# Water and sanitation: Chokepoints and risks

Utilities and treatment firms supplying clean water and handling wastewater and sludge

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/risks/

#### Chokepoints and risks

- Raw-water stress: monsoon failure and falling groundwater tables cut supply at source.
- Wastewater gap: India's installed sewage treatment covered only about 44% of sewage generated in 2021, and only 20,235 MLD was actually treated^[4](https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/india-s-sewage-treatment-plants-treat-only-a-third-of-the-sewage-generated-daily-cpcb-79157).
- Global access gaps: about 2.1 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water and 3.4 billion lacked safely managed sanitation in 2024^[5](https://www.who.int/news/item/26-08-2025-1-in-4-people-globally-still-lack-access-to-safe-drinking-water---who--unicef).
- Funding dependence: utilities with low tariffs rely on government transfers, so fiscal squeezes delay O&M and replacement.
- Membrane concentration: a few foreign suppliers dominate RO elements used in desalination and reuse.

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/index.md)
- [Where ₹100 goes](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/cost-mix/index.md)
- [Price links with suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/price-links/index.md)
- [Example story](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/story/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/value-chain/index.md)
- [Materials drawn on](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/materials/index.md)
- [Sources](https://www.materialinsights.org/industries/water_sanitation/sources/index.md)