In recent years, global water scarcity has become a serious issue due to increased human consumption, wastage and overuse of water, and the overuse of aquifers and other careless activities. Two-thirds of the world’s population experiences a major water crisis for one month every year.
Half of the world’s population may be living in regions with inadequate water supply by as early as 2025. Water scarcity can lead to the displacement of 700 million people by 2030, and 1 in 4 children worldwide can live in regions of extreme water stress by 2040.
Scarcity of water is a harsh reality for numerous people in India
Studies show that India will have only half the water left by 2030 if the current consumption rate continues.
80% of fresh water in India is used mainly for agricultural purposes, to grow water-intensive crops. This crisis becomes further challenging as India uses twice the amount of water to produce one unit of food compared to other countries. Irrigation is mostly dependent on groundwater despite large canal systems and dams. These have led to serious issues and will eventually cause a 6% loss in India’s GDP, as suggested by NITI Aayog reports.
Several NGOs have started addressing the water crisis issue
Manthan, based in Ajmer, Rajasthan, is a non-profit organisation working on several issues since 1998. NGOs like Manthan have started with the driest part of Rajasthan in India, where marginalised communities are deprived of basic water.
The situation in these parts of India is terrible because the region is surrounded by different Salt Lakes, which makes the groundwater salty. This results in excessive pressure on the existing groundwater, leading to women walking miles to fetch drinking water in the scorching heat. This hampers the education of the little girls and the physical well-being of women.
Manthan uses the traditional method of harvesting rainwater in arid areas of Rajasthan and helps the villagers who depend on agriculture. They are also working on helping physically disabled people, widows and others by building a storage facility for water for those who can’t afford a single bucket of water. They wish to link these storage facilities with houses with existing water tanks and build new ones for households that can’t afford to build new ones.
They need a lot of materials to construct these storage facilities to offer thousands of families in Nagpur and Ajmer a regular source of water. Your support is what can help Manthan turn their dream of supplying water to people in these arid regions into reality. Join this noble cause and support Manthan by donating as much as via Donatekart. Your small donation can impact thousands of lives and give them a ray of hope, and your contribution can be the first step in helping Manthan avert a water crisis in these parched regions.
