Overused groundwater: 21 cities moving towards zero level The groundwater crisis in the cities is worsening, due to gross urbanisation, unchecked boring, exploitation of groundwater and surface water and a failure by the government or private bodies to rejuvenate groundwater.
Uttar Pradesh, the worst-hit state, shows depleting groundwater levels in 660 blocks.
The ‘Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India’, a report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), has defined the stage of development of groundwater as the percentage of utilisation of groundwater with respect to recharge.
It shows that Hyderabad is the worst in this respect, with stage of development exceeding 400%.
Contamination: 200,000 die every year due to lack of clean water About 85% of India’s cities have access to drinking water, though most cities do not have the infrastructure to supply piped water to all homes.. Only 20% of water meet health and safety standards, according to the Niti Aayog report.
Almost all major rivers and 70 percent of water in India is contaminated, reveals the Central Pollution Control Board.
Mismanaged Sewerage: Two-thirds of city houses lack sewage connection To fight pollution, the solution is to build wastewater treatment plants in order to decontaminate water before it gets discharged into urban water bodies and rivers.
The low performers on the Water Index compiled by the NITI Aayog house 50% of the country’s population and account for 20-30% of agricultural output.
In Bhubaneshwar, the state has drawn up plans to provide free drinking water to urban households to develop the infrastructure for potable water.
Patna’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar plans to allocate Rs 7,000 crore for every household to get 70 litres of water everyday for two years.