Water demand in India in 2010-2050 by sector

In 2010, the irrigation sector was the highest water consuming sector with a volume of 688 billion cubic meters and was expected to remain the highest water consuming sector even in 2025 and in 2050, with a volume of water consumption rising to 910 billion cubic meters and 1,072 billion cubic meters respectively.

Over the coming years, the water requirement across all the sectors will likely increase due to the growing population. There was a significant imbalance between the water demand and water resource availability, thereby causing water scarcity. With the rising population and industrialization, it was expected that there would be an increase in the amount of sewage and industrial waste being generated. However, the country lacked the capacity to treat the current waste.