The Hindu Editorial (Parched again) – Apr 14, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (Parched again) – Apr 14, 2026:

1. parched (adjective) – dried out with heat, extremely thirsty or lacking water; dry, arid, dehydrated, waterless.
2. woes (noun) – troubles, difficulties, hardships, miseries.
3. treat (verb) – to handle or deal with something in a particular way; consider, regard, view, manage.
4. water supply (noun) – water provision, water distribution.
5. infinitely (adverb) – endlessly, boundlessly, limitlessly, inexhaustibly.
6. expandable (adjective) – enlargeable, stretchable, scalable, extendable.
7. as a whole (phrase) – altogether, collectively, globally, comprehensively.
8. water security (noun) – the reliable availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, and production; assured water access, water reliability, water sustainability, secure water provision.
9. groundwater withdrawal (noun) – the process of extracting water stored underground in soil pore spaces and fractures of rock formations; aquifer extraction, underground water pumping, water drawing.
10. groundwater (noun) – water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock; subterranean water, underground water, aquifer water, subsurface water.
11. withdrawal (noun) – the act of taking out or extracting a resource from its source; extraction, removal, drawing out, taking away.
12. draw (verb) – to extract or obtain a resource from a particular source; extract, pull, pump, tap.
13. sustainably (adverb) – in a way that avoids the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance; responsibly, renewably, ecologically, continuously.
14. extract (verb) – to remove or take out a resource, especially by effort or force; withdraw, pull out, draw out, pump out.
15. extractable (adjective) – capable of being removed or drawn out from a source; retrievable, recoverable, withdrawable, obtainable.
16. deplete (verb) – to drastically reduce or use up the supply of a resource; exhaust, consume, drain, empty.
17. aquifer (noun) – a body of permeable rock, sand, or gravel that can contain or transmit groundwater; underground reservoir, water-bearing rock, underground stream, waterbed.
18. mean (verb) – signify, denote, indicate, show.
19. reminiscent (adjective) – tending to remind one of something from the past; evocative, suggestive, recalling, echoing.
20. ongoing (adjective) – current, underway, unceasing, continuous.
21. crisis (noun) – a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or extreme danger; emergency, disaster, catastrophe, exigency.
22. turn (verb) – become, transform into, develop into, change into.
23. acute (adjective) – severe, critical, drastic, intense.
24. lie on (phrasal verb) – to be situated or located upon a particular geographical or geological foundation; rest on, sit on, be placed on, base on.
25. crystalline rock (noun) – a type of rock formed either by igneous or metamorphic processes that typically has low permeability, making natural groundwater recharge difficult; solid rock, unyielding rock, impermeable rock foundation, hard rock.
26. recharge (verb) – to refill or replenish a natural resource, such as underground water supplies; replenish, restore, refill, renew.
27. concentrate (verb) – cluster, gather, converge, centralize.
28. population density (noun) – a measurement of the number of people living in a particular area; demographic density, populace concentration, inhabitant density, crowding.
29. per-capita (adjective) – calculated for each person individually; per person, per head, individually, proportionately.
30. consumption (noun) – the action of using up a resource; usage, utilization, expending, depletion.
31. built-up area (noun) – a geographical area that is heavily developed with buildings and urban infrastructure; urbanized zone, concrete jungle, metropolitan area.
32. urban infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a city; civic amenities, public works, municipal structures, city facilities.
33. suppress (verb) – to severely restrict, prevent, or inhibit the development of something; stifle, impede, hinder, repress.
34. recharge (noun) – the natural or artificial replenishment of an aquifer by the absorption of water into the ground; replenishment, refilling, restoration, topping up.
35. percolate (verb) – to filter gradually through a porous surface or substance; seep, filter, drain, ooze.
36. rainwater (noun) – precipitation, rain shower water, storm water, monsoon rain.
37. growing (adjective) – increasing, expanding, rising, multiplying.
38. fraction (noun) – a small or tiny part, amount, or proportion of something; portion, segment, fragment, particle.
39. expansion cost (noun) – the financial expense required to increase the scale, capacity, or geographic reach of a system; growth expense, extension expenditure, scaling cost, development outlay.
40. thus (adverb) – therefore, consequently, hence, accordingly.
41. compound (verb) – aggravate, worsen, exacerbate, intensify.
42. inconsiderate (adjective) – thoughtless, careless, unmindful, negligent.
43. urbanisation (noun) – the process of making an area more urban through population shift and building development; urban growth, city expansion, metropolitanisation.
44. costs (noun) – negative impacts, damages, detriments, drawbacks.
45. monetary (adjective) – financial, pecuniary, economic, fiscal.
46. increasingly (adverb) – to an increasing extent or degree; progressively, steadily, more and more, continuously.
47. existential (adjective) – relating to a threat that endangers the very survival or continued existence of something; survival-related, life-threatening, critical, fundamental.
