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)