Thirsty Giant

In India's capital city, explains journalist Somini Sengupta, increasing demand and weak public water and sanitation systems have left even middle-class people "foraging" daily for water, testifying to "the government's astonishing inability to deliver the most basic services to its citizens at a time when India asserts itself as a global power." When water rushes down from the Himalayas into the Yamuna River, it is drinkable; by the time it flows out of New Delhi to other dependant populations, it’s a muddied mess, taking on 950 million gallons of sewage daily. Preventable diseases from waterborne diseases, brought on by poor sanitation conditions, lead to 2.1 million deaths of children under 5 years old annually in India. The country is at a crossroads: Development and economic goals remain a priority, but the need to deliver basic services to billion-plus citizens only becomes more pressing over time. With climate change increasing threats to water security, revolutionizing water and sanitation systems must become a priority for India's government. India's case repeats throughout the developing world, with millions of neglected and muted poor suffering from a global thirst not easily quenched. – YaleGlobal