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Multiple factors are converging to ensure that India will suffer severe shortages of freshwater in the years to come.  As the poor majority of India’s population rises to the level of running water (drinking water for everyone by 2015, as another political campaign goal), freshwater usage will spike.  India’s industries are finally moving into high gear, however steel production and chemical manufacturing both require huge amounts of water.  India’s population continues to grow at an alarming rate, farm yields are declining due to sloppy crop rotation and pesticide use and more farms are needing irrigation.  Global warming has led to a well-documented reduction in the size of India’s glaciers, whose snowmelt feeds the country’s rivers, and the water table in the north has dropped from 60 feet ten years ago to over 300 feet today, nearly depleted.

The poor will, of course, be hit hardest and an investing business will no doubt be able to afford water and food, as will their workers, however for manufacturers and other industries that require a reliable source of freshwater, shortages will become a problem.  While now water availability is not an issue for factories, in ten years the situation will probably be akin to the power grid where there are rolling blackouts as reservoirs run dry and must be refilled.  Likewise, factories will need to have reservoirs of freshwater onsite to provide continuous water just as they need diesel generators now.  Another added and, for now, hidden cost to expect in an Indian facility.

Tags:  converging severe sloppy table