40% of Indian population will not have access to drinking water by 2030 – Niti Ayog report.
Forget the next generation, a recent report of Niti Ayog states that the groundwater will get depleted in 21 major cities by 2020 and around 40% population of India will not have water to drink by 2030.
- After the drying out of three rivers, four water bodies, five wetlands and six forests in Chennai, Niti Ayog alarmed the citizen over depleting water resources.
- The report claims that 40% of the Indian population will not have access to drinking water by 2030.
- 21 cities in India will run out of groundwater by 2020 affecting 100 million people.
- Millions of people are still dependent on groundwater in these cities including 40% population of Delhi.
These cities still lack the basic infrastructure for water supply in the majority of areas, given the intensity of depletion, the task looks way harder than anticipated before.
Chennai – A city with dying water bodies
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu is currently experiencing a massive drought. Three rivers, four water bodies, five wetlands and six forests in Chennai have completely dried out. The citizens of the sixth largest city in India are forced to wait in long lines waiting for government tanks. The states water board has cut the supply by 40%, which has caused a severe shortage of drinking waters and also caused businesses to shut down.
The state government is trying to control the situation with desalination of ocean water, which is a very expensive method. But to overcome this crisis in a more efficient form, the government should take steps to promote conservation of water and rainwater harvesting.
