Severe water crisis due to rain deficiency: Drought-like situation in half of India

Guwahati: Life in many parts of India seems to be at stake as the country is facing water shortage in several states and as per reports, there are drought-like conditions in the country. The forerunners in the list of states suffering from the severe water crisis, are certainly Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Delhi, Telangana and many others.

Reports show millions of people struggling for drinking water, however, the lakes and groundwater are drying up to make things worse only. The drought-like situation has not only created a crisis for drinking and household water, but the agriculture sector of the country too is badly affected. The productivity of key summer crops has gone down strikingly over the past two weeks.

The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) data says till June 22 the monsoon was 39% deficient. However, there are news of monsoon advancing into parts of central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha, remaining areas of Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar, most parts of Chhattisgarh. Some areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh will also come under this purview.

IMD Pune's Climate Application and User Interface Group head Pulak Guhathakurta said, "The index reflects long-term trends and water storage conditions in different parts of the country. Scanty pre-monsoon rains and delayed monsoon onset together created conditions for drought. The outlook for next week is a little better."

It is seen that the country's 51% geographical area has not received rainfall so far which has led to delay in the planting of crops. The rural households are, thus, forced to conserve water sources for drinking purposes rather than using it for farming. The adverse effect can directly be seen in diminishing agricultural activities.

Reportedly, the reservoirs in Telangana were 36% below normal; Andhra Pradesh at 83%; Karnataka at 23%; Tamil Nadu at 43% and Kerala at 38%. This highlights the alarming state of water crisis in Indian states and this will not improve until the monsoon arrives.

Also read: Tamil Nadu turns down Kerala's 20 Lakh litre water offer despite acute water crisis