For a Science-Based Transformation of Water Policy

India is facing a major water crisis which threatens the basic right to drinking water of the citizens; it also puts the livelihoods of millions at risk. The demands of a rapidly industrializing economy and urbanizing society come at a time when the potential for augmenting supply is limited, water tables are falling and water quality issues have increasingly come to the fore. If the current pattern of demand continues, about half of the demand for water will be unmet by 2030. As we drill deeper for water, our groundwater gets contaminated with fluoride, arsenic and uranium. Rivers and groundwater are polluted by untreated effluents, sewage and agricultural run-off that continue to be dumped into them, consequently poisoning water resources and supplies. These toxins are finding their way into plants and animals, causing severe ecological toxicity at various trophic levels. In India, cities produce nearly 40,000 million litres of sewage every day, barely 20% of which is treated. Only 2% towns have both sewerage systems and sewage treatment plants.