Addressing India's Water Crisis: Initiatives and Challenges

According to a recent study by NITI Aayog, over 600 million Indians face acute water shortages. In 2019, only 3.29 crore out of 19 crore rural households had access to tap water, and women walked long distances to get water. Access to sufficient clean drinking water is still a significant issue in many parts of the country, and adoption of effective solutions at scale has not happened due to multiple factors (especially in rural areas).

To address critical water challenges, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was started by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on August 15, 2019, to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

Complementing the efforts of JJM, The/Nudge Prize-Ashirvad Water Challenge with a prize purse of INR 2.5 crores, invites innovators to create solutions that will ensure clean drinking water for all Indians by 2024. Visit the challenge website here.