Crisis on every drop of water: Why is India's land thirsty despite policies?

India, with 18% of the world's population and only 4% of fresh water resources, is facing a severe water crisis. Overexploitation of groundwater, pollution, unbalanced agriculture, and climate change are the major causes. Despite government schemes and policies, the situation is worsening due to lack of implementation and public participation. Making water conservation a mass movement, promoting micro irrigation, fixing water prices, and making recycling mandatory is the need of the hour. Unless policy, behavior, and consciousness change simultaneously, water crisis will continue to challenge India's future.

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he water crisis in India has become such an irony that it makes one wonder why this country is yearning for every drop of water despite so many plans, announcements and _policies.

When a country has 18% of the world's population and has only 4% of the fresh water resources, then the possibility of a crisis is justified, but if this same country has been beating the drum of water conservation and water management plans for decades and yet drought, thirst and waterborne diseases fall on its lot - then this is not just a natural crisis, it is a collective failure of policy, administration and civic consciousness.

If we understand the water situation in India in terms of Statistics, the horror is clearly visible. The Niti Aayog report says that India is the world's largest consumer of groundwater - India alone extracts about 25% of groundwater. More than 11% of groundwater blocks are in a state of ‘over-exploited'. 21 major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad have been warned that groundwater will be exhausted by 2030. On the other hand, 70% of water sources are polluted. This water contaminated with fluoride, arsenic, nitrate and heavy metals is affecting more than 23 crore people. Every year about 2 lakh deaths occur only due to waterborne diseases - this is not just a statistic, it is the height of our insensitivity.

This water crisis is not limited to rural areas or the poor. In 2019, when a modern city like Chennai faced "Day Zero" and had to run water trains, it became clear that this problem is no longer at the doorstep, but inside the house. And yet we forget it every time, considering it a seasonal problem.

The question is that policies were made — National Water Policy (2012), Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Namami Gange, Jal Shakti Abhiyan — but why is the water level still falling? The answer is simple — our policies do not reach the ground, and there is no change in our behavior.