IIT Guwahati paves way for better water management in India

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati have developed a new and efficient method for extracting water from humid air using Virtual Water Analysis (VW), a method that is likely to address the country's water woes. This method of water harvesting could be the answer to the country's water crisis in several areas. Professor Anamika Barua of IIT-G's department of humanities and social science investigated the socio-political factors governing the virtual water flow using ecological economics in partnership with scientists from the University of Zaragoza in Spain. Barua told the media that the main goal of the project is to encourage long term use that will lead to water security. Water via agricultural products flows from highly water scarce states in the north to other highly water scarce states in the west and south, according to the research team, making some VW flows between these states unsustainable. A growing population and arable land are driving such unsustainable flows. Sustaining flows from low to high water scarcity zones and states, on the other hand, can aid in the fight against water scarcity. The research revealed that in states with chronic water scarcity, sustainable agriculture planning and implementation are necessary to attain water and food security. According to an IIT-G spokesperson, the pressure on freshwater resources in drought stricken areas can be alleviated by diversifying production areas and using VW flows analysis to produce agro-climatically suitable food grains. VW was created in the 1990s to better understand how water-stressed countries could provide necessary items that are highwater consuming such as food, clothing, and shelter to their citizens, which can define their trade characteristics. The spokesperson pointed out that such a country could import water-intensive cotton rather than cultivate it. Image Source Also read: This small village in Patiala uses unique method to treat wastewater Also read: Water sector: India-Netherlands enter strategic partnership