**3. Risks envisaged: apprehension of appalling future**

The situation of water emergency is that approximately 2 lakh people die every year in India due to consumption of inadequate and polluted water [17]. The threats looming overhead due to water scarcity are not only confined to the human race. Depleting water levels coupled with many anthropogenic activities has put our biodiversity in an extremely vulnerable position. Almost everywhere, watersheds appear to be dying and shrinking because of their reduced rainwater harvesting capabilities. The storage areas of the catchments were either diverted to other uses or became deforested. As a consequence, the situation is getting tough day by day. In those areas of the country which are facing the dire situation of water crisis, the cost of a pitcher of water is more than the life of a person or human being. During the summer, women in several parts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Bundelkhand start arranging water from very early morning. Last year, drinking water was transported by train to the people of drought-hit Latur district of Maharashtra and Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. These days, the news of water disputes at various locations has become quite common. This crisis may increase further in the coming times. Analysts have been expressing apprehension that the use of water in the form of a weapon is also possible in the near future. Some time ago, due to tension with Pakistan, India had threatened to disrupt the availability of water by stopping the flow of the Indus River. In this section we will discuss the potential dangers arising out of water crisis.
