40% of Indians will have no access to drinking water by 2030: NITI Aayog

India holds about 4% of global freshwater and 16% of its population

India face the worst water crisis in its history, and 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater by 2020, a new report from the NITI Aayog–a government think tank– said, highlighting the need for “urgent and improved” management of water resources.

With nearly 600 million Indians facing high-to-extreme water stress–where more than 40% of the annually available surface water is used every year–and about 200,000 people dying every year due to inadequate access to safe water, the situation is likely to worsen as the demand for water will exceed the supply by 2050, said the ‘Composite