New Delhi to run out of groundwater in two years as India faces 'day zero' crises

It said that by 2020 some 20 Indian cities besides Delhi, including global information technology centres like Bangalore and nearby Hyderabad, were also likely to run out of groundwater, impacting over 120 million residents or nearly twice Britain’s population. 

Another 20 Indian cities besides Delhi are
also likely to run out of ground water.

An Indian government think tank has warned that New Delhi is set to run out of groundwater within two years as climate change and dramatic population growth hit supplies.

Based on data collected from 24 of 29 Indian states, the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) warned that the country's worst ever water shortage is likely to adversely impact some 600 million people.

Read the story from The Telegraph by Rahul Bedi - “New Delhi to run out of groundwater in two years as India faces 'day zero' crises.”

India slashes heatwave death toll with series of low-cost measures

One morning last week, Mohammad Javed wheeled an air conditioner on to the pavement outside his catering business in Delhi, placed his chair a metre away, sat down and did not move all day. When the machine ran out of water, he asked passing boys to fetch a bucket. When he had to give directions to workers in the building across the lane, he shouted. Every few minutes, he took a long swig from his water bottle and spat the contents on to the ground without swallowing. “Ramadan,” he explained.

A woman bathes her child at a stepwell on a hot summer day in New Delhi.

Northern India, like neighbouring Pakistan, is in the grip of a heatwave, with temperatures reaching 47C. A blanket of hot air has settled on Delhi clearing pavements across the usually busy capital. India is particularly vulnerable to temperature increases associated with climate change. Since 1992, about 25,000 Indians are estimated to have died because of heatwaves. Yet the country is quietly optimistic that it can prevent at least some of those deaths.

Read The Guardian story by Michael Safi in Delhi -  “India slashes heatwave death toll with series of low-cost measures.”