The long road to clean water: India’s infrastructure story
Turn on a tap almost anywhere in India, and you’re rolling the dice. Water availability in some cities may only be a few hours of daily consumption. On the contrary, some cities deliver water through pipes that have not been serviced for decades, causing water to carry rust, dirt and, at times, a lot more. […]
The hidden cost of that “Safe” Bottled Water you’re drinking
We’ve all done it – grabbed a sealed bottle of water and felt instantly reassured. Sealed means safe, right? Unfortunately, that is not true. Let us understand the perils before your next purchase. What’s really inside ‘bottled water’ The water in packaged bottles is not always as pure as it appears. Many companies use groundwater […]
When the rains don’t show up: India’s Water wake-up call
This year, the monsoon kept everyone waiting. Reports show rainfall running well below normal across large parts of the country as the India Meteorological Department pointed to El Niño and dry northwest winds stalling the monsoon’s advance, leaving a countrywide rainfall deficit. Reservoirs that cities depend on didn’t fill the way they usually do, and […]
Why India’s drinking water crisis is getting harder to ignore
India’s complex history with safe drinking water is compounded by the fact that it is surrounded by many sources of water including rivers, rainfall, and groundwater. The occurrence of contaminated municipal pipelines in urban areas and the presence of fluoride and arsenic in well water from rural areas indicate that unsafe drinking water represents a […]
The hidden gaps in Rural India’s drinking water
In 2024’s assessment of the Jal Jeevan Mission, there’s been a revelation regarding the poor quality of drinking water supplies at the household level in rural India. Out of 1,200 samples taken from home taps, only three out of every four passed testing performed by a recognised laboratory, with up to one quarter of sample […]
A wake up call on India’s groundwater safety
The Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025 came out on Friday and it has stirred quite a conversation. You might have seen headlines already. The most significant concern found was uranium contamination in approximately 13 – 15% of groundwater samples from across the nation. This is disturbing because water is an essential source of sustenance […]
The High Cost of Drinking Water: Delhi’s silent crisis
In Delhi, something as simple as turning on a tap is far from ordinary for thousands of families. A recent survey by Greenpeace India has revealed a grim truth: more than a third of low-income households are forced to spend up to 15 per cent of their monthly income just to access drinking water. Imagine […]
When the Tap can’t be Trusted: Urban India’s water woes
Across India’s urban sprawl, a silent crisis drips through homes each day. Although piped water connections have expanded to more urban centres, only 6% of households believe that what comes from the tap is safe to drink. This startling statistic, from a recent LocalCircles survey on World Water Day, indicates when it comes to cleaning […]
Hyderabad water crisis: A looming challenge
The rapidly expanding Indian city of Hyderabad experiences an extreme water shortage at present. Multiple factors including fast urban growth combined with rising population alongside unpredictable rainfall patterns and lowering groundwater extraction has made Hyderabad face an unsafe and unpredictable situation. Hyderabad’s escalating water crisis creates difficulties for all its residents together with business operators […]
India’s Water crisis: How governance can make an impact
India has 18% of the world’s population but has access to only 4% of the world’s freshwater. Hence, water scarcity has faced an increasing threat in India. While India stood at 133 in the ranking of per capita availability of water, as against that, it is the world’s second-largest consumer of water, exploiting almost 20.1% […]