Water Scarcity

1. Introduction Water is our body 's most important nutrient, is involves in every bodily function, and makes up 70- 75% of our total body weight. Water helps you to maintain body temperature, metabolize body fat, aids in digestion, lubricates and cushions organs, transports nutrients, and flushes toxins from our body. Everyone should drink at least 64 ounces per day, and if you exercise or are overweight, even more. Our blood is approximately 90% water and is responsible for transporting nutrients and energy to muscles and for taking waste from tissues. If you are not getting enough water, our body will react by pulling it from other places, including our blood. This causes the closing of some smaller vessels (capillaries), making our blood thicker, more susceptible to clotting, and harder to pump through our system. This can have serious implications in hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Recent studies have also linked the lack of water to headaches, arthritis, and heartburn. Have you ever got up in the morning feeling bloated, or tried on a ring or shoe that fit yesterday but is too tight to wear today? Chances are our body is trying to tell you something. If you have a problem with water retention, excess salt may be the cause. Our body will tolerate a certain amount of sodium, however, the more salt you consume, the more fluid you need to dilute it. To overcome this problem, always drink plenty of water. What if I told you that being dehydrated promotes the increase of body fat? Water contributes to energy storage along with glycogen. Without water, extra amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver, the extra glucose is stored as fat. Our body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells. Less water in our fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy. One of the liver 's primary functions is to

References: 1. Amarasinghe, U. A., Shah, T., Turral, H. and Anand, B.K. 2007. India’s water future to 2025-2050: Business as usual scenario and deviations. Research Report 123, IWMI 2. Anonymous. 2006.  Water – A shared responsibility, United Nations World Water Development Report 3. Govt. of India. 2009. Background note for consultation meeting with Policy makers on review of National Water Policy. Ministry of Water Resources 4. IDSA. 2010.  Water Security for India: External dynamics. IDSA Task Force Report 5. Moni, M. 2004. Informatics blueprint for Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management at grassroots level: A Quintessential Requirement for Adaptation to Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural Development in India. Paper presented the National Conference on “Climate Change and its Impact on Water Resources in India”, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, December 15-17 6. Rosegrant, M.W., Cai, X. and Clire, S.A. 2002.  Global water outlook to 2025: Averting an impending crisis. Food Policy Report, IWMI