PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2019

imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Bunsenstr. 14 69115 Heidelberg, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 [email protected] EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Waldemar Schmitke Anthony Withers WikiPETia.info [email protected] MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur | exprim.de Matthias Gaumann READER SERVICES Till Kretner [email protected] PRINT Chroma Druck & Verlag GmbH Werkstr. 25 67354 Römerberg Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ sub- scription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 07+08/19 www.petpla.net The Editourmobil roadshow rolls on from Mumbai via Bangalore, Chennay, Kolkatta, Delhi back to Mumbai. In Rajastan we are sweat- ing in 50 °C heat in the shade! It is unusually hot even for this desert area; which brings us nicely onto the subject of water in India. In recent days, the city of Chennai with its population of 10 million has found itself completely without water. At the moment, it is being brought in by train from nearby Kerala. What is the reason for this? Is it down to global warming? This year’s rather late monsoon has exacerbated the problem but ultimately the cause is self-inflicted. The former 200 km 2 wetland area outside the city gates had been reduced “slightly” by 1980 to an area of 186.3 km 2 . However, today, according to a study undertaken by the Care Earth charity, it is only 15% of its original size. The main reasons for this are the rapid growth of IT companies to the south of Chennai, coupled with an overall increase in the real estate market. 35% of the water for Chennai’s increasing population is now being pumped from Lake Veeranam, some 235 km away. In addition, huge amounts of groundwater are being extracted. Chennai needs 1,200 million litres of water every day but at present the Gov- ernment is only able to supply 550 million litres. By 2030, Chennai will require as much as 2,100 million litres a day. However, it is not only in Tamil Nadu where those in positions of authority have been turning a blind eye to the climate change problem over the years: 21 Indian cities, including the capital, New Delhi, are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020, according to research conducted by the Government think-tank, Niti Aayog. Their study predicts that 40% of the Indian population will no longer have access to drinking water by the year 2030. The Ministry of Water plans to develop the world’s largest irriga- tion infrastructure programme involving interconnecting rivers and water reservoirs throughout India. This will create an additional 3,000 dams and 15,000 km of new canals connecting 30 major rivers in order to supply water to large Indian cities. You do not need to be a clairvoyant to realise that such a project will inevitably lead to water shortages elsewhere. Perhaps in India too there will be a heightened awareness of the need to use water wisely at some point. Your PETplanet Insider Roadshow Team Dear readers, INDIA’S WATER CRISIS