The Impact of Water Distribution Inconsistency in the Rural Settlements of Punjab and to Extrapolate a Nature Based Sustainable Technology to Enhance Livelihood

Abstract

Water, is undoubtedly one of the most indispensable needs for the human population to survive. In India, almost 70% of the population reside in rural settlements and a large share of this population is often caught up in the gaping open traps of ignorance and lack-of-knowledge. According to the World Water Development Report 2018 by the UN, India is facing a stark water crisis with the report citing that over 40% of the renewable water sources in Central India would be withdrawn by 2050. Availability of water plays the role of a key indicator in the measure of a village’s prosperity and moreover it is an index of India’s development. As a part of the Live-in-Labs® the purpose of our study was to identify the most prevalent challenge that played the antagonizing role of holding back the development index in a small, destitute village tucked away in the northern part of Punjab, India by the name of Dodeneer. The paper aims at shedding light on the status of the key development indicators in the village, provide quantitative and qualitative measurables like the available resources in the village using a pragmatic approach to scrutinize the same and to propose a judicious solution to the pervasive challenge through an anthropocentric outlook. This paper would address the predominant water management issues of Dodeneer and also provide affable solutions to tackle the same and provide insights as to how Nature Based Solutions (NBS) would help address many of India’s water challenges while simultaneously delivering additional benefits vital to all aspects of sustainable development.