As India is preparing for a harsh summer – the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts temperatures will be 1 degree C above normal in most parts – the latest information from the Union water resources ministry reveals that India can sustain only one drought season, given its live storage.
The numbers make for grim reading. A country is classified water stressed if per capita availability is less than 1,700 cum. In India, the reading against this parameter is 1,545 cum. Factoring multiple variables, including population, the ministry predicts availability could fall to 1,341 cum in 2025, and even plummet to 1,140 com in 2050 which is perilously close to a water scarcity condition ( per capita availability is less than 1,000 cum ).
While the prevailing bleak situation can be attributed to successive droughts, the condition is largely a consequence of over exploitation and pollution over the years.
Another set of documents from the ministry of drinking water and sanitation throw disturbing fact into stark relief; water in 320 out of 640 districts in the country is contaminated. Among the pollutants are fluoride, arsenic, other chemicals and heavy metals such as chromium and lead. Contaminated water affects more than 6 lakh habitations directly, while many more are adversely affected indirectly. According to the Union health ministry, five diseases that result from water contamination have claimed more than 18000 lives in the past seven years…. As published by The TIMES OF INDIA 25th March 2017, Ahmedabad.
