India is facing one of the most severe groundwater crises in the world. According to NITI Aayog, 21 major Indian cities are expected to run out of groundwater by 2030, affecting over 100 million people. This is not a distant threat — it is happening right now.
Groundwater accounts for nearly 63% of all irrigation water in India and
supplies drinking water to over 85% of rural households. When this invisible reservoir
disappears, the consequences are catastrophic — crop failures, mass migration, and public health
emergencies.
The primary culprits are over-extraction, poor water management, and the
rapid concrete paving of cities that prevents rainwater from seeping back into the earth. In
states like Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, water tables are dropping by 1–3 metres every single
year.
What can we do? Rainwater harvesting must become mandatory in every
building — urban and rural. Farmers need support to shift away from water-intensive crops like
paddy and sugarcane.
And every one of us must treat water not as an unlimited resource, but as
the precious, finite
lifeline it truly is.
The time for awareness has passed. The time for urgent, decisive action is now.
Content Courtesy: Inspired by NITI Aayog and Down To Earth
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