Water Availability Likely To Drop To 1,367 Cubic Metres Annually By 2030: Centre
A recent flooding incident in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, highlights the dual challenges of water scarcity and excess water management
India is on the brink of a severe water crisis, with the per capita water availability expected to drop to 1,367 cubic metres annually by 2030, as per the Ministry of Jal Shakti. This alarming statistic, shared in a response to the Rajya Sabha on Monday, underscores a looming water-stressed situation, defined as anything below 1,700 cubic metres per capita.
The government responded following a query from Aam Aadmi Party MP Balbir Singh, who highlighted the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) report that listed 30 Indian cities as facing water scarcity by 2050. The MP also raised concerns about Bengaluru, where water scarcity has already impacted educational institutions.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti cited the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) projections, which predict an even graver scenario with annual per capita water availability falling to 1,228 cubic metres by 2050. The ministry emphasised the state-level management of water resources, with the Centre providing only “technical and financial assistance.”
The ministry outlined various initiatives to enhance water availability in its detailed response, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission, which connected 11.78 crore rural households to the water supply grid from 2019 to 2024. However, this progress is uneven across states. While Arunachal Pradesh boasts a 100 per cent household water supply, West Bengal and Rajasthan lag with just 50 per cent and 51 per cent coverage, respectively.
The ministry also highlighted the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, started in 2021 to improve urban water infrastructure. A budget of Rs 39,011 crore has been allocated for making Indian cities “water secure.” Similarly, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Scheme (JSA-CRS), operational from 2021 to 2024, focuses on rainwater harvesting and water conservation, converging with other schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGS) and Amrut.
Despite these initiatives, progress remains inconsistent. Delhi, for example, has completed only 111 rainwater harvesting projects and 35 traditional water body renovations since 2021, with no projects for reuse and recharge structures or watershed development. This contrasts sharply with states like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, which have implemented hundreds of such projects.
The 2020 WWF report painted a stark picture of global water risks, listing 100 cities worldwide, home to 350 million people, at extreme risk. Notably, 30 of these cities are in India, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Indore, Mumbai, and Kolkata, alongside global counterparts like Beijing, Istanbul, and Rio de Janeiro.
Adding to the water-related woes, a recent flooding incident in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, highlights the dual challenges of water scarcity and excess water management. The floods caused significant damage to property and infrastructure, bringing to light the urgent need for effective urban water management solutions. Similarly, Bengaluru has recently faced severe flooding, exacerbating the water crisis as the city's outdated drainage systems and unchecked urbanisation have failed to manage the deluge, causing extensive damage and disrupting daily life.
