India is heading for a grave water crisis, it must take remedial measures urgently
Save our rivers: India is heading for a grave water crisis, it must take remedial measures urgently It is on the banks of its rivers that India’s civilisation and its cities emerged and were nurtured. Population pressures and developmental imperatives may have led to overexploitation of our rivers and groundwater, but poor planning and wilful neglect breaking the organic links between rivers, nature and people is no longer acceptable. India is heading for a grave water crisis and remedial measures cannot be postponed. Irrigation accounts for nearly 80% of water demand followed by drinking needs, industry and energy sector. On the demand side mitigatory steps like changing cropping patterns, curbing wasteful practices, and promoting renewable energy must be stepped up. One clear indicator of strain is annual per capita water availability. This was 5177 cubic metres in 1951 which declined to 1545 cubic metres in 2011, against the international threshold for water stress pegged at 1