Several areas in the central state of India, Madhya Pradesh, are currently facing water shortages. The video, which you can watch at the beginning of the article, comes from the local village of Ghusiya, where all wells and alternative water sources have dried up.
–
“Heartbreaking video” according to the BBC caused strong reactions on Indian social networks, where people are urging the authorities to resolve the situation in the village quickly.
–
However, a similar video from the neighboring state of Maharashtra appeared in April and is generally not such a rare phenomenon in India.
–
The South Asian country has been plagued by drought for at least hundreds of years before the monsoon, but points out climatologist Roxy Koll, droughts have been getting worse since the turn of the millennium. “India has not experienced a wet year since 1995,” Koll wrote under a graph showing the situation since 1870.
–
The government has promised the people of Madhya Pradesh to bring water to every village by 2024. However, millions of people do not yet have tap water there, and the inhabitants of the village of Ghusiya, where the wells have dried up, are threatening to boycott this year’s local elections.
–
“We have to climb to the well for the water. We have three, but they’re all almost dry. The water no longer flows from a single pump, “the local woman told ANI. “Government employees and political leaders will only show up here when there are elections. “This time we have decided not to give our votes until a proper water supply is ensured,” she said.
–
They are also murdered for water in India
As the BBC headlines, people in India often have to risk their lives without exaggeration, a dangerous water route. But it is also much worse – it kills for water there.
–
According to official statistics from the country’s authorities, more than 230 Indians died between 2017 and 2019 in conflicts caused by the fight for water. The English-language server, which focuses on the Indian countryside, says that according to activists working on this issue, the official number is just the tip of the iceberg and, in fact, there is a scuffle for water in India. kills much more.
–
India for years belongs among the droughts, the most vulnerable countries with “extreme” water shortages.
–
A recent report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) predicts that by 2050, thirty cities will be at risk of “acute” water shortages.
–
Humanity is at a crossroads
By the same date, up to 75% of the world’s population will also be affected (not necessarily acutely) by drought. This estimate comes again from only published last month news The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which warns that humanity is at the crossroads of tackling drought and must “urgently use every tool” to combat climate change.
–
India is the country where it shows how real outlines but similar news can get. In addition to the drought, the second most populous country in the world was hit this year by a strong heat wave, during which temperatures achieved maximum limit for the survival of the human body.
–
There is still plenty of water, but not everyone can reach it
When it comes to water, there are proven and effective ways to address water scarcity. Last year in an interview with News List analyzed by hydrogeologist Zbyněk Hrkal, according to which water scarcity is primarily an economic problem. According to him, every coastal state can use desalination, which works but is expensive.
–
“Humanity currently has enough water management technologies that are able to solve any problem with water management. We can purify, recycle or, in the extreme variant, produce water. Therefore, if a company is economically strong, it is able to solve the problem. Israel is a classic example, “said Hrkal.
—
