficiency by using less energy to do more useful work. Reducing such energy waste has numerous economic and environmental advantages. 

• The best way to save energy in transportation is to increase the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles.  

• Fuel efficient vehicles powered by a hybrid gas-electric engine and electric vehicles powered by fuel cells running on hydrogen are being developed. 

• Fuel cells are about twice as efficient as internal combustion engines, have no moving parts, require little maintenance and produce little or no pollution. 

 

• Reva is a small electric car developed in our country. Use of small sized cars instead of big cars and using two wheelers can go a long way in saving energy.  

• Large reductions in energy costs can be done by using vehicles with efficient engine that reduces 

consumption of petroleum (i.e. petroleum electric hybrid vehicle) or preferably that uses renewable energy sources throughout its working life.  

Using biofuels instead of petroleum fuels is a new field where government of India is giving a lot of attention at the moment.