The drought has depleted four reservoirs that supply the country’s sixth largest city, Chennai, with a population of more than four million.
India is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history, with soaring temperatures threatening crops, livestock and people. Thousands of villagers have abandoned their homes in a desperate search for water as the crisis has left village pumps and wells dry. The drought has also depleted four reservoirs that supply the country’s sixth largest city, Chennai, with a population of more than four million. Residents are having to queue for water that's brought into the city in trucks, while businesses are suffering.
As of 10 June, around 44% of the country was affected by various degrees of drought, due to a heatwave that has seen Delhi record its highest ever June temperature of 48℃. While south of the capital, the Rajasthan city of Churu saw highs of more than 50℃, making it one of the hottest places on Earth. Around 600 million people are dealing with high-to-extreme water shortages, according to a 2018 report by NITI Aayog, a policy think tank for the Indian government.
Forced to flee
Many wealthy Indians retreat to the usually cool hills of Himachal Pradesh to avoid the summer heat, but even in this summer retreat temperatures have reached nearly 45℃.
One of the worst affected regions surrounds the town of Beed, in the western state of Maharashtra. Here, villages lay deserted as drinking water has run out and there is no water to wash clothes and dishes or flush toilets, forcing residents to flee. Tanks arrive every few days with emergency supplies, but there are not enough to go round.
Prolonged extreme heat has devastated the crops that form the backbone of local agricultural economies. Helpless farmers have little option but to leave maise, soya, sweet limes, and ground nuts withering in the fields. And livestock fare little better, with goats and sheep starving from lack of food and water.
For those who can afford to pay for water that’s trucked in daily, there is some respite. But this water is taken from the bottom of muddy dams and lakes, which is often contaminated and can cause gastrointestinal diseases.
Water shortage
Villagers look to the monsoon rains to end the drought, but the rains are late this year. Some years they don’t arrive at all, or bring less rainfall than expected.
By 2030, it’s predicted that 40% of the population will have no access to drinking water - and 21 cities, including Chennai and New Delhi, will run out of groundwater, impacting 100 million people, according to NITI Aayog.
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[–] 19298732? 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
>>13415917
>>13415423
India is already starving.
Dixit the WHO, indian average calorie intake (which wasn't that high already) is steadily decreasing for the last decade.
[–] 19298905? ago
Water riots should be fun for them.
[–] 19298731? ago
This problem is somehow Trump's fault too.
[–] 19298730? ago
Long distance pipes, peeps. If one nation is “exploiting” another, the exploiting nation will subsidize both nations’ water infrastructure, while the people of the exploited nation will invest in water conservation without need of subsidies or regulations. It’s highly efficient.
[–] 19298729? ago
Nations need to learn the art of depending on enemies for water. I could explain more, but y’all are probably hopeless.
[–] 19298728? ago
All paki people ar dirty bastards. Remind me of a time my friends mom worked as a cleaner in a small hotel and a shitskin had rented a room and instead of shitting in the toilet for whatever religious reason or not shat on the floor all the time and she would have to clean it and was not allowed to say anything to the guy about it.
[–] 19298733? ago
That's his fault for not making designated shitting floor.
[–] 19298727? ago
India dogs die of thirst. India dogs go to hell. Happy China move your border, or no water.
[–] 19298722? ago
Entire massive country doesn't have potable water so…
Start space program
Breed like rats.
Hey ho way to go India.