India's Drinking Water Crisis with Dr. Sunderrajan Krishnan

What if the water you drink every day looks perfectly safe but contains contaminants that could affect your health for years? Millions of people in India depend on groundwater for drinking water. Yet contaminants such as fluoride, arsenic and nitrate can pose serious health risks that are often difficult to detect without testing. In this episode of The Water Data Podcast, Dr Sunderrajan Krishnan , Executive Director of the INREM Foundation joins host Veena Srinivasan to talk about India's drinking-water quality crisis and what it will take to address it. Dr Sunderrajan Krishnan is the Executive Director of INREM Foundation, an organisation working on water quality and public-health issues in India. His work connects groundwater science, community engagement and water governance. In the conversation, they explore why groundwater contamination often goes unnoticed, how decades of water-treatment interventions have struggled with maintenance and adoption, and why community-led water testing can make a difference. The conversation also examines how contaminated water, food and nutritional deficiencies can compound health risks among vulnerable communities. They discuss the role of reverse osmosis (RO) systems, the importance of safe local water sources and the challenges of making Jal Jeevan Mission deliver reliable, safe drinking water. Finally, Sunder makes the case for lifeline water: a guaranteed minimum supply of high-quality water for everyone's essential drinking and cooking needs. The Water Data Podcast is a talk show on the science, systems, and stories of water, hosted by Veena Srinivasan and produced by WELL Labs. For all references and further readings related to the episode, visit https://welllabs.org/wdp-suderrajan-krishnan/ Subscribe to The Water Data Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and catch video episodes on the WELL Labs YouTube channel @welllabs. Subscription links: Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, and wherever you get your podcasts!  Recording by Team On productions. Video editing by Srisabari Varaguna Pandian. Graphics and artwork by Kanishka Goyal. Audio mixing and mastering by Vijay Doiphode. Podcast production and management by Vraj Acharya, Nabina Chakraborty and Pavan Srinath.