Water Experts Express Deep Concern on World Water Day

Udaipur: Experts and environmentalists voiced serious concerns about the impact of ongoing wars in regions such as Ukraine, Russia, the USA, Israel, and Iran on water quality and aquatic ecosystems worldwide, warning that these effects could extend to India. On the occasion of World Water Day, a dialogue program was organized, during which women and girls performed a water worship ceremony at Pichhola Ghat, sending a message of global peace.

Dr. Anil Mehta, water expert and Principal of Vidya Bhawan Polytechnic, stated that modern warfare is severely affecting key water sources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Missile strikes and bomb explosions are introducing toxic elements into water bodies at an alarming rate. These include heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, industrial chemicals, petroleum products, nitrates, TNT residues, biological toxins, and radioactive substances. All these contaminants pose a serious threat to water quality.

Dr. Mehta further explained that ocean currents and atmospheric flows can carry these pollutants thousands of kilometers. Conflicts in West Asia and the Middle East are expected to release contaminants that may reach the Arabian Sea, potentially affecting India’s coastal regions. Toxic particles in the atmosphere could also enter Indian water sources through monsoon rains.

Lake enthusiast Tej Shankar Paliwal emphasized that heavy metals and toxic chemicals in water are lethal to fish, aquatic life, algae, and other species, increasing the risk of biodiversity loss and extinction. He noted that marine organisms and fish transported through global trade could introduce these toxic elements into the human food chain, affecting health. Migratory birds and marine species could also indirectly carry this pollution to India.

Sociologist Nand Kishore Sharma remarked that wars have created a severe ecological crisis. He stressed that unsafe water jeopardizes human survival, and protecting water from being a casualty of war must become a global ethical and policy priority.

Senior citizens Drupad Singh and Kushal Rawal added that wars are polluting water, air, and soil. Water, being a natural system, is not confined by borders. War-induced water pollution is not merely a local issue but a global environmental challenge.

During the program, local residents including Daya Devi, Gargi, Hanshika, and Paysvi performed water worship, praying for the protection of water sources and global peace.