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Indian Industry Can Lead The Way In

Water Conservation

By Ramnath Vaidyanathan, General Manager, Sustainability, Good and Green,
Godrej Industries

India Inc, supported by the government,
can lead the way to maximise availability
and reduce consumption of water as well
as encourage a water-frugal lifestyle

Chennai, the sixth-largest city in India and
home to a population of over four million,
made headlines recently, as the metropolis
perilously veered on the brink of a major
water crisis. With all the four reservoirs
that supply water to the city having gone
dry, it triggered a humanitarian crisis
requiring emergency measures which
included water being transported to the
water-starved city on trains.

However, Chennai isn’t alone in its crisis.
Several parts of the country are staring at
water scarcity, at a scale and severity that
has never been witnessed before. As
shocking as this is, it shouldn’t come as
much of a surprise. After all, India is
among the world’s most water-stressed
countries.

According to the World Bank, India had
3,000–4,000 cubic meters of water per
person in 1950, which has fallen to around
1,000 cubic meters per person today,
largely due to population growth and
increase in consumption patterns.

Growing competition over finite water
resources, compounded by climate
change, will have serious implications for
India’s food security, the livelihoods of its

farmers and for overall economic
development. In short, India is staring at

an apocalypse triggered by water scarcity.