A study across 15 cities in South Asia, Africa and South America shows that water is inaccessible and unaffordable.
“Not enough is being done to understand the water crisis,” Diana Mitlin, one of the lead authors of the study told Asia Times. “When we look at the data we see that even if there are pipes, there is no water. And if there is water, it is not adequate. Water supply over three hours for just three days in a week is simply not adequate,” she said.
Aditi Mukherji, principal researcher with the International Water Management Institute, also worked separately on the availability of water in South Asia and confirmed Mitlin’s worst fears.
“The urban water crisis in India is no longer the time-bomb that is yet to explode. It is a time-bomb that has exploded with disastrous consequences for the urban poor, and also for the middle class, as we saw in Chennai recently,” she said.
Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including 
The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities 
A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But 
Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the