"With an average annual rainfall of 1,170 mm, India is one of the wettest countries in the world. Still, even with its rich natural water resources, with more than 300,000 square meters of bodies of water, the country is plagued by environmental issues such as water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides (Sharma, 2005). Another major problem is that tap water is not potable throughout the country. This implies that people, especially those from the lower income bracket, cannot avail of clean drinking water, since these have to be bought. Repugnant as it may sound, it is a reality that millions of Indians queue up everyday at public taps for one of life's most precious commodity — water." -ADB

Saturday, 12 December 2009

Terrifying water crisis faces India; most cities to run dry

Terrifying water crisis faces India; most cities to run dry  




If you are afraid because your tap has been running dry lately, then it is time you braced yourself for worse times to follow. Terrifying times, in fact.


By the year 2020, says a recent World Bank report, most major Indian cities will run dry. Given the state of the monsoon this year, it would appear that the World Bank report has come true almost a decade earlier.
Severe water shortage had already led to a growing number of conflicts across the country, with 90 per cent of India's territory served by inter-state rivers.


India's supply of water too is rapidly dwindling primarily due to mismanagement of water resources, although over-pumping and pollution are also significant contributors.


Climate change is expected to worsen the situation by causing erratic and unpredictable weather, which could drastically diminish the supply of water coming from rainfall and glaciers.


However, we are not still ready to accept the reality of depleting groundwater reserves in India. This condition has caused a major water crisis.
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Disclaimer: This Blog is a small step towards building a knowledge-based platform for Professionals interested in "water resources management(WRM)". One of the objective is knowledge dissemination. Please note that VIEWs expressed here are purely personal.