India is grappling with a water crisis. It must act now

India is grappling with a water crisis. It must act now

A water-secure economy is the foundation of climate resilience, safeguarding agriculture, urban growth, and public health. The question is not whether we have the tools to act, but whether we have the will to act swiftly and decisively.

India is grappling with a water crisis that threatens its economic stability, food security, and public health. With 18 per cent of the world’s population but only 4 per cent of its freshwater resources, India faces severe water stress, intensified by the relentless impacts of climate change. The NITI Aayog’s 2018 Composite Water Management Index warned that 600 million Indians experience high to extreme water stress, and by 2030, water demand could outstrip supply by twofold. The World Resources Institute ranks India 13th among the 17 most water-stressed nations globally, with groundwater levels depleting at an alarming rate — over 60 per cent of irrigated agriculture and 85 per cent of drinking water depend on it. The 2024 Annual Groundwater Quality Report revealed that 70 per cent of India’s water sources are contaminated, posing risks to health and livelihoods. Why, then, do we continue with fragmented policies and half-hearted measures when water is the lifeblood of our nation’s progress?

Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a present-day crisis reshaping India’s water landscape. Erratic monsoons, critical to 55 per cent of India’s agriculture, have become increasingly unpredictable. A 2024 Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) study found that 55 per cent of tehsils experienced a 10 per cent increase in heavy rainfall over the past decade, triggering floods that devastate crops and infrastructure. Conversely, 33 per cent of India’s land is drought-prone, with soil moisture declining in 48 per cent of its geographical area, as per a 2024 Conscious Planet study. Rising temperatures accelerate glacial melt in the Himalayas, threatening the long-term flow of rivers like the Ganga and Indus, which sustain millions. The World Bank projects that climate-induced water scarcity could reduce India’s GDP by up to 12 per cent by 2050, potentially resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses.