Water scarcity isn’t a battle confined to Bangalore; it’s a nationwide crisis looming over India’s urban landscape. Several major cities across the country are on the brink of facing severe water shortages, posing significant challenges for residents and policymakers alike.
In Mumbai, the situation is dire. The city is grappling with increasing water demand, erratic rainfall patterns, and diminishing water sources. Rapid urbanization, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and inefficient water management practices, exacerbates the problem. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) frequently imposes water cuts due to dwindling water stocks in the seven lakes supplying water to the city, with no viable alternative sources in sight.
Jaipur, too, faces a looming crisis driven by its expanding population and growing industrialization. The reliance on the Ramgarh Dam as the primary surface water source during much of the 20th century became untenable by the late 1980s and early 1990s. Consequently, a complete shift to groundwater dependence ensued, swiftly depleting the city’s aquifers and aggravating water scarcity.
In Bathinda, agricultural overexploitation and dwindling groundwater reserves are driving water scarcity. The heavy reliance on groundwater for irrigation, coupled with inefficient water usage practices, has led to significant aquifer depletion in the region.
Lucknow, too, is not immune to the impending water scarcity. Residents extract groundwater equivalent to one-third of the Bhakra Nangal dam’s capacity annually to meet their needs. Over 750 government tubewells and 550 private tubewells further contribute to groundwater extraction, which is no longer replenished due to erratic rainfall, drying rivers, and rampant urbanization, putting immense strain on water resources.
Chennai, despite receiving substantial annual rainfall, faced a dire water crisis in 2019. The city, one of the first worldwide to exhaust its water supply, had to resort to daily transportation of 10 million liters of water to meet its population’s needs. While recent years have seen significant rainfall, Chennai remains vulnerable to extreme weather events due to rapid industrialization and urbanization.
In Delhi, acute water scarcity is an annual struggle, worsened by contamination of the Yamuna and groundwater depletion. Sixty percent of the water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board comes from the polluted Yamuna, with the remainder sourced from groundwater. Reversing groundwater depletion and improving water quality are imperative to address Delhi’s water challenges.
Across India, from Mumbai to Delhi, from Jaipur to Chennai, and beyond, the specter of water scarcity looms large. Urgent and concerted efforts are needed to address this crisis before it spirals out of control, impacting millions of lives.
