Supporting 16% of the world’s inhabitants is daunting enough, but it is even more so when recognising that population is crammed into an area one-third the size of the US. Then consider that India only possesses 4% of the world’s fresh water and the crisis can be more fully realised…. India is at a stage more critical than most. Severe lack of regulation, over privatisation, general neglect and rampant government corruption have led to multiple generations thirsting for more than just a few drops of hazard-free water….
Over the past 50 years, policies have allowed what amounts to a free-for-all in groundwater development, and as the crisis has grown, it has been met with continued neglect, mismanagement and overall indifference. Estimates put India’s groundwater use at roughly one-quarter of the global usage with total usage surpassing that of China and the US combined. With farmers provided electricity subsidies to help power the groundwater pumping, the water table has seen a drop of up to 4 metres in some parts of the country….
A few numbers from the World Bank highlight the plight India is facing:
- 163 million lack access to safe drinking water.
- 210 million lack access to improved sanitation.
- 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.
- 500 children under the age of 5 die from diarrhoea each day….
From ‘The Water Crisis in India: Everything You Need to Know’, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
