India is home to around 17% of the world’s population but has only 4% of its freshwater resources. With rapid economic growth and a growing population, decreasing per capita average annual water availability has become a cause for concern, especially since India has entered the ‘water stressed’ category. Furthermore, unplanned urbanisation, untreated effluents have resulted in increasing water contamination, while groundwater suffers from over-extraction and contamination. Additionally, climate change is expected to pose severe challenges to the quality and quantity of water and lead to natural disasters.
This white paper, a result of a partnership between the United Nations in India and the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, attempts to present India’s water-related characteristics, and suggest short-term and long-term policy reforms for sustainable water management. The pathways advised focus on adopting a holistic view on the interlinkages between water and other sectors.
