Urban geography

1. Water: An Urban Basic Service
Issues and Initiatives
Suraj Dev

2. Importance of Water:
• To hydrate the human body and resolve health issues.
• Affect socio-economic process.
• Important for vegetation generation and other
ecological services.
• Regulates the climate of the Earth.

3. Demand of water in India
• Urban Population in India
• 2001 - 285 million (27.8%)
• 2011 - 377 million (31.16%)
• 2030 - Around 40%
• 2050 - Around 50%
• As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,
135 litre per capita per day (lpcd) has been
suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply.
For rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55
lpcd has been fixed under the Jal Jeevan Mission,
which may be enhanced to a higher level by states.

4. National per capita annual availability of
water:
◦ 1816 m3 in 2001
◦ 1544 m3 in 2011
◦ 1140 m3 in 2050 - estimated
Availability of less than 1000 m3 per capita is
considered by international agencies as
scarcity conditions.
Source: Central Water Commission

5. Reason Behind Water Scarcity
• Overpopulation
• More water is used in cleaning as compared to rural areas.
• Lack of open land for water seepage function
• Limited amounts of water are purified and reused.
• Drainages Impure surface water quality.
• Leaks in the pipelines that supply water.
• Change in climatic patterns.
• Lack of vegetation.
• Urban recreational activities.
• Lack of water conservation awareness .

6. Program For Urban Water Scarcity
• Jal Jeevan Mission : tap water supply to every
household till 2024
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT) : to ensure universal
coverage of water supply, sewage and storage
management

7. Program For Urban Water Scarcity
• Jal Jeevan Mission : tap water supply to every
household till 2024
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT) : to ensure universal
coverage of water supply, sewage and storage
management

8. Future Actions
Judicious use of water through better management, improved
maintenance, and appropriate tariff
Use of better material and technology to reduce water losses
Re-use of wastewater – as more wastewater will be generated from
domestic use
Rainwater harvesting not only in buildings but also in parks and open
spaces
Recharge of aquifers should become a part of the development of real
estate
New ways should be found to use flood waters – recharge aquifers?
The construction industry should promote better methods and
technologies for using water efficiently
Awareness creation across sectors to optimize and conserve water