India faces water security threat

-Live Mint

India’s water security outlook has been labelled ‘hazardous’ in report published by Asian Development Bank

India’s water security outlook for 2013 has been labelled “hazardous” in a report published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled Asian Water Development Outlook 2013.

 

A hazardous outlook implies inadequate levels of public investment, regulations and enforcement related to water. India was given the lowest water security index rating of 1 (on a scale of 5) by the report, along with seven other countries from the Asia Pacific, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kiribati and Pakistan.

The index took into account household water security, economic water security, urban water security, environmental water security and resilience to water-related disasters.

India’s index is low in all categories barring economic water security, in which it had a rating of 3, defined as capable and implying an increase in public investment. It takes into account how countries are ensuring the productive use of water in food production, industry and energy to sustain economic growth.