India is the biggest user of groundwater – it extracts more groundwater than

China and the US put together – the second and third on the list, despite this fact
India is facing the worst water crisis in its history, and 21 Indian cities will run
out of groundwater by 2020.

Water scarcity in some regions is a leading source of economic and political instability.

With nearly 600 million Indians facing high or extreme water stress
and about 200,000 people dying every year due to inadequate
access to safe water, the situation is likely to worsen as the
demand for water will exceed the supply by 2050.
The Aayog has called for “immediate action” in India as growing
scarcity will also hit India’s food security.

Currently Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil

Nadu are facing water shortages which are only worsened by
changing rainfall patterns.

If mitigation measures are not implemented, India faces a

six percent loss in its GDP by 2050.
With nearly 70 percent of water contaminated India ranks 120th of
122 countries in a global water quality index.

AGRICULTURE
Prolonged dry spells and erratic monsoons/droughts of the past few
years have devastated farmers, driving many to commit suicide.
17 of the 24 states scored below 50 percent on managing ‘on-farm
water’ effectively. This underperformance – given that agriculture
accounts for 80 percent of all water use – poses significant water
and food security risks for the country.

Causes of Water Scarcity

 Overuse of Water
 Pollution of Water
 Conflict
 Distance
 Drought
 Governmental Access

Effects of Water Scarcity

 Lack of Access to Drinking Water

 Hunger
 Lack of Education
 Diseases
 Sanitation Issues
  Poverty
 Education

Solutions for Water Scarcity

 Recycle Water
 Advance Technology Related to Water Conservation
 Improve Practices Related to Farming
 Improve Sewage Systems
 Support Clean Water Initiatives

Highlights of the Tamil Nadu water crisis:

1. Around 400 DMK workers were arrested on Wednesday for trying to stage a protest
demanding Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani's resignation for his
alleged failure to resolve the water crisis in Tamil Nadu. The DMK workers held
bright plastic pots over their heads to make a vivid display of the protest against the
water crisis.

2. CM Palaniswami said all steps are being taken to supply water and urged the media
to not to create an "illusion" of water scarcity.

3. The Madras High Court came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government for not
taking adequate measures even though monsoon failure was predicted. The court
directed the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary to submit a state-wide
comprehensive report on the number of reservoirs in the state, steps taken for
desilting, amount sanctioned, and status of those works.

4. The water crisis in Chennai and in several other places in Tamil Nadu has affected
the construction sector severely. "We are not able to get good water fulfilling quality
parameters from the ground hence we are forced to buy tanker water which is very
costly and increases the cost of construction,"

States need to start managing their groundwater and their

agriculture water. If we start to look at this issue as a whole, and
we work hard to make sure that we are able to make a difference
when it comes to this widespread issue, we’re going to be in a much
better place to help people all over the world in preventing this
issue from getting worse.