To live a life peacefully, one needs to have clear air, healthy food, and of course, clean water. Almost two-thirds water of the earth is not potable, as it contains salt and other minerals. The left one-third of the water is safe to drink, and we get it from the mountains where glaciers melt and contain water in the purest form.

Water is a basic necessity of everyday life, but its recent picture is quite worrying. The economies where the water resources are adequate, too are facing serious concern. There are various data and reports regarding the water conflict in the world. It is a lack of access to safe drinking water, to maintain basic hygiene at home, in schools, and in hospitals.

According to a recent report by UNICEF, four billion people – almost two-thirds of the world’s population- experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. Over two billion people live in countries where the water supply is inadequate. Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025. Some 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030. By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 children worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress.

India and the Water conflict:

Out of its population of 1.4 billion people, 35 million people lack access to safe water and 678 million people lack access to a safe toilet. India also faces widespread water pollution, a lack of safe drinking water in some remote regions of rural areas where neither the government not the media reaches, contaminated rivers and groundwater- people are compelled to use these waters that are not even safe for consumption. Recent reports from the urban areas where IT industries are on top, show that due to extreme tree cutting down and the development of concrete, areas are now more prone to extreme heat, and water access is also a concern in the region.

A recent report by NITI AAYOG highlights India’s severe water crisis, with nearly 600 million people facing high to extreme water stress. The report, titled “composite Water Management Index,” emphasises the need for improved water management strategies due to factors like over-extraction of groundwater, contamination, and increasing demand.

The problems of the water crisis is so serious that the future of the planets seems in trouble. To know the effective solutions to the problem, we first need to know the root of it and what challenges we could face in the future.

Root causes of the Problem:

• Inefficient Water Management – People around the world consider water a free resource, and therefore, even educated people of today do not value the importance of sacred water. Water is wasted without any consideration of its impact on the planet. In a particular region, the poor management of water resources by municipalities and the general public in one of the causes of water wastage.
• Poor infrastructure and insufficient water storage
• Climate Change – The changing patterns of southwest monsoon and melting glaciers at the current rate are one of the main issues of water crisis, as melting glaciers reduce freshwater availability, impacting both seasonal water supplies and long-term resources.
• Pollution – The untreated sewage , agricultural runoff, and heavy industrial chemical wastage contaminate the water bodies, making it hard for people to survive.
• Urbanisation and population growth

CONCLUSION:

In the 21st century, when the world raises the demand for every human rights, it forgets to carry on the fundamental duties. It’s not about any region, any government, or any particular person, it’s all about us. We together need to unite to save the available water for a sustainable future. There are various organisations on the international level that work for the betterment of people and planet but nothing can be achieved if a single person can not change the perspective to that he/she too is equally responsible for the crisis.