A water crisis in slow motion

India's struggle with flood management, climate change, and its misaligned priorities pose a serious threat to clean water supply in cities

One of the paradoxes that makes flood management so difficult is that clean water supply is inevitably affected. Floodwater is dirty and once it gets into the water supply, the choices are stark: Shut down water supply or deal with a cholera outbreak.

Delhi is currently facing this issue, and Bengaluru dealt with it last year. Himachal Pradesh is also going to have to handle this.  Given extreme weather events due to climate change, it has become a global issue.

India is especially vulnerable to climate change. It has terrible municipal infrastructure, guaranteed water stress, and poor or non-existent urban planning. 

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