Agra, once renowned for the grandeur of the Mughal Empire and the beauty of the Taj Mahal, is now yearning to quench its thirst.

The city presents a grim picture of a future where water scarcity has become a brutal reality. The Yamuna, once a lifeline, has now turned into a river of poison. Overflowing with sewage and industrial waste, this river has suffered decades of mismanagement and the brunt of climate change.

The 140-kilometre-long pipeline that brings Ganga water from afar provides only temporary relief to the city. This fragile lifeline, while meeting immediate needs, masks deeper systemic issues. "Excessive reliance on the Ganga water pipeline has fostered a dangerous complacency, allowing the degradation of the Yamuna to continue unchecked. Promises of rejuvenation for the Yamuna, whether from national leadership or state government, remain unfulfilled. Even the 2015 pledge by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to launch a boat service from Delhi to Agra remains a distant dream," says environmentalist Dr Devashish Bhattacharya.

This crisis extends beyond the city centre. Residents of Pachgai Patti village, located just a short distance from the Taj Mahal, are enduring a silent tragedy. Their sole water source, groundwater, has been contaminated with excessive fluoride, leading to severe deformities across generations. Their plea for piped Ganga water has gone unheard.

Over the past 25 years, 90 per cent of the city's ponds have disappeared, falling victim to uncontrolled urbanization and land encroachment. Tributaries of the Yamuna are also choked with sediment and waste, rendering them equally endangered. The Chambal River, a vital water source, is experiencing reduced flow, while smaller streams like Utangan have already dried up, says Anil Sharma of the Agra Civil Society.

Residents are pointing fingers at elected officials, accusing them of broken promises and inaction. However, Agra's water crisis is not an isolated case. The entire nation is grappling with a groundwater crisis. Northern India alone lost 450 cubic kilometres of groundwater between 2002 and 2021.

According to the World Bank, 60 per cent of India's groundwater blocks will reach critical levels by 2025. Pollution is another major concern, with excessive nitrate levels found in groundwater across 440 districts, a direct result of uncontrolled fertilizer use and industrial waste.

Public commentator Prof Paras Nath Chaudhary states, "Globally, the situation is no less alarming. Since the 1980s, water consumption has increased by one per cent annually, and demand is expected to rise by 30 per cent by 2050. Over two billion people already live in water-stressed areas, and four billion face severe shortages for at least one month every year."

Eighty per cent of the world's wastewater, filled with human and industrial toxins, is discharged untreated into ecosystems. Plastic pollution has further devastated aquatic life, clogging rivers and oceans.

Agra's struggle is a stark reflection of this global emergency. Without immediate and decisive action, the city will become a frightening example of a future where water scarcity and pollution define the lives of billions. The time for hollow promises and piecemeal solutions is over. A robust, global effort to conserve, manage, and protect our precious water resources is the only way to avert a future where wells run dry and rivers turn into poison.