Govt draws up list of local bodies facing water crisis

NEW DELHI : The cities of Patna, Chandigarh, Delhi, Pune, Indore, Nashik, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Agra, Ghaziabad, and Hyderabad are among those that face a severe water crisis, according to a study by the ministry of housing and urban affairs.

The ministry plans to address this crisis, in part, by launching a people’s movement , and hopes to do this by the end of November in the most water stressed parts of the country. This year, Chennai and Bengaluru have witnessed a significant water crisis, highlighting the vulnerability of large metropolises to water shortage.

In all, according to the ministry, 255 districts (India has a total of 725 districts), 756 urban local bodies (ULBS; municipalities and corporations), and 1,597 blocks across the country face a severe water crisis and shortage of drinking water from a rapid decline in ground water levels due to indiscriminate extraction, erratic monsoons, and unauthorised development.

The ministry of housing and urban affairs has prepared guidelines for urban water conversation which will be implemented in two phases in collaboration with the ministry of Jal Shakti’s flagship scheme, Jal Shakti Abhiyaan. In the first phase, 496 ULBS have been identified in 200 districts (the work here will happen between July 1 and September 15).

The crux of this drive is building a large-scale awareness campaign so that conservation of water becomes a Jan Andolan (popular movement) AN OFFICIAL, ministry of urban affairs