Abstract
The impact of climate change on water is imminent which in turn holds serious implications for enjoyment of the human right to water. Both quantity and quality of water are foreseen to get affected through impacts on water. This chapter aims to explore, first, the challenges posed by climate change impacts on water to the exercise of human right to water and, second, the prospects for effectively addressing these challenges so that the right can be universally realized. Among the prospects, on the basis of empirical evidence from India, it argues that local communities possess traditional knowledge and practices which enable resilience to climatic impacts on water. The chapter contends that this body of knowledge and practices regarding water can serve as an effective blueprint for adaptation to climate change.
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Notes
- 1.
Information collected through focus group discussion in village Karnisar, Bikaner district, where the local operator reported a value of 11 mg/l in 2013.
- 2.
Interview with water activist Sangidhaan Bhatia in Jaisalmer.
- 3.
This involves slash and burning of forest patches, utilizing the fertility gained from humus created in these forest patches, and then allowing them to be fallow for regeneration of forest and fertility for a period ranging from 6 to 20 years. The practice provides food security to a large chunk of the population. Jhum for most people, and definitely for majority of villages who practice it, is not simply a farming technique but a way of life (GoN 2012).
- 4.
Blue water refers to water in its liquid form, such as in rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers. Green water refers to water stored in the soil as moisture, further taken up by plants. As much as 65 % of the rainfall received globally is available as ‘green’ water, while only 35 % is ‘blue’ water (Falkenmark and Rockström 2006).
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Singh, N. (2016). Climate Change and Human Right to Water: Problems and Prospects. In: Singh, N. (eds) The Human Right to Water. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40286-4_5
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