A new study by the Indian’s government’s policy think-tank Niti Aayog this week published some alarming statistics, warning that India is facing its worst-ever water crisis, with some 600 million people facing acute water shortage The Composite Water Resources Management report which compiled data from 24 of India’s 29 states warns that about 600 million Indians are facing high to extreme stress over water, and it’s only going to get worse.
And because of increasing demand, 21 of India’s cities will be out of groundwater by 2020, an alarming situation that also threatens food security, seeing as 80 percent of water is used for agriculture.
The majority of India’s 1.25 billion population lives in the countryside, and winning rural voters is key to election victory in the world’s largest democracy SAM PANTHAKY, AFP/File The study stressed the need for the government to take action on restoring water bodies, otherwise, the situation could lead to conflicts within the country.
And to add insult to injury, a study published by Duke University earlier this month found widespread uranium contamination in aquifer-drawn groundwater in 16 Indian states.
India’s water problems The hard fact to digest is that over 200,000 people die every year in India due to a lack of access to safe water.
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, there have been tensions over water allocations for two reservoirs connected to the Narmada river.
YouTube Tensions have already raised their ugly heads – with eleven states already locked in at least seven major disputes over the sharing of river water.
84 percent of rural households do not have piped water access.
70 percent of our water is contaminated; India is currently ranked 120 among 122 countries in the water quality index.
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