Per capita water availability
Topic: Water Resources of India: Availability, Use and Conservation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Water Resources"
Meaning
Per capita water availability is the amount of water available to each person in a year, usually measured in cubic metres. It is worked out by dividing a country's total water by its population. India's total water stays roughly the same, but its population keeps growing, so each person's share keeps shrinking. It is a key sign of growing pressure on water.
Example
CWC and Ministry of Jal Shakti figures show India's per capita availability falling from about 5,177 cubic metres in 1951 to 1,816 in 2001, 1,545 in 2011 and about 1,486 in 2021. It is projected to fall to about 1,367 by 2031 (verify current). This is below the 1,700 cubic metre water-stress line.
Don't confuse with
- Falkenmark indicator: the set of thresholds (1,700, 1,000 and 500 cubic metres) used to judge per capita availability. Per capita availability is the figure being judged.