The challenges from ongoing climate changes and recurrent droughts have made India suffer from intense water stress. The scenario is anticipated to escalate as the country’s population is projected to upsurge to 1.6 billion by 2050. This predicament notably impacts women who are majorly responsible for collecting water.
Water Crisis in India: A Grim Outlook
Despite accommodating 16% of the global population, India only possesses 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. Consequently, India today faces a severe water crisis that impacts millions. As per the data from the Central Ground Water Board in 2017, about 256 out of 700 districts in India revealed ‘critical’ or ‘overexploited’ groundwater levels. Alarmingly, nearly three-quarters of rural families lack access to piped potable water, forcing them to depend on unsafe sources.
Furthermore, India tops globally in extracting groundwater, accounting for almost a quarter of the world’s total. About 70% of water sources are polluted, leading to the death of major rivers.
Root Causes of Water Crisis
The water crisis can be traced back to some primary causes:
1. Population Growth: India’s increasing population has further depleted the available water per person. With less than 1,700 cubic meters of water available per person per year, India is categorized as a water-stressed country.
2. Poor Water Quality: Most rivers in India provide water unfit for drinking and, in several areas, even bathing. This is primarily due to delayed and insufficient investments in urban water-treatment facilities.
3. Dwindling Groundwater Supplies: Excessive extraction of water by farmers and sparse rain in certain regions leads to fast-depleting groundwater reserves.
4. Unsustainable Consumption: Mismanagement and overuse of water resources, contamination of local water bodies, and lack of proper water treatment facilities have further worsened the situation.
Impact on Women: Life in Water Scarcity
Water scarcity has had a substantial impact on women’s lives:
1. Vulnerability of Women: The water crisis has exposed women to increased vulnerability, primarily as gathering water has been typically considered a woman’s responsibility for ages.
2. Reduced Access to Sanitation: With the obligation of fetching water consuming most of their time, many women are unable to maintain proper sanitation, intensifying their marginalization.
3. Water-Wives: The burden of managing water has even led to men in a drought-prone village in Maharashtra marrying multiple women solely to collect water, an arrangement sadly termed as ‘water wives’.
Government Initiatives in Controlling the Crisis
Several initiatives by the government aim at tackling the situation:
1. Jal Kranti Abhiyan
2. National Water Mission
3. National Rural Drinking Water Programme
4. NITI Aayog Composite Water Management Index
5. Jal Jeevan Mission
6. Jal Shakti Abhiyan
7. Atal Bhujal Yojana
Looking Ahead: Securing a Water-Abundant Future
Addressing women’s water, sanitation, and hygiene needs is crucial in promoting gender equability and harnessing the potential of half the world’s population. Innovative and sustainable water management, comprehensive monitoring of floodplain aquifers, and active corporate role in water conservation through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives can pave the way towards a future free from water stress.
