(Image source from: Asia Insurance Post)
The National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released the outcome of as scrutiny warning that India is facing its intense water crisis in history and the demand for drinkable water will surpass supply by 2030 if steps are taken.
Twenty-one cities, including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people, the study noted. There will be a 6 percent loss in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050 if matters are to proceed.
The study further noted that about 600 million Indians faced high to utmost water stress and every year about 2,00,000 people died due to deficient access to safe water.
70% contaminated water supply
Critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40 percent of India's water supply, are being depleted at unsustainable rates and up to 70 percent of India's water supply is contaminated.
The detects of NITI Aayog's are part of a study that ranked 24 states on how well they managed their water. In that order, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh took the top three spots while Jharkhand, Bihar and Haryana came last in the Non-Himalayan category.
The separate eight-member list of states clubbed collectively as 'North Eastern and Himalayan', made to account for different hydrological conditions across the two groups. Himachal Pradesh, which is facing one of its worst water crisis this year has been included in the eight-member list.
60% states marked low performers
According to the report, about 60 percent were marked as low performers and this was cause for alarm. Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and many of the states that performed badly on the index accounted for 20-30 percent of India's agricultural output.
"Given the combination of rapidly declining groundwater levels and limited policy action…this is likely to be a significant food security risk for the country," the report says.
The index as well noted, several of the high and medium performers - Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, had faced droughts in recent years. Hence, a lack of water was necessary grounds for states not initiating action on a conservation. Restoration of surface water bodies, watershed development activities, and rural water supply provision were the most of the gains registered by states.
"While Jharkhand and Rajasthan may have scored low, they have made a remarkable improvement when compared over two years," said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.
Other experts said that unless India woke up to its water crisis, disaster loomed. "There is great awareness now about air pollution, however, India’s water crisis does not get that kind of attention," said Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog.
By Sowmya Sangam
