A recent article in the WSJ discussed the availability of safe drinking water in India and other developing countries. A report by a London-based nonprofit, WaterAid, concluded that approximately 5% of India’s population does not have access to potable water. While 5% of the population may not seem that significant, it is important to remember that 5% of India’s population equates to 78.5 million people. The article stated that the majority of those without access to clean drinking water live in extreme poverty and live on less than $5 a day. To make matters worse, India is reliant on groundwater aquifers. More shallow aquifers are being depleted faster than anticipated due to hand pumps use to extract water.
India compared to Papua New Guinea appears to be faring better, as India’s poor spends less of their income on water. It is estimated that the poor in Papua New Guinea spend 50% of their income on safe drinking water. This fact resonated with me as it related to many of the conversations we have had in class concerning water marketing. The developing world often pays more for water due to geographic location, lack of infrastructure and less demand compared to that of the developed world.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/03/22/indians-have-the-worst-access-to-safe-drinking-water-in-the-world/