Asia: Water in India

India, the world’s largest democracy, does not have enough clean water. The population is more than three time the size of that of the United States, cramped into a third the space.

The World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water. In India, diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths each day. India’s waterways are contaminated with human sewage and industrial runoff.

Experts say Delhi could even run out of water within 25 years if strict conservation measures are not brought in soon.

These images were made in the cities of south India in the summer of 2002.