In India, drinking water is risky due to multiple sanitation issues. Many Indian people don't have local access to clean drinking water. Here's your guide to the water crisis in India.
India's population just reached 1.365 billion people, which makes it the second largest population in the world second only to China. This number is expected to keep growing and reach nearly 1.7 billion in the next 30 years.
This is an issue for a country that's already struggling to provide safe and clean drinking water to its people. The water crisis in India will only continue to get worse as the population grows and issues with water persist.
What are these issues, exactly? Keep reading to learn more.
Depleted Water Sources
Despite having the second largest population in the world, India is the size of one-third of America. It also only has a measly 4% of the world's fresh water, which means there's barely enough to go around.
This small amount of water is made worse with the fact that large companies, farms, and corporations are rapidly depleting groundwater sources that rural areas depend on for survival.
The lack of water, rapid depletion of that water, and a rapidly rising population is a recipe for a water crisis.
At this rate, 21 cities across India are going to completely run out of water by next year. In the next 10 years, the country's need and demand for water is going to be double what they have available to them.
Water Contamination
Over 97 million Indians don't have access to safe drinking water. The water that people do have access to in India is often contaminated with feces, bacteria, pollutants, and dangerous parasites.
The main rivers and waterways in India, namely the Yamuna, Ganga, and Sabarmati Rivers, are all open for use by anyone. From bathing to defecation to the dumping of garbage to draining of pollutants, these waters are dirty, contaminated, and unsafe for drinking.
Knowing that, it makes sense that over 20% of disease in India is directly related to unsafe drinking water. This leads to 600,000 children dying every year because of waterborne illnesses, poor hygiene, and toxins from their environment.
Further Impact
As a basic resource, the lack of safe water has a ripple effect on the entire country.
Lack of safe water leads to illness and death. Rapidly depleting water combined with variable rainwater impacts agricultural yields, which over 600 million people depend on for their livelihood.
Businesses and manufacturing plants are running out of water that they rely on for power, which leads to lack of employment, layoffs, and financial hardship. This will also decrease the country's exports, which can impact both the Indian and global economy.
Water Crisis in India: How to Help
That's just the beginning of the water crisis in India. As such a necessary and valuable resource, we predict that without aid or water reform, those in rural areas will riot, the death toll will increase, and India as a whole will be in danger of a complete collapse.
The good news is that there are actions we can do to help. Our organization–BreakthroughWater.org– is working to install safe drinking water wells across India. As of January 2019, we've installed 147, and we're planning for 100 more right now!
Get involved with us today. Together we can transform lives in India.