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global index of 180 countries has placed India 145th in regards to water quality and sanitation. India's most famous river, the Ganges, is currently in a state of pollution. Low water quality and a supply of groundwater that is rapidly depleting is threatening to plunge India into a situation where famine and water-borne disease are commonplace. India's population is on the rise India's population is projected to reach more than 1.5 billion by 2030. This, in turn, increases demand for energy, resources and space. The implication of this is increased industrial output. This entails greater emissions of greenhouse gases, larger volumes of solid waste (much of which will be
Environment & people
18
March 2020
dumped at landfill) and increased deforestation as India urbanises and industrialises at a rapid pace. Higher levels of pollution have caused large swathes of India's groundwater to become contaminated, increasing the risk of contaminants in the form of both chemicals and pathogens. Inadequate safe drinking water, pollution to blame? India as a nation has undergone rapid industrialisation. India's cities are growing at an unprecedented rate. As the population increases and more and more individuals move from rural to urban locations, power and housing needs increase accordingly. This has led to mass scale construction projects, as well as the necessary development of new power plants to provide for the ever
growing cities. India now holds the fourteen most polluted cities in the world. Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh, is at the top of the list. It has the world's highest atmospheric concentration of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), at 173 micrograms per cubic metre. India does not fare much better in lists based on PM10 pollution. Delhi is the world's most polluted megacity in this regard, with Mumbai (India's most populous city) in fourth place. Delhi also places sixth on the list of most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 pollution. Such high levels of pollution in the air can also imply significant amounts of pollution in nearby water supplies. Bengaluru is one of the Indian cities where polluted water is causing severe issues. The city epitomises India's current issues with drinking water. The Karnataka
