India will become a water-scarce country if the availability of water per person per annum falls…

Given the precarious condition of its ground and surface water resources such as rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and reservoirs, India could be a water-scarce country in the next 40 years. With 1,486 cubic metres (about 1.5 million litres) of water available per person per annum, India falls in the water-stressed category; a dip below 1000 cubic metres per person per annum will push it into the water-scarce category. The manner of water consumption compounds the problem. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) statistics show that indiscriminate use of ground water turned 4% of the total 7,089 assessed units critical in 2022, while 14% were assessed as over-exploited; the situation was worse in 2017 when 17% of the units were over-exploited. Recharge and conservation efforts have borne fruit, but such units remain high in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In India, 87% of groundwater is extracted for irrigation, and experts say excess year-round withdrawal may be the biggest reason for depletion, since recharge happens mainly in the monsoon. Encroachment of water bodies and the discharge of untreated waste water into rivers and streams have further reduced surface water resources.