A report says at least 21 cities in India could be facing a water crisis within the next two years as groundwater is depleted. The resulting shortages could affect more than 100 million people.
According to The Weather Channel, the water situation in India is dire. Nearly 600 million are facing high to extreme water stress in the country, according to a report by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Ayog). NITI Ayog is a government sponsored tank. The report says 75% of households are without water and 70% of the water in India is contaminated.
“Critical groundwater resources that account for 40% of India’s water supply are being depleted at unsustainable rates,” the NITI Aayog analysis said in the report.
Amitabh Kant, chief executive of NITI Aayog, said the depletion of the groundwater in Delhi does not mean the city will be completely out of water by 2020. It can draw water from neighboring states. Kant does stress that the country need to address the water situation soon.
"Delhi is currently pulling too much water out of the ground and we are not putting back a sufficient amount," Kant said to BBC.com.
Deficient rainfall and the onset of early and extended summer can be blamed for the groundwater depletion, according to the report. Both are linked to climate change. The rising populations across India and the increase in water demand is also to blame, the report said.
The researchers for this report look at how 24 of the country’s states are managing their water supply. From this data, they created the Composite Management Index.
According to Kant, the index was made public with the intention of shedding light on the situation. He hopes it will “help establish a sense of competitiveness across states to improve their performance in water management.” As well as force the state administrators to take action to protect India’s water.
"This report is about naming and shaming," Kant said to BBC.com. "These are states to which 50% of the population and agriculture basket belongs, and therefore, if they do not do well, food security is at risk for the whole of India."
