Effects of Water Scarcity in India

Millions of people across the globe don’t have access to water. Approximately 70% of Earth’s surface is covered in water with only 3% being freshwater that is fit for human consumption. 2/3^rd of the water is in glaciers and remains inaccessible to humans. A study revealed that 1.1 billion people across the globe don’t have access to water and 2.7 billion people remain without water for at least a month during a calendar year.

Finding clean water is very rare these days. Many people across the globe put in their efforts the entire day and are unable to find it. However, people who get clean and safe drinking water seem to not utilize water in the best possible manner.

Water scarcity in India comes in various forms: It can be in the form of the water crisis, water shortage, water deficit or water stress. There are 2 types of water scarcity: Physical and Economic. Physical water scarcity is seen when natural water resources don’t meet a region’s water demand and economic water scarcity is a result of poor water management resources.

Some of the Effects of Water Scarcity in India are as follows:

1.     Drinking Water inaccessible in many areas: It is observed that many people are not able to get clean, drinking water. The human body has a limit to which it can withstand not having water and not getting water can result in many problems.

2.      Hunger: The primary resource for India’s food comes from farmers who leave no stone unturned to keep their crops healthy. If there is no water, crops won’t grow and people will go hungry. Animals would die as well, which would lead to no production of meat.

3.     Lack of Education: If water isn’t accessible to people, many children in families will also fall sick and would be unable to attend school as well.

4.     Diseases: In case of no access to clean water, humans will be more prone to chronic diseases like jaundice, irrespective of the water being used for cooking or for bathing. And if the situation gets severe, it can result in death as well.

5.     Sanitation Issues: Without clean water, you can’t get clean food, clean dishes or people. If people are not given access to proper sanitation, diseases become a major issue. It even causes mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

6.     Poverty: People who face the problem of water scarcity in India are usually poor. They don’t get the proper resources on time and are barely able to survive in difficult times.