Water Crisis in India

Groundwater changes in India, 2002-2008

Have you ever turned on the tap and wondered if water might ever stop pouring out? Or do you just assume the supply is endless and will continue to drip until you turn it off?

These kinds of questions are ones that people living without easy access to clean water will never consider.

In India, 220 million people currently do not have access to safe drinking water. And these days, finding it is as difficult as ever.

In September, the Economist reported that this year’s rainy season between June and September, which traditionally accounts for 80% of India’s annual precipitation, was “the scantiest in decades.”

Drought has made an on-going water-access problem worse. The vast majority of India’s rain water falls for a short time and in such concentrated areas that, with so much poverty, it’s a serious challenge to trap, store and distribute across the country.

Climate change is also playing a part. As the Himalayan glaciers continue to melt, India’s major rivers threaten to shrink.

This water problem has already started brewing minor disputes between provinces, cities and groups. By the time India’s population reaches 1.7 billion, as it is expected to do so by 2050, the country will run short of water and minor conflicts could become major.

Making matters worse, farmers in the semi-arid Punjab are extracting water from the ground at an unsustainable rate. Currently, India is the world’s largest user of groundwater, pulling from about 20 million boreholes. However, the wealthiest farmers receive either free or reduced-price electricity from the government, making it possible for them to pump out more water than the water table can sustain.

The Economist rightly calls this a water crisis.

In Rajasthan, the province in which Free The Children currently works, these problems are daily concerns for its people. Funds raised for clean water in India will be put towards creating sustainable water projects as well as assisting with watershed management.

For more information, please visit:

Free The Children’s India Page
Global Issues (search “India water”)

Jonah Kanter
Special Projects Coordinator, Youth Programming

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.