Why #WaterlessHoli Is Trending Now

Bhubaneswar: A single person, on an average, utilises around 30 litres or two buckets of water during Holi, says a report in the Times of India (ToI). This is clearly unaffordable when cities are starving for water and depending on water tanks. For this reason, celebrities and Twitterati have been promoting #WaterlessHoli. Here are more reasons why you should consider not wasting water this way during the festival of colours:

1. Around a billion people in the country live in water-scarce areas, says a report released by non-profit organisation WaterAid on March 22 (World Water Day).
2. Delhi and Bengaluru could run out of groundwater by 2020, said the ToI report.
3. Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board said the city faces a water deficit of 5 million gallons per day, and the same is adjusted through water tankers.
4. Water shortage can affect food security as 80 per cent of water is used in agriculture.
5. India is facing the “worst water crisis in history” with 600 million people living in water-stressed regions, according to a government think-tank.
6. Around 2,00,000 Indians die every year for lack of clean water, the same report said.
7. If 5 lakh people in a city use, on an average, two buckets of water during Holi, it amounts to a whopping 15 lakh litres.