India is a water-stressed nation. Managing water resources is foundational to development and key to achieving each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to address extreme poverty and achieve basic human rights.

If there is no water, there is no life.
• Only 3% of Earth’s water is fresh water.
• Less than 1% of Earth’s water is available as freshwater (on the surface and groundwater), which is extensively exploited.
• India has 2.4% of the Earth's land area and 16% of the world's population, but only a small fraction of the total available freshwater—about 4 percent of the available 1 percent.
• Precipitation (rain or snow) is the only viable source of freshwater on earth.

The per capita availability of water in India has been steadily declining since 1950 due to environmental degradation, population growth, and climate change.

The dwindling supply of fresh groundwater is also a growing threat to India’s food security. Exploitation of groundwater for farm irrigation has reached critical levels in many areas across the country. Groundwater aquifers are being sucked dry.

The water we do have is polluted.

Half of the water supply in rural areas, where 70 percent of India’s population lives, is routinely contaminated with toxic microbes and chemicals
According to the World Health Organization:
• 97 million people in India lack access to safe drinking water.
• 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water.
Without toilets, washing facilities, or drinking water in schools, children (especially girls) miss out on basic education.

In India, the per capita water storage capacity (the amount of water available in reservoirs of any kind) is only 200 cubic meters. Without storage capacity for rainwater, there is no way to ensure the availability of freshwater under drought conditions or when the monsoon fails.
It is critical that aquifers are recharged frequently. If more water is extracted than replenished, the water table drops drastically and can reach a stage where it is difficult and very expensive to extract.

To address the critical need for water security in India, Sehgal Foundation’s Water Management program focuses on the collection, storage, and access to safe drinking water. Ex. rainwater harvesting systems to capture water from rooftops and the creation of many small storage structures (lakes, village ponds, wells, check dams).

This World Water Day, give the gift of water. Make a Difference!
Sehgal Foundation is a public, charitable trust registered in India since 1999 with a mission to strengthen community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change across rural India.

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