Page 31 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2022-23

India accounts for about 16% of the world’s population but prevalent in rural and urban areas due to the
possesses only 4% of the global freshwater resources. over-exploitation of groundwater and other human
Over the past few decades, the country has consistently induced problems, like excessive usage of fertilisers,
drawn upon critical groundwater resources, which account improper disposal of industrial waste, etc.
for 40% of India’s water supply. Today, it is undergoing the
worst water crisis in its history and is projected to touch Water is intricately linked with climate change, playing a
critical water scarcity levels, in the absence of any change critical role in both its causes and consequences. Climate
or remedial measures. change is shifting precipitation patterns, leading to
more frequent and severe droughts
Currently, over 600 million in some regions and intense
people face high to extreme rainfall and flooding in others.
water stress, with 75% of These changes are a ecting
households having no access water resources, leading to
to drinking water on their scarcity of water for drinking
premises. A McKinsey and and agriculture. Simultaneously,
Water Resources Group report the overuse of water for
estimates that in a business-as- domestic and agricultural
usual scenario, the country’s purposes is creating demand-
water demand is expected to rise side issues. Another critical
to a level that is twice the aspect of water scarcity is its
available supply, by 2030. This impact on gender. Women and
would translate into more than girls often bear the primary
40% of the population not having responsibility of water collection and management,
access to drinking water, and 6% of the country’s GDP which is time-consuming and physically demanding,
being lost due to acute water scarcity by 2050 – limiting their opportunities for education and
potentially resulting in the biggest humanitarian crisis in economic participation.
the history of independent India.
In the recent past, the institutional landscape for water in
Apart from microbial water contamination, the occurrence India has become somewhat fragmented. The centre has
of diseases due to chemical contaminants, such as facilitated, legislated, regulated, and funded states for
fluoride, arsenic, iron, nitrates, etc., is becoming highly implementing programmes dealing with various aspects of
water, ranging from ground and surface water
management to service delivery in urban and rural areas to
water for irrigation, which has been apportioned among a
number of ministries. This has led to uncoordinated,
14 42 3,000
States Districts Villages overlapping, and often competing programmes.

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) portfolio of the
Trusts aim to create a healthy and water-secure future for
134,000 520,000 underserved communities by providing access to safe,
Households Individuals assured, and adequate water and improved hygiene
Coverage upto March 2023

ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23 24