48. pass on to (phrasal verb) – to transfer a burden, cost, or responsibility to someone else; transfer to, shift to, hand over to, offload onto.
49. populace (noun) – the people living in a particular country, city, or area; population, citizens, residents, inhabitants.
50. leave (verb) – to cause to be or remain in a particular state or condition; result in, render, make, keep.
51. leave dry (phrase) – to systematically deprive of water or essential life-sustaining resources; drain, empty, abandon without resources.
52. nearly (adverb) – very close to, almost, practically, virtually, approximately.
53. borewell (noun) – a deep, narrow well drilled into the ground to extract subterranean water; groundwater well.
54. dry (adjective) – waterless, arid, parched, bone-dry.
55. groundwater stress (noun) – a critical situation where the demand for underground water exceeds the available amount being naturally replenished; aquifer depletion, subterranean water scarcity, groundwater deficiency, underground water crisis.
56. to date (phrase) – up to the present time; until now, so far, thus far, as yet.
57. midway coverage (noun) – the partial or incomplete provision of a service or infrastructure, reaching only a portion of the intended target; partial reach, incomplete network, partial distribution.
58. bank on (phrasal verb) – to rely on confidently or heavily; depend on, count on, lean on, trust in.
59. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (organization) – the premier governmental agency in Bengaluru, Karnataka, mandated with the responsibility of providing drinking water supply, managing sewage disposal, and maintaining the water infrastructure for the city.
60. treated (adjective) – processed chemically or physically to make it safe or suitable for a specific use; purified, processed, filtered, cleansed.
61. sewage water (noun) – wastewater and excrement conveyed in sewers; wastewater, effluent, sullage, contaminated water.
62. seem (verb) – appear, look, sound, give the impression.
63. preference (noun) – priority, choice, inclination.
64. grey infrastructure (noun) – traditional, human-engineered structures for water management, typically made of concrete and steel; built infrastructure, engineered water systems, concrete infrastructure, conventional infrastructure.
65. over (preposition) – instead of, in preference to, ahead of, rather than.
66. green infrastructure (noun) – an approach to water management that protects, restores, or mimics the natural water cycle using vegetation and natural processes; ecological infrastructure, natural water systems, eco-friendly infrastructure, nature-based solutions.
67. seal the ground (phrase) – to cover the earth’s surface with impermeable materials, preventing natural water infiltration; make impermeable.
68. replenishment (noun) – the restoration of a stock or natural supply (of water) to a former level or condition; refilling, restoring, topping up, recharging.
69. liquidate (verb) – to ruthlessly exhaust or destroy natural resources for short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability; deplete, wipe out, destroy, cash in on.
70. ecological capital (noun) – the world’s stocks of natural assets from which humans derive environmental services; natural capital, environmental assets, natural resources, ecological wealth.
71. pipeline supply (noun) – the distribution of water or other resources through a network of connected pipes; piped water, municipal water connection.
72. default (verb) – to automatically resort to or fall back on a particular option when other alternatives fail or are unavailable; resort, fall back, revert, turn.
73. tanker (noun) – a vehicle equipped with a large container for carrying liquids, often used to supply water during shortages; water truck, water carrier.
74. authorities (noun) – officials, administration, government, governing body.
75. penalise (verb) – punish, discipline, fine, sanction.
76. overextraction (noun) – the act of removing a resource, such as groundwater, at a rate significantly faster than it can be replenished; over-pumping, excessive withdrawal, overexploitation, rapid depletion.
77. mandate (verb) – to require or order something officially and legally; require, dictate, compel, command.
78. decentralised (adjective) – localized, distributed, dispersed, spread out.
79. recycling (noun) – the action or process of converting waste into reusable material; reusing, reprocessing, upcycling.
80. non-potable (adjective) – not suitable or safe for human drinking; undrinkable, unpurified, untreated, unfit for consumption.
81. ideal (adjective) – perfect, optimal, best, exemplary.
82. long-term (adjective) – lasting, enduring.
83. sponge city (noun) – an urban design model that focuses on managing flood risks and water scarcity by using natural landscapes to absorb, store, and purify rainwater; water-absorbing city, permeable urban area, eco-drainage city, rainwater-harvesting city.
84. monsoon runoff (noun) – the flow of water that occurs when excess storm water from heavy seasonal rains flows over the earth’s surface; seasonal rainwater flow, rainwater drainage.
85. align with (phrasal verb) – to match, correspond to, or be in accordance with a particular concept or policy; correspond to, match up with, conform to, fit.
86. absorption (noun) – the process by which one thing soaks up another, such as the ground taking in rainwater; soaking up, taking in, assimilation, uptake.

Note:

1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context. 

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