India, Oct. 4 -- The NITI Aayog's sobering report on India's Composite Water Management Index warns that 21 Indian cities are on the verge of running out of groundwater. This national crisis is compounded by a systemic failure in our clean-up efforts. While ambitious government programs and a clear vision to restore our rivers have led to a consensus on the need for decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs), the grim reality of polluted waterways and dry taps persists. The flaw in the flow is not the lack of infrastructure, but its fragmented, opaque management, a systemic disconnect that has hobbled progress for decades.

Urban India generates over 72 billion litres of sewage per day, yet less than a third of this is treated. The rest...