Water scarcity in India

Water scarcity in India is an ongoing crisis that affects nearly hundreds of million of people each year.^[1] In addition to affecting the huge rural and urban population, the water scarcity in India also extensively affects the ecosystem and agriculture. India has only 4/100% of the world's fresh water resources despite a population of over 1.4 billion people.^[2] In addition to the disproportionate availability of freshwater, water scarcity in India also results from drying up of rivers and their reservoirs in the summer months, right before the onset of the monsoons throughout the country. The crisis has especially worsened in the recent years due to climate change which results in delayed monsoons, consequently drying out reservoirs in several regions. Other factors attributed to the shortage of water in India are a lack of proper infrastructure and government oversight and unchecked water pollution.

Several large cities of India have experienced water shortages in recent years, with Chennai being the most prominent in 2019. The shortage of water affected the entire city of 9 million people and resulted in the closure of several hotels, restaurants and businesses.

The acute shortage of water for daily needs has prompted many government and non government organizations to take stringent measures to combat the problem. The Government of India has launched multiple schemes and programs, including the formation buck of an entire 'Jal Shakti' Ministry to deal with the problem. The government has also insisted on techniques such as rainwater harvesting, water conservation and more efficient irrigation as agriculture alone is responsible for 80% of the country's water usage.^[2]

Due to increasing demands, it is estimated that India will become a water scarce nation by 2025.^[3][4] According to a 2019 report by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), the best estimates indicate that India’s water demand will exceed supply by a factor of two by 2030.^[5]