India: Drought, Climate Change, and Poverty

Abstract

India is the second most populous country in the world and is burdened by significant poverty and income inequity. It has 16 percent of the global population and only 4 percent of the global water resources. By 2050, the population is expected to reach 1.6 billion people, surpassing China. Water stress is clearly evident in India and as population surges this situation will be exacerbated to the point of water scarcity in many parts of the country. Inevitably, providing clean, safe water for citizens and water for agriculture will be difficult challenges. There are 400 million citizens living below the international poverty line of (USD 1.25 per day) and a population of 167 million Dalit’s who suffer chronic and systematic social and economic discrimination that has endured for centuries. The marginalization of minority groups and vulnerable populations in India is widespread and this reality extends to water health and security. Water scarcity, climate change, drought, flooding, water delivery infrastructure at the rural level, extreme poverty, waterborne diseases, and water pollution are combined challenges that confront the Indian government and people. As a comparative illustration on the accelerating scarcity of water, per capita water availability was 5177 m3 in 1951 and lowered to 1545 m3 in 2011.