India is experiencing the most severe in the history of the water crisis: nearly 600 million people face daily water shortages, said the government’s analytical center.
The report of the National Institute of transforming India (Niti Aayog), which draws on statistics of 24 of the 29 States, the second most populous country in the world, stressed that the crisis “will only worsen” in the coming years.
The study authors also warn that, against the background of a growing demand by 2020 in 21 cities of India is likely to end soil and groundwater.
All this threatens the food security of the country, since 80% of the water used in agriculture, said the British TV channel BBC.
Map of sufficiency of water resources of India
Indian cities and towns regularly being left without water in the summer time because of the lack of infrastructure to deliver piped water to every home.
Rural areas also suffer from lack of access to clean water (84% of households do not have tap water). They can’t rely on soil and ground water due to infrequent rains and the fact that groundwater is increasingly used for agriculture, when monsoon rains are delayed or they are short.
According to the report, about 200 thousand Indians die every year from lack of access to clean water.
Many ultimately rely on private suppliers of water or a car-tank, paid by local authorities. The long queue of people with cans awaiting drinking water from tanker trucks or public speakers, a common sight in India.
With increasing population in cities, pressure on urban water resources is expected to increase. According to forecasts of experts, by 2030 demand will exceed supply by more than two times.
Water scarcity will also lead to a loss of 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) of India.
Some Indian States, however, exhibit more effective job in providing water to the population than other regions. So, Gujarat, in the West of the country, heads the list of the most successful States in this area. It is followed by Madhya Pradesh (Central India) and Andhra Pradesh (southern part).
Fifteen of the 24 States improved in comparison with last year, which allowed the authors to conclude that “management of water resources is improved”.
But still worrisome is the fact that ranked the lowest-ranked States (Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the North, Bihar and Jharkhand in the East) are home to almost half of India’s population. In these States also produced most of the agricultural production of the country.
Another problem is the lack of accurate data about how much households and different sectors of the economy consume water, the authors conclude.
