Thirsty Nation

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Almost 70 per cent of Earth’s surface area is covered with water. Out of which 97 per cent is sea water and 2 per cent is covered in snow. Only 1 per cent of the available water is useable. The dwindling water resources could be a risk to global stability. States in India are already locking horns over the issues of water sharing. Many times these disputes have turned violent and gory. The problems related to water are abound. Everyone needs to come together and find solutions to the water problem that concerns one and all

21 Indian cities that will run out of water

Water demand by different sectors in India

	2010	2025	2050
Drinking Water	56	73	102
Irrigation	688	910	1072
Industry	12	23	63
Energy	5	15	130
Other Uses	52	72	80

Main source of drinking water in urban areas

Tap water from treated source	62.00
Tap water from un-treated source	8.6
Covered well	1.7
Un-covered well	4.5
Hand pump	11.8
Tube well/borehole	8.9
Spring	0.2
River/canal	0.2
Tank/pond/lake	0.4
Other sources	1.7

Main source of drinking water in rural areas

Tap water from treated source	17.90
Tap water from un-treated source	13
Covered well	1.5
Un-covered well	11.8
Hand pump	43.5
Tube well/borehole	8.3
Spring	0.7
River/canal	0.8
Tank/pond/lake	1.1
Other sources	1.4

Demand & supply of water in India in Billion Cubic Metres (BCM)

	2010	2030
Supply	650	744
Demand	634	1498

Average water use per person per day

	Liters
USA	575
Japan	374
Germany	193
United Kingdom	149
India	135
China	86

Some Facts

70% of our water is contaminated.
India is currently ranked 120 among 122 countries in the water quality index.

By 2030 India’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply.
40% of the population will have no access to drinking water by 2030.

75% households don’t have drinking water.
84% rural households don’t have access to piped water.
600 million people face high to extreme water stress.

By 2025 an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity.
70% of earth’s surface is covered by water & only 1 per cent out of 2.5 per cent freshwater is accessible.

State-level performance on water resource management
Ranking of states according to Composite Water Index Scores (FY 16-17)

Non-Himalayan states

States	Ranking
Gujarat	76
Madhya Pradesh	69
Andhra Pradesh	68
Karnataka	56
Maharashtra	55
Punjab	53
Tamil Nadu	51
Telangana	50
Chhattisgarh	49
Rajasthan	48
Goa	44
Kerala	42
Odisha	42
Bihar	38
Uttar Pradesh	38
Haryana	38
Jharkhand	35

North-Eastern and Himalayan states

States	Ranking
Tripura	59
Himachal Pradesh	53
Sikkim	49
Assam	31
Nagaland	28
Uttrakhand	26
Meghalaya	26

Gujarat is the highest performer, closely followed by other High performers such as Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Seven states have scores between ~50-65 (including two North-Eastern and Himalayan states) and have been classified as Medium performers. Alarmingly, ~60% of states (14 out of 24) have achieved scores below 50 and have been classified as Low performers.

Low performers are concentrated across the populous agricultural belts of North and East India and among the North-Eastern & Himalayan states.

Water Index scores vary widely across states, but most states have achieved a score below 50% and could significantly improve their water resource management practices.

Water Index scores for FY 16-17 vary from 76 (Gujarat) to 26 (Meghalaya), with the median score being ~49 for Non-Himalayan states and ~31 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states.