Water is a key element for the emergence and maintenance of life on our planet, the most important strategic resource necessary for all types of human activity. Washed by two oceans, demarcated by the beds of many large and small rivers, and replete with natural and artificial reservoirs, modern India considers providing water to its growing population and developing economy as one of the most acute problems. It has always been believed that water is an unlimited renewable resource. However, today the whole world is already faced with the problem of a lack of clean drinking water in cities and a shortage of water for industry and irrigation. In India, these problems are exacerbated to the extreme. In India, the concept of a “water crisis” is firmly established, and the future of the country largely depends on how it will be possible to dispose of the available sources of fresh water.
Water Crisis Issue in India
Over the past 60 years, the country has experienced the largest negative climate shift, especially noticeable since the 1990s. There is a natural decrease in the amount of precipitation, which has already decreased by almost 8% (Chaudhuri et al., 2020). The disappearance of water is accompanied by an increase in high temperatures, drying up of channels, and deforestation of the country. In addition to the decrease in the total amount of available water, groundwater is sinking at an accelerated pace. Sometimes this takes place up to a critical level – this is a condition close to the loss of used water from an operation. The situation is aggravated due to the lack of legislative regulation of groundwater use. Simultaneously with the development of underground water management, the country is undergoing a major metamorphosis, manifested in the transition from biological forms of water pollution to chemical ones.
It should be emphasized that the growing shortage and decrease in the quality of fresh water in cities are associated with accelerated urbanization in recent decades. No Indian city receives water 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 22 of the country’s 32 largest cities, water supply is in critical condition – the gap between demand and supply reaches 70% (Chaudhuri et al., 2020). According to the latest census, only about 30% of the housing stock is connected to the water supply network. Between 40 and 70% of the water supplied to cities is not used efficiently. It is lost in the form of leaks in rotten pipes and due to unauthorized connections (Chaudhuri et al., 2020). According to Kumaret et al. (2017), huge territorial and social disparities in access to water have developed within cities. Poor neighborhoods and slums have extremely limited access to piped water (one street tap for several families). The hitherto unreformed economic model leads to the fact that the money received from the population for the use of water covers only 30–40% of the costs of maintaining water supply networks.
A disappointing situation is observed in the states – such as Rajasthan – located close to the desert areas of the country. To the north of the Aravalli mountain range, which cuts diagonally across the state (from northeast to southwest), is India’s largest desert, Thar. Open natural water sources (rivers and lakes) are completely absent here. A few Rajasthani rivers are located south of the mountain range, but the channel of only one of them (the Chambal River) does not dry up in winter. All lakes of Rajasthan, with the exception of the Sambhar salt lake, are of artificial origin (Chaudhuri et al., 2020). Most of them were created back in the Middle Ages by building dams that block the riverbeds, so the water level in these reservoirs drops significantly in the winter months when the rivers that feed them become shallow and dry up. In such harsh natural conditions, the key to survival and farming for the inhabitants of the state is the exploitation of groundwater and the preservation of rainwater from the July monsoons.
Improvement Plan
The improvement plan for water supply in India can be presented as follows. The initial stage will be to facilitate collaborative planning, program implementation, and resource sustainability in the state. This will involve a number of subsequent actions as well. Firstly, it will be essential to arrange the conjunctive use of rainfall, aquifer, and surface water and the provision of bulk water supply. This will be a foundation for participatory water supply at the village, regional, and national levels. Secondly, the government is to plan and implement water security measures while assuring cost-efficient, ideal scheme design to minimize the related risks. Thirdly, there is a necessity to develop sustainability initiatives for water sources, such as groundwater recharging and water harvesting programs undertaken at the block, watersheds, and village levels.
The second stage will be dedicated to the improvement of water quality management. The involved actions can be formulated in the following manner. Firstly, to stop water pollution before it happens, the government will create a water safety plan. Secondly, the related institutions will monitor, surveil, and test regional and sub-divisional water quality labs. Thirdly, the government will allocate funds to enhance the cleanliness of households and cost-effective, suitable technology for treating water from polluted sources. Thirdly, it will be crucial to implement legislative, organizational, and procedural actions to gradually impose obligatory and enforced water safety standards.
The third stage is to be devoted to the dimension of service delivery in terms of water supply. It is crucial that activities related to upkeep are put in place at the village levels to guarantee that there are the necessary resources for replacement, growth, and modernization, as well as the necessary skills. The institutions are to motivate states to take action to decentralize resources, personnel, and functions by adopting a Management Devolution Index. Moreover, in order to decrease unaccounted activities within the scope of water supply, the government should concentrate on metering, both in bulk and individually. Then, it is to provide service contracts for plumbers who work on hand pumps and water supply operators.
The estimated budget for the plan is about $2.5 million. This plan will take two to implement the related activities and reach the required goals. Particularly, it is essential to ensure that 85% of rural households have a water supply by 2026. The first stage will last from September 1, 2022, to September 1, 2023. The second stage will take place from October 1, 2023, to May 1, 2024. The third stage will be from June 1, 2024, to September 1, 2024.
Moreover, the Japanese experience of public-private partnership in the water supply framework can be used. In Japan, utilities used to carry out all of their tasks, including designing and constructing infrastructure, using their own competence. These jobs are progressively outsourced, along with others like reading meters (Japan International Cooperation Agency, 2017). Concern over the long-term viability of public enterprises is developing as a result of an aging society and a dwindling population. Public-private partnerships for facility creation, administration, and preservation are increasingly included in the private sector’s role in the water delivery industry. In order to preserve the public interest while fostering public-private collaborations, guidelines are being improved. This includes assuring water quality, security, and affordability, as well as a complete sense of how risks will be shared between the parties.
References
Chaudhuri, S., Roy, M., McDonald, L. M., & Emendack, Y. (2020). Water for All (Har Ghar Jal): Rural Water Supply Services (RWSS) in India (2013–2018), challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Rural Management, 16(2), 254–284.
Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2017). Japan’s experiences on water supply development.
Kumar, S., Meena, H. M., & Verma, K. (2017). Water pollution in India: Its impact on the human health: Causes and remedies. International Journal of Applied Environmental Sciences, 12(2), 275–279.