Thirsty Cities Alert: Will Climate Doom Dry Up India's Urban Lifelines by 2050?

India's megacities teeter on a water precipice as climate change amplifies scarcity, with projections painting a dire future. NITI Aayog's 2018 report flags 21 cities exhausting groundwater by 2030; WWF eyes 30 more by 2050 amid population booms and vanishing lakes. Chennai's 2019 "Day Zero" crisis—reservoirs at 0%—signals worse ahead, with demand outstripping supply by 70% by 2025.​

Crisis Drivers:

Climate Havoc: Declining monsoons (6% drop since 1951), droughts, and floods slash recharge; Bengaluru's heat islands near "Day Zero".​

Urban Explosion: 600M urbanites by 2036 devour resources; 70% surface water polluted, 40% distribution losses from leaky pipes.​

Overuse Realities: Agriculture guzzles 85%; groundwater over-extraction in 256 districts, per CGWB.​

Solutions demand rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse (only 20% cities recycle), and policies like Jal Jeevan Mission. Without action, GDP could shrink 6% by 2050.​

Sources: NIUA, Drishti IAS, NITI Aayog