From David Foster, Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance and Infrastructure, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad
Posted 27 March 2009
The quality of service in urban water supply in most Indian cities remains low, notwithstanding high subsidies and major investments in the sector. Leakage rates are high, most of the poor are not even connected to the water lines, and the rate of water borne disease is among the highest in the world. Further, despite high subsidies, when coping costs are included (household pumps, storage, and treatment, as well as lost time), the real cost to the consumer for this water is often higher than in other Asian countries that offer significantly better service.
To overcome these problems many organizations have sought to increase the water supply available through water tankers and public stand posts. Others have focused on Point of Use (POU) in-home treatment systems or sought to develop self-sustaining water kiosk systems where residents can purchase 10 liter containers of water at a nominal price.
The E-discussion process
This E-Discussion focuses attention on an option that has previously been all but dismissed and is now gaining new attention, not simply as a luxury good for the rich but as an essential service with major benefits for the urban poor: The role of Continuously Pressurized (24/7) Water Supply. No longer simply a “Pipe Dream”, 24/7 Water has long been provided not only in the West but also in many Asian, Latin American and African countries. And within the last few years, successful demonstration programmes have been launched in such Indian cities as Navi Mumbai, Badlapur, Hubli-Darwad and Jamshedpur.
As a prelude to this discussion I would like to first list some of the major objections that are often raised in response to proposals for 24/7 water supply. We will then discuss each of these issues to determine if they are genuine obstacles, major but surmountable challenges, or only simple misunderstandings. We will break the debate around this subject into these four issues, run each issue for one week and provide an interim summary of the discussions. At the end of the process, we will provide an overall summary of the discussions along with recommendations that will hopefully give us some clarity on the subject of 24/7 water supply.
Common issues, covered under the discussion, will include the following:
- “24/7 water supply requires too much water, encourages waste and would not be sustainable for most Indian cities.”
- “24/7 water is too expensive for India. The poor can’t afford it and the rich don’t need it.”
- “24/7 Water is Inequitable and Unfair to the poor.”
- “Is 24/7 Water really a Luxury or is it critical to protecting water quality and public health?”
We have already had a vibrant discussion on the first two topics and are now moving onto the third one. We look forward to your inputs.
Issue # 3 “24/7 Water is Inequitable and Unfair to the Poor.”
Background: Since water resources are in limited supply and, therefore, must be rationed, the only fair way to ration water supply is by limiting the hours of availability per day. If the rich receive 4 hours per day and the poor receive 4 hours per day then both will be treated equally, but 24X7 water supply is a luxury designed for the rich. Furthermore, water tariffs are kept low to protect the poor and finally, if the poor can’t afford even the subsidized monthly rates, then city will provide them with free water via public fountains, standpipes or tank trucks.
Nobody, irrespective of socio-economic status, needs running water in the middle of the night. Therefore, constant water supply is a luxury, just like 5 Star hotels and restaurants or fancy private automobiles and is not required to meet basic public needs. It certainly should not be supplied by cash strapped local governments that can barely cover their expenses. If cities have the money, they should be spending it on providing better roads, schools or hospitals. It should never be the role of cities to provide luxuries for the few but they should focus instead on meeting the basic needs of the many.
I seek the Community’s inputs on the following:
- What are the subsidies for existing water supply, and who do they benefit most?
- Who will benefit from a 24/7 and fully metered water supply – the rich or poor, large or small users, and why?
- Who is adversely impacted when people illegally tap into, or install suction pumps on the water mains, and what can be done about it?
- If the water board adopts a policy of strictly enforcing bill payment requirements who is most likely to benefit?
The results of this discussion will feed into the on-going policy debate at the Administrative Staff College of India and help us to develop a framework on continuously pressurized water supply for cities.
Please see attachment below for the responses.
