Evaluation of water security status of Imphal River Basin, India: A case study based on WPI approach

Abstract

Water scarcity, lack of freshwater to meet the demand of human population is a major global challenge. Today, the trend of climatic changes is accelerating the future problem of water security. In the northeastern part of India, in Manipur state, the majority of freshwater for drinking is provided by the rivers which are fed by monsoon rain. At present, the region has witnessed certain climatic variability and altered local and regional meteorological conditions, which impacts the water security. Therefore, the present study is an effort to evaluate the water security status based on the Water Poverty Index (WPI) and vulnerabilities of the Imphal River Basin due to changing climatic variabilities. The findings of the study showed that the overall WPI of the districts in the river basin falls within the good category (0.41–0.48). However, the findings also highlight the developmental gaps in the range of 52–59 % for the water sector in the river basin districts. The results indicate a growing trend of high-water stress scenario which may significantly pose various challenges to water security in the region.