Scarcity of water could hurt prospects of India: Shekhawat

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Monday said that from being a food deficient nation, India became a a food exporting country, but the scarcity of water could hurt its prospects.

Emphasising on judicious use of water, he said India is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of water availability.

The minister said that the challenge of providing water to 17 per cent of the world's population, which lives in India, with just 4 per cent of water in the world available with to it, is the next big challenge for the country.

Speaking at the Chhath Ghat, ITO here, Shekhawat said it has achieved the distinction of a food exporting country from being a food deficient nation, but scarcity of water in near future can hurt its prospects.

"India is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of water availability and population explosion has added more to the problem. Every drop should be saved and conserved and all should make a combined effort for its judicious use on a continuous mode," he said.

Speaking at another event, Shekhawat stressed on the need to launch a huge 'jan andolan' for water conservation along lines of the Swachh Bharat Mission to address agricultural, industrial and domestic water issues.

The minister said, "Years before today, nobody would have believed that the sanitation coverage of India would reach 100 per cent mark by 2019. Today, in just four and a half years since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission, this figure has increased from 39 per cent to 99 per cent," he said.