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News / Opinion / Columns / How to fix India’s urban water crisis, from Bengaluru to Chennai and beyond

How to fix India’s urban water crisis,

from Bengaluru to Chennai and
beyond
Questions on water supply and quality should lead to a rethink of the centralised delivery
system

Written by Sachin Tiwale

Updated: March 28, 2024 09:52 IST

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There are caveats, though. Not everyone can afford water sold by private players. The WHO’s concerns
about the reverse osmosis method used by the industry to purify water — it robs the water of essential When Kangana comes to Mandi:
minerals — are also valid. Bollywood actor’s homecoming,
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Bengaluru is experiencing its worst water crisis in decades. The weak monsoon last
year has compounded an already difficult situation caused by unregulated urban
growth and depleting groundwater resources. Chennai too has experienced
shortages in recent years. Several other Indian cities are under similar stress,
indicating that water supply is rarely factored in urban planning.

It’s also worrying that a large section of India’s urban population does not receive
safe drinking water. Last month, the Pey Jal Survekshan revealed that only 10 per
cent of Indian cities meet drinking water standards.

The quality of water is known to deteriorate in the distribution network because of

multiple factors — compounds from old pipes releasing into the water, sediment
buildup and the accumulation of pathogens. This is a concern in several places,
including developed countries. The problem gets compounded in Indian cities
because of leaky pipes, many of which are close to sewer lines.

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In the last two decades, this deficit has been exploited by companies manufacturing
water purifiers and those selling packaged drinking water (PDW). Household
dependence on drinking water sold in 20-litre jars has increased across the country.
According to a recent study, 38 per cent of households in Kolkata and 70 per cent of
households in Chennai routinely purchase water jars despite having access to piped
water.

The PDW model that relies on decentralised treatment of water and non-pipe mode
of delivery has evolved in the last decade-and-a-half — it involves a range of players
including multinational companies and local operators who provide doorstep
service. With an independent water source, mainly groundwater, and an
established chain of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, the model scores on
the reliability criteria.

According to the standards of the Central Public Health and Environmental

Engineering Organisation — the technical wing of the Union Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs that sets norms for water supply and sanitation — Indian cities
have a daily per capita water requirement of 135 litres per capita. Under the
current piped water supply approach, all of this water is treated to meet drinking
water quality standards. However, a person requires only a fraction of this amount
for drinking and cooking purposes. The practice of treating enormous quantities of
water to drinking water quality standards and distributing it through a network
that cannot guarantee safe delivery needs examination. Considering the capital-
intensive nature of the distribution network and constraints on repair and
maintenance, we need to segregate water for drinking purposes and other domestic
uses.

The model of decentralised treatment and non-pipe mode of drinking water

delivery, followed by the PDW industry is promising. Bengaluru’s recent crisis has
pushed the city’s authorities to experiment with water ATMs. Such initiatives are at
an early stage in some other cities including Delhi.

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There are caveats, though. Not everyone can afford water sold by private players.
The WHO’s concerns about the reverse osmosis method used by the industry to
purify water — it robs the water of essential minerals — are also valid.
Acknowledging the feasibility of decentralised water treatment and supply does not
rule out conversations on appropriate technologies. More experiments to evolve
affordable and context-specific institutional arrangements, including those related
to technology, need to be undertaken. Piped water supply too evolved over
centuries because of a series of technological and institutional improvements. It is
time to look for an alternative model of water supply to overcome the water quality
issues. Decentralised treatment and non-pipe mode of service delivery are worth
experimenting with.

The writer is a Fellow, Centre for Environment and Development, Ashoka

Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

First uploaded on: 28-03-2024 at 07:10 IST

TAGS: Bengaluru Cauvery Water Dispute Chennai

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