India's doomed - NASA satellite reveals unsustainable water use

[Formaldehyde]

Some time ago, I predicted that India's going to face a catastrophic collapse in the future due to its unsustainable use of natural resources and unmitigated population growth. New data seem to support my prediction.

Um, your graph actually shows the "unmitigated population growth" is projected to hit a plateau...

And this is corroborated by other sources...

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sankum/idle/2006/03/india-facts-and-figures-on-development.html

Okay - now that I have shown all the charts and data that I wanted to - the question is - what is the message? Well - the message is simple. India, in spite of all the chaos and problems, is developing consistently and rapidly. It might seem like a redundant message with all the media attention on India these days - but I feel that true measures of a country's development are not economic but social. India's economic growth is well known - but there is a social side to development as well and I am very happy and reassured by the strides made by India in this field over the years. There is still a long way to go but at least the trend is positive, consistently positive, consistently and uniformly positive. The future looks bright from where I am standing!

 

[Winner]

A Malthusian argument?

I didnt know we gave such credence these days

No, it's simpler than that - it's a common sense argument. Even though I admit that common sense isn't as common as it should be in some circles.

 

[Winner]

I think it actually will be easier in India, because the effects of these problems will be a lot more readily apparent to even the most uneducated people, unlike in Europe. however, mobilising the country to solve the problem will likely be a lot harder in India.

I can't see how it could be easier in India, with the huge impoverished masses that don't give a damn about some long term benefits and a government which obviously doesn't care much either.

 

[RedRalph]

I can't see how it could be easier in India, with the huge impoverished masses that don't give a damn about some long term benefits and a government which obviously doesn't care much either.

Because India is a more rural society than most western countries, it will be easier to convince the average man in the street or field that something is wrong. they will be able to see it with their own eyes. but doing somehting about it will probably be harder.

In case you hadnt noticed, Winner, your beloved Western governments dont seem to have a clue what to do either, so dont get too much of a superiority complex

 

[Nylan]

Isn't the world's usable water supply supposed to be shafted by 2020 or some such year anyways?

 

[PiMan]

Isn't the world's usable water supply supposed to be shafted by 2020 or some such year anyways?

I haven't seen a specific statistic, but don't expect it to happen evenly. Some places will run out of usable fresh water sooner than others.

 

[Shaihulud]

Alot of Indians will die, it might means riots, social collapse, but I don't think India as a nation is doomed. Does India know it is doomed? Its government? Scientist? They seems to be doing little to preserve their water resources if so. Indians seem to be proud of their overpopulation, they want to beat China at it.

 

[mrt144]

Alot of Indians will die, it might means riots, social collapse, but I don't think India as a nation is doomed. Does India know it is doomed? Its government? Scientist? They seems to be doing little to preserve their water resources if so. Indians seem to be proud of their overpopulation, they want to beat China at it.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

 

[eoc]

Alot of Indians will die, it might means riots, social collapse, but I don't think India as a nation is doomed. Does India know it is doomed? Its government? Scientist? They seems to be doing little to preserve their water resources if so. Indians seem to be proud of their overpopulation, they want to beat China at it.

Unofficial reports Indian population has already beaten Chinese. But Inida is only 1/3 of China' region and only one main river of Ganges.

 

[bhsup]

They need to invade the PRC and take over their water sources. Plus, the war would help alleviate the population numbers, what with both being nuclear powers.

 

[cubsfan6506]

I haven't seen a specific statistic, but don't expect it to happen evenly. Some places will run out of usable fresh water sooner than others.

Bet you were sitten pretty on some great lakes.

 

[eoc]

They need to invade the PRC and take over their water sources. Plus, the war would help alleviate the population numbers, what with both being nuclear powers.

It's better invade US , because their English is good

 

[Maxxie]

India and China regularly fought each other in border disputes until about 20 years ago. Now they use frequent negotiations instead. Neither side would benefit from another war but both must continuously expand their militaries to keep things that way.

 

[El_Machinae]

From the popularised Nature article:

Groundwater depletion in northwest India is a known problem, but Rodell's data suggest that the loss rate is around 20% higher than the Indian authorities have previously estimated.

Rodell notes that rainfall during the study period was close to the long-term climatic mean, and says that the observed groundwater depletion is unlikely to be the result of unusual dryness or variability.

And given that the Ganges is currently being supplied by extra water due to extra snowmelt (global warming), their rivers are not sustainable either.

 

[Kerozine]

Yes, there is a problem.

 

[Theige]

Note that the water use is mainly for farming, and that we already grow enough food to feed the world more than once over. The solution is more even distribution of food from breadbaskets (ie the USA).

The Ogallala Aquifer, according to some estimates, is being depleted rather quickly as well.

 

[FriendlyFire]

1. Free electricuty to farmers in there breadbasket proviance
2. No rationing of water pump all you want.

Underground water table dropping 8 meters is to be expected.

 

[Berzerker]

And you'll power them with what, exactly? Coal and oil power plants? That's the way to go! If the answer is "nuclear power plants", then I'll remind you that you need a lot of fresh water to keep them running, and they're rather expensive to build.

Coal's fine with me, we have lots of it And we can pump CO2 into the atmosphere even more, yay. I want a warmer world! Locking up 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the world's freshwater in ice sheets just aint logical. We need a massive desal program to regulate sea levels and water our expanded crops program.

This guy got it right. They don't have to do anything. Just sit there and wait and then build desalinization plants when and where necessary.

Heck, we can save the whole world like that

I say build desal plants and you say that means doin nothing? Quoting you, thats

Aren't the Himalayas already a giant desal plant for India, capturing water from the ocean and returning it to India? How big of desal plants would be able to compete with that?

Why do desal plants have to compete with anything? Are you looking for a magic bullet? If the Himalayas aint supplying enough water, supplement it. Aint that obvious?

 

[Yeekim]

A Malthusian argument?

I didnt know we gave such credence these days

Who exactly has rebutted Malthus?

 

[darkedone02]

A little cleaning up should do on India's land, they need to research and develop environmental stuff to save themselves in the future. build more water treatment plants? find a new way to burn garbage without much pollution on the output? try to research a way to make nuclear-usage plants as good as a solar power plant (maybe in a fantasy world, but it might be possible).