.Lack of government planning, competing demands, rising population and water-draining agricultural practices are all placing increasing strain on water, said the WaterAids report."Droughts have become almost a way of life in the Bundelkhand region of North-Central India. Diseases such as Clean Room Project cholera, blinding trachoma, malaria and dengue are expected to become more common and malnutrition more prevalent, it said.The report said today, 663 million people globally are without clean water and the vast majority of them - 522 million - live in rural areas."These communities face particular challenges in gaining access to water due to isolated locations, inadequate infrastructure and a continued lack of funding," he said.According to Indias official Ground Water Resources Assessment, more than one-sixth of the countrys groundwater supply is currently overused.

Here, three consecutive droughts have pushed millions of people into a vicious cycle of hunger and poverty," it said.Kochi: India has the maximum number of people-- 63 million -- living in rural areas without access to clean water, according to a new global report released to mark World Water Day on Wednesday."Along with access to safe water, it is critical that communities have the necessary tools, infrastructure and preparedness to deal with the effects of extreme weather events and climate change", he said in a statement."With 67 percent of the countrys population living in rural areas and 7 percent of the rural population even now living without access to clean water, Indias rural poor are highly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events and climate change," it said."This World Water Day, WaterAid is calling on the government to deliver its promise to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, including ensuring access to safe water as part of Goal 6 to everyone, everywhere.

Rural communities dependent on farming to make a living will struggle to grow food and feed livestock amid soaring temperatures, and women -- typically responsible for collecting water -- may have to walk even greater distances during prolonged dry seasons, the report forewarned."India ranks in the top 38 percent of countries worldwide most vulnerable to climate change and least ready to adapt, according to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index.The report warns about the implications of extreme weather events and climate change for the worlds poorest.This is almost the population of the United Kingdom, said "Wild Water", a report on the state of the worlds water.Describing India as one of the worlds fastest growing economies, it said ensuring water security for the growing population is one of the main challenges facing the country.Without access to clean water, 63 million people are living in rural areas in India.According to WaterAid Indias Chief Executive VK Madhavan, with 27 out of the 35 states and union territories in India disaster prone, poorest and the most marginalised across the country will bear the brunt of extreme weather events and climate change and will find it the hardest to adapt