Which one among the following industries is the maximum consumer of water in India?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Thermal power
Thermal power plants use far more water than any other industry in India. Estimates put their share at about 88% of all industrial water demand, mostly for cooling and ash handling. Engineering, paper and pulp, and textiles each use only a small share.
- ✓ (d) Thermal power plants account for about 88% of India's industrial water demand. They need large volumes for cooling and ash handling, so no other industry comes close.
- ✗ (a) Engineering ranks second among industrial users, but at only about 5% of industrial water use. That is a small fraction of the thermal power share.
- ✗ (b) Paper and pulp is water-intensive per tonne produced, but it accounts for only about 2.3% of industrial water use in total.
- ✗ (c) Textiles use water for dyeing and washing, but their share is only about 2% of industrial water use.
Remember · Agriculture is India's biggest water user overall, and all industry together accounts for only about 9% of water consumption. Within industry, thermal power plants dominate with about 88% of industrial water demand.
Sources
- NITI Aayog – Impact of Power Sector Growth on Water Resources (CSTEP study) ↗ “Other reports estimate that all industry accounts for 9% of water consumption in India and TPPs account for about 88% of the total industrial water demand in the country”
- TERI Policy Brief (Dec 2012) – Table 1, Industrial water use in India ↗ · reference work “Thermal power plants 87.87 Engineering 5.05 Pulp and paper 2.26 Textiles 2.07 Steel 1.29 Sugar 0.49 Fertilizer 0.18 Others 0.78 Total 100.00”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
