BHUBANESWAR: The surface water is going down with rising temperature and perhaps with an ever-increasing population. The depleting ground water table in many areas is found with a 12-25 feet fall in water level in wells.

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THE International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of the UNESCO will work extensively in the field of rainwater harvesting, not only to consolidate existing knowledge, but also to develop cheaper and more efficient technologies for water harvesting, said Minja Yang, Director, UNESCO, New Delhi. "About 40 per cent of the world pop ulation is suffering from acute water shortage,' said Yang, whose message was read out at the International Symposium on Water Harvesting at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here on Monday She said .

Water is classified as one of the most basic human needs. Although it covers 2/3 of the earth's surface giving the allusion that it is an infinite resource we are about to be proved wrong as the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) claims that they are unable to supply water 24 hours to urban areas due to the rapidly rising demand."We are already suffering from a water shortage this year as it is difficult to accommodate the growing demand. NWSDB General Manager K.L.L Premanath said.