THE GREAT INDIAN THIRST
More than 2,500 years ago, when the Indus Valley Civilisation had reached its zenith, it mysteriously lost its effulgence and disappeared suddenly. Many archaeologists believe it was due to a catastrophic water scarcity caused either by shifting rivers or by drastic climate change that forced people to abandon city settlements. The civilisation all but vanished except for the ruins it left behind, which were discovered only in the 20th century.
Ominously for India, history seems to be repeating itself. A NITI Aayog report in 2018 stated bluntly that has become the world’s largest extractor of groundwater, accounting for 25 per cent of the total. That 70 per cent of our sources are contaminated and our major rivers are dying because of pollution. Its conclusion: ‘India is suffering from its worst water crisis in its history.’
