India has the most people without clean water

NEW DELHI, March 22: : India has the world’s highest number of people without access to clean water – imposing a major financial burden for some of the country’s poorest people, according to a report released Tuesday.
The international charity Water Aid says 75.8 million Indians – or 5 percent of the country’s 1.25 billion population – are forced to either buy water at high rates or use supplies that are contaminated with sewage or chemicals. That accounts for more than a tenth of the 650 million people worldwide without clean water access – more than any single country in Africa or China, where 63 million have no access.
The situation worldwide has improved since 1990, with 2.6 billion people gaining access to clean water since then. But the report urged more action in “a world where one in 10 people are trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease for want of a safe, affordable water supply of their own.”
Poor Indians without water access are forced to spend an average of about 72 cents to buy 50 liters (13 gallons) of water a day, the amount recommended by the World Health Organization, according to the report. That’s nearly 20 percent of their typical daily income, according to the report. By comparison, people in Britain spend about 10 cents a day for 50 liters.
“Poor management of water resources is the biggest problem holding India back,” the report said. “Misappropriation in planning and execution of water supply projects is another key factor. And projects often use inadequate sources, or pipelines do not reach habitations.”
The alternative to buying supplies – using dirty water – comes with sober consequence, sickening countless people every year. About 315,000 children die from diarrheal diseases each year, with 140,000 those deaths happening in India. – Agencies