By Dr Indira Khurana*
Water Bankruptcy to Resilience — Act Now
India’s GDP is growing, as are the aspirations of the people. Both require water. And herein lies the challenge of the balance: How to meet demand when natural resources are running out, quantitatively and qualitatively.
Water is needed for survival, food security, livelihoods, industry, nature, economic growth and for self-dependency, dignity, peace and security at individual and national levels. Water (SDG 6) plays a foundational role in the fulfilment of all other SDGs.
India is one of the top countries at risk because of water scarcity, floods, water pollution and climate change. A holistic view to understand the nature of the problem is critical for its sustainable and equitable resolution. Solutions are possible, the first step of which is acknowledging the problem.
The nature and extent of the challenge
India faces multiple and complex water challenges, which range from too little (water scarcity) to too much (floods), invading water salinity and pollution. There is unequal access and uneven availability. Exacerbating these challenges is climate change. According to NITI Aayog’s Water Management Index (WMI), 2019, India is suffering from the most severe water crisis in its history, with almost 600 million people experiencing high to extreme water stress. India now ranks 120 of 122 countries in the water quality index.
Groundwater abuse: Creating negative balances
India continues to extract water faster than natural recharge.
Groundwater forms the backbone of India’s water security, and as the largest groundwater extractor in the world, accounts for 25 per cent of global groundwater extraction. The groundwater contribution to meeting water needs is significant: nearly 62 per cent in irrigation, 85 per cent in rural water supply, and 45 per cent in urban water supply.
Water quality issues also plague India’s groundwater reserves. In 2023, nearly 70 per cent of groundwater sources were reported to be contaminated. For example, excessive nitrate was found in 440 districts, excessive fluoride in 469 districts across 27 states, arsenic in 230 districts across 25 states, and uranium contamination in seven states – Punjab, Delhi National Capital Region, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Other contamination includes industrial chemicals, iron and heavy metals. The capital city of Delhi has uranium, lead, nitrate, fluoride and biological contamination in its groundwater.
Groundwater salinity is an increasing problem in coastal areas and in semi-arid and arid regions, particularly in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. The 11,098 km-long Indian coastline, home to vibrant ecosystems, thriving cultures, and unique biodiversity, is being devoured by the invisible seepage of seawater into freshwater resources because of saltwater intrusion due to excessive groundwater extraction and/or global warming-induced rising seas. This silent invasion is corroding the foundation of physical infrastructure.
State of rivers
Research reveals that the Ganga is drying up faster than it did in the last 1,300 years. Too many rivers are drying up, and too fast. River catchments are also drying: 60 per cent of 55 catchments across 17 river basins, including the Kaveri and Godavari, studied in Peninsular India, are drying. Springs and forest rivers are drying up. Small nallahs and streams that contributed to larger rivers are disappearing.
Rivers are at the receiving end of pollutants such as sewage, solid waste, plastic, heavy metals, antibiotics, fertilisers and pesticides, organic chemicals and forever chemicals from where these enter the ecosystem, our drinking water, food chain and our bodies.
Drought, flood and climate change: Economic loss
Drought in India has increased in frequency, intensity and area over the years. There is a 57 per cent increase in the area affected by drought since 1997. Between 2000 and 2019, there was also an increase in ecological drought, affecting vegetation and croplands. There is also an increase in flood-affected areas, the frequency and intensity, affecting an increasing number of populations, livestock, croplands and livelihoods. Climate change is also contributing to these disasters.
The global economy could lose 10 per cent of its total economic value by 2050 due to climate change. According to an African Development Bank report, Africa is losing up to 15 per cent of its GDP each year because of climate change. Between 1980 and 2021, economic loss due to climate-related extremes was Euro 559 billion in the European Union, 27 states. In 2021, economic losses caused by floods worldwide were estimated at 90 billion U.S. dollars. In 2022, it is estimated that India suffered an 8 per cent GDP loss due to climate change. This loss is estimated to reach 24.7 per cent by 2070.
Missing out
What is often left out of discussions and policy is the impact of water and climate change on women and children: lack of water and water disasters affect physical and mental health, and give rise to psychological stress. The social fabric is affected, which increases their vulnerability. Drought affects expecting mothers and their unborn, and thus drought impacts are intergenerational. Incidents of spontaneous abortion increase, and the babies born are more inclined to be of low birth weight as compared to the average. Social evils such as child brides and trafficking are increasing. The menstrual cycle and menstrual hygiene are affected, and hysterectomies increase. The threat of physical and sexual abuse looms large. Anaemia exacerbates the impacts of heat waves.
Health implications of poor water quality
Health implications of poor water quality range from skin disorders, organ failure, bone and teeth deformity, spontaneous abortion, malnourished newborns, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, psychological problems, and premature death. Some health implications are intergenerational. Poor health and disease hit the pocket hard, eating into savings and increasing indebtedness. Poor water quality affects the GDP as well.
The growth and resource paradox
Water scarcity influences myriad sectors. The World Bank has already warned that India’s GDP could shrink by up to 6 per cent by 2050 due to water scarcity. Lower water availability threatens food production and food security, hurting farmers and farm labourers. Health implications are huge, some of which are intergenerational. There is biodiversity loss and extinction of species. Increasing scarcity raises the risk of cross-border tensions over shared rivers and water resources. Climate change acts as a force multiplier.
GDP growth requires water across sectors, thus increasing demand. As industrial activity picks up, water use escalates. As GDP grows, so do aspirations and standard of living, both of which require water. In a time of increasing needs, we are in a situation with declining per capita water availability. In 2021, the per capita water availability was 1,486 cubic metres (cum), which is a water-stressed situation, which declined to 1,341 as per government estimates in 2025 and is projected to decline further to 1,140 cum by 2050 bring the country closer to water scarcity. India’s water demand could be twice the available supply by 2030, with groundwater depletion accelerating sharply, as per NITI Aayog.
Physical infrastructure is created at the expense of ‘natural’ infrastructure, namely forests, water bodies and storage banks, riverbed sand, hills and mountains. With dwindling water resources on one side and aspirations for growth on the other, it is important to understand interconnectedness and then make wise decisions. Upfront, there is a need to replenish and shore up water resources, clean them up and scale up their efficient use.
Capturing the rain to ease the pain
Sometimes solutions are simple and literally under our noses. The rains are manna from heaven. Each drop nourishes, hydrates, stabilises, contributes to the filling of empty coffers and serves as a sponge and shield. Just as saving a penny for a rainy day is a practice, so is saving the rain.
Rainwater conservation plays a significant role in balancing drought and flood mitigation. Structures slow rain flow, reducing soil erosion and siltation downstream. The soil can retain moisture, is not fragmented and remains fertile. Groundwater recharge reduces evaporation loss, revives springs and keeps them flowing. Recharged aquifers add to base flows of streams and rivers, making these come alive and perennial, leading to climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Natural filtration processes can clean the water and remove a host of pollutants.
The absence of water and the presence of hunger limit livelihood choices, causing anguish, anxiety, migration and social disruption. But when water becomes available through rainwater conservation, a basket of livelihood opportunities opens up. Agriculture and animal husbandry are possible. Rivers are revived, and forests regenerated. Wildlife has water to drink. Migratory labour returns to their roots and farms and employ labour from other villages, thus generating employment, and circular, rejuvenative green growth. An assessment of 168 households across three villages in Karauli district, where community-led talaabs were constructed, threw up encouraging results. Agricultural income reached 30 times the investments made, and per household earnings amounted to Rs 8.33 lakh. This led to a generation of a minimum of 100 per cent increase in the economy as cash in hand became available. This kind of economy is decentralised, rejuvenative, circular and green. Water resources are augmented, and vegetation increases. There is water, food, nutrition sovereignty and climate resilience.
Thus, rainwater capture leads to recharged wells, brimming surface waterbodies, rejuvenated rivers, dilution of pollutants and climate resilience. Dignified livelihoods become possible. There is water security and food on the table. Forests regenerated, carbon sequestered, and the water cycle regulated. Local economies are improved, and there is peace and security. The same principle can be adopted to make water secure and climate-resilient cities.
Emerging as a water-strong country
A January 2026 UN report informs that the world has entered a state of water bankruptcy, where water currency has been used up, perhaps to a point of no return. This scenario calls for serious contemplation and action.
Decentralised rainwater conservation for river revival and aquifers recharge becomes imperative. Urban areas need to become water self-dependent and take responsibility for the pollution they generate. The scope for cities is tremendous – the rivers that flow, the ponds and lakes, and the existing aquifers. The policymakers need to visualise how they can balance land and water demands with water conservation.
There is a need to deepen understanding about the role of the ecosystem – forests, mountains, biodiversity and soil – in reviving and rejuvenating water resources. The critical symbiotic relationship between ground and surface water needs to be understood, and their interconnections respected and nurtured. The water pollution crisis needs to be taken head on though prevention, dilution, technology and accountability. No pollutants should leave the industry premises or pollute aquifers.
While India shores up its water resources, this water will go a long way through efficient use across all sectors – agriculture, industry and domestic use.
The government needs to make wise choices for sectoral growth. Questions to ask should include: What will be the impact of a particular development activity on water? Where is the water going to come from? What is the water footprint? How will this ‘new’ water use affect nearby communities and their livelihoods? What will be the quantum of wastewater generated, and how will this be reused? What will the pollutants be, and how will these be effectively and sustainably taken care of? Great caution needs to be exercised to cater to the demands of the ‘new kid’ on the block, Artificial Intelligence.
There is life in water, and life because of water. Meeting aspirations cannot be through GDP alone: Well-being and making life worth living for all, is what it’s all about. Tried and tested solutions are simple, but sometimes, hard decisions need to be taken, and alternate approaches to development carefully weighed.
The need to develop a water-sensitive conscience and consciousness could never be stronger.
*Indira Khurana, PhD. is the chairperson of the Indian Himalayan River Basins Council, chairperson of Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, and chief advisor of Tarun Bharat Sangh. Views are personal.
