NITI Aayog has released water management index on Thursday, Jharkhand is the worst among them leading 15 most poor performer states. The report has also predicted that by 2030, the country’s water demands will be twice than the available water. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra are behind Gujarat on the index, among states that have performed relatively well.
In Northeast, Tripura is at the top followed by Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam. The think tank has marked all the states across nine broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of groundwater, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance, NITI CEO Amitabh Kant said.
According to the 175 page report by the Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the worst performing states.
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“In terms of incremental change in the index (over 2015-16 level), Rajasthan holds number one position in general states and Tripura ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan states,” the report said.
The report said India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and millions of lives and livelihoods are under threat. “At present, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water,” it said, adding that the crisis is only going to get worse.