The Water Crisis In India
In India, people’s access to safe drinking water resources continue to be inadequate in spite of the long-term measures adopted by the government of the country to solve the crisis. Although the government investment in this field is low by international standards, the investment has definitely increased over the years, and so has the access of people to safe drinking water resources. Reports suggest that the in 2008, 88% of Indians had access to improved water sources, a leap from the figure of 72% in 1990.
Factors Triggering The Crisis
Pollution of the country’s freshwater resources is the primary cause of the shortage of safe drinking water in the country. As of 2003, only about 27% of the country’s wastewater was being treated and the rest was simply dumped into the rivers, lakes, canals, and streams of the country. Even the holy Ganges is being laden with waste and dead bodies of semi-cremated adults or enshrouded babies. The Yamuna River of the country is also in an extremely poor state. Adding fuel to fire, global warming induced climate change is affecting the freshwater sources of the country. The indiscriminate extraction of water from the rivers of India and the massive dams built in series along these rivers decrease the volume of the water significantly. Little clean water reaches the settlement located in the lower courses of these rivers. This leads to disputes over water scarcity between neighbouring states and regions within the country.
Indian States With Highest And Lowest Access To Safe Drinking Water Resources
From the data presented here (the data has been compiled from the Government of India published 2011 India Census Report), it can be seen that Punjab ranks number one state in the country in terms of percentage of households having access to safe drinking water resources (97.6%). Kerala, a state in Southern India ranks the last in the list (33.5%). On an average, 85.5% of Indian households have access to safe drinking water resources.
The State With The Highest Supply Of Safe Drinking Water
Punjab, often referred to as “the land of five rivers” is the Indian state providing the best access to safe drinking water to its citizens. Over one million households in the state have access to safe drinking water resources. More than 40 villages receive a 24-hour supply of water, and more rural households here have piped water connections than any other state of India. These villages receive over 40 litres of water per capita per day. The state also has abundant natural water supply from the numerous glacier-fed rivers entering the state from the Himalayas.
Kerala, The State With The Lowest Supply Of Safe Drinking Water
According to the survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the state of Kerala has the highest bacterial/chemical contaminated drinking water among the 28 Indian states. Another survey conducted IN 2013, revealed that of the 1,02,900 tested sources in Kerala, about 34% had some form of contamination like bacteria, fluoride, iron, arsenic, nitrate, etc. The Kozhikode district had the most contaminated water in the state. Other districts with high levels of contaminated water were Kasaragod, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Kannur, Ernakulam.
Although it is a general notion that Kerala has abundant water resources with numerous lakes and rivers throughout the state and sufficient monsoon rainfall, the facts prove the situation is vastly different. Despite the rains, the temporal and spatial variation in the rainfall system in the state creates water shortage in many areas. Rapid urbanization, population explosion, increased economic activity, land use pattern alterations are all factors influencing the supply of clean water in Kerala.
A list of India's Union Territories by access to safe drinking water has also been provided below:
Impact Of Unclean Drinking Water
The lack of adequate access to safe drinking water has significant impact on the health of the people drinking the water. Diarrhoea is common and often a chronic form of the disease might develop. Long-term consumption of unclean water might lead to the development of chronic diseases or dangerous health conditions like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, etc.
Source of data:
